The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1920-05-08
Press Comment
Talking Foolishness.

Taking FooIishness.
In the desire to reduce expenses"
there have been many Suggestions"
made, and. among them wea find now
and then one from some man who pro-
poses to abolish about half the state
offices. because, as he fancies, they do
not pay any cash. into the treasury.
These men never stop to think of the
I~absolute necessity for a secretary of
state in a.. commemorative govern
mental machine. A state auditor is
beyond his comprehension as a useful
official. while a commissioner Of agri-
culture, a state chemist, or any attor-
Iney general, are mere barnacles on the
ship of state, according to his views.
The only officials he would have, evil
IDENTIFY, are the governor, to turn the
rascals out" and the state treasurer to
kpay the. bills and receive the cash.
Recently we noticed one of these BIZ
erhiaf 4, 6suggestions,n in the Ocala
Star, 1t. we are not mistaken, from a
Emah who declared among other things
that the entire chemical division, with
its food, fertilizer, and citrus fruit in
specters, should be thrown overheard,
because TT pays absolutely nothing into
the state The writer evidently sell
dom reads the papers, and certainly
never heard of the annual reports"
of the commissioner of agriculture or
the report of the state chemist, made
annually to his chief, the commissioner
0fsRgriculture.
The last report of the state chemist
shows that for the year ending Deem
Der 81. 1919, the state chemist paid
4 80 ? -
and. a boves expenses (including the ex-
.penses, of, the immature citrus fruit
law operation) the sum- of $81;814.56.
This sum is net to the state.
And further, an analysis of the re-
ports for the past ten years shows that
sthe1 average gross revenue per annum
for the chemical division of the depart
ment of agriculture is $7S,646.4S, while
the average expense of the division has
beer IS Is, 296.61,e leaving met annual
income average for 1.-The. ten years of
$50, 439.87. In other words. the chemi-
cal division of the department of agri-
Fcilsure sof the state of Florida has paid
into the state treasury in the. past ten
years, over and above all expenditures,
more than $604,398.
In addition to this showing, the re-
ports show that the chemical division
has turned back into the general fund
|ofathe state in the past six years $12,-
971.06 out of the total legislative appro-
priations, made for it's work.
We expect that similar analysis
would show a good cash benefit in the
secretary, of states office, and the
comptrollers and the state auditors
and the attorney-generars office.
I ;It5does.s not paytto talk through your
hat even for political effect.-Tampa
Tribune.
Orlando Doing It.
|. That Florida-is awakening to the me-
'eessity of obtaining books for its people
is becoming. more and more evident.
Orlando is the latest city to start a
campaign for fund Tor a public. library
which shall be adequate to the increas-
ing demands Of its citizens. And follow.
ing Orlando many smaller towns and
cities Hhfodghdnt the state are discuss
ing the Heed for more books for their
people.
This is. partly the result of the agita-
ton Of the American Library Associa-
ton which is also cooperating in sup
plying books for small libraries but
chiefly it is a result of the increasing
literacy Of the people and the increas-
ing number OF readers.
/ The war did much toward making
America a reading country. The boys
in the camps were supplied with books,
;many were taught to read and all found
that the most profitable way of spend
ing their spare time was in gaining ed
ucation of amusement from books.
&1of hn 1N ir,or n1
interest in reading which was evidenced
after: the ecivil war was brought about
by the men in the camps who there ac-
auired the reading habit and there also
laid the foundation of many of the ca
reers of the seventies and eighties.
'. Probably no movement has been so
fundamentally important to the state
as this one for the foundation of pub
lie libraries and the fostering of read
ing On the part of the public. 1t will
mean an increase in public spirit, in
general standards of living, in educa-
ton, in public opinion, in public atti-
tude toward great questions, in promise
for the, next regeneration and for the
state as a whole which can hardly be
reckoned.s
That Miami, which has only library
of ten thousand vo1ums for over forty
thousand, people Of the city alone. not
counting the rest of Dade county which
is dependent on the Miami library,
should be behind in this statewide
movement is incredible. II it is not
possible at this time to have more sup
port from the city then at least the
should have a greater support
from individuals. Gifts of books and
sums of money. are much
needed to increase the facilities of the
present library and to maintain its
standard as the third largest in the
state--a standard which Orlando, with
its present library drive threatens to
eclipse.-M Miami Herald.
To Split the Solid South.
The Savannah Press sees in the ac-
ton of the Kansas republican party a