The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1921-05-13
GOSSIP AT THE
STATE CAPITAL
fRv JoHN G. TRIcE)

l
trimmed UP the second relief bill so that
it saves that large sum that was threat
ened in Hillsborough county, and yet
satisfies all the others interested. At
least, that is the information they are
giving out around the lobby of the legis-
| lature.
sidering the proposition to limit speech
making to ten minutes Mr.. Phillips OF
Columbia county. suggested that per-
| haps 1t would be well to limit them to
| thirty seconds. Those who know how
well the gentleman from Columbia likes
| to make speech, how well he does 1t,
and the time he usually consumes in the
| making, are accusing him Of perpetrat-
| ing piece Of irony on the house.
| The rebellion against prohibition must
be paramount in every human soul. The
I youthful representative from Citrus coun-
! ty had at no time heretofore made a
speech of five minutes, but on the very
afternoon of the day on which the house
decided that members should be restrict
| ed to five minutes in putting their views
before the other members, he was called
down by the speaker for having exceed
| ed his ten minutes time.
Mr.. Crofton Of Washington county has
"a bill before the legislature to exempt
| from municipal taxation certain farms
| in his county. Verify the tax gatherers
| must be hard pressed when they have to
be choked off by a special act of the leg
F., islature from going out and taking in
| the farms for the purposes Of municipal
taxation, is the view being expressed
here.
Every time a school measure is. to be
voted on in the house Of representa-
| tives, the gallery is packed to suffoca-
tion almost with children from the city
schools or young ladies from the college
according to the measure to be voted
| upon. From the viewpoint Of those di-
rectly entrusted with the management of
the schools this practice must have
| very salutary effect. for no school mat
| ter has yet been defeated by that body
| during the session.
I am reminded by this also that only
| one man in the house has had the hardi
! hood to stand on the floor and raise his
voice against the methods being en-
ployed in behalf of the schools. That
man is Representative Scales of Taylor
| county. Mr.. Scales is not opposed to
J education. He states that he yields first
place to no man in his advocacy Of this,
the greatest boon to the human race. But
| he does think that in their great zeal
| BUSINESS other members of the house have
| exceeded the bounds of wisdom and the
thrusts of the other members failed to
get him off the floor the other day until
he had said what he wanted to on the
subject
| It was "Davis Day" in the house Tues
| day. The gentleman had bills coming
one right after the other on the house
calendar Of bills on third reading and
the house was passing them just like
| Chicken picking up corn" as Uncle Josh
would say when Mr.. Davis himself sug
gested that the house skip those bills
| Of his remaining on the calendar and
take up Mr.. Ellsworth's bill permitting
| five year contracts with principals of
high schools. Right there the passing
stopped.
Bob Mathis as he is Familiarity known
| here has been at the capital this week.
| Mr.. Mathis was a member Of the 1919
| session Of the legislature and came with
! in a few votes of passing a constitutional
amendment dividing the state. He is
very popular among a large number of
! legislators as well as the residents here
and has been receiving a very warm
welcome.
Hon. Frank Clark, representative in
congress from the second congressional
district of Florida, is expected to spend
few days at Tallahassee during the
latter part Of the present week. 1t is
said here that there is a strong. senti-
ment in various sections of the state for
| Mr.. Clark to become candidate for
United States senator in the next pri
mary election. He is legislator of
marked ability and wide experience, and
ranks among the nations leaders at
| Washington.
Mr.. Davis, Of Leon county, has intro
| duced bill in the house of representa-
| tives that is sort Of digging after the
foreign corporations cutting timber and
lumber in this state. It provides that
/ they shall pay a license tax of one thou
sand dollars year while SO engaged.
The protection scheme IS to be extend
| ed to at least one branch of the crab
family, II Mr.. Young, of st. Lucie coun-
| ty, has his way. He has introduced q
bill in the house providing for the pro-
lection of 1.-The blue crab" in the salt
waters of st. Lucie county, and regulat-
| ing how they shall be taken. Being
| local bill, the presumption is that there
will be no objection to the passage Of
the bill, and that the blue crab will be-
| come the most noted of his tribe, be-
cause he is the first to receive legisla-
| tive recognition as q valuable asset to
| the state.
Now that the monument sentiment is
| going good before the legislature, .Messrs.
Williams and Davis, of Leon county, have
introduced a bill to build a monument
and establish park on the battle ground
| Of the Natural bridge. 1t is said that
Jim French, an enterprising citizen of
Wakulla county, will contribute suffice
lent land for the park without cost to
the state.
Mr.. Pieper, Of ST. Johns county, is
elated over passing through the house
his appropriation bill for re-establishing
the Fort Barancas building which was
burned while being used as state ar
I senal. He has reason to be proud Of 1t,
for he has worked hard on the propo-
sition against an unfavorable sentiment
toward making appropriations. The bill
carries $4,000 appropriation for the pur-
pose Of rebuilding.