The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1921-04-22
REINFORCEMENT BILL IS
INDEFINITELY POSTPONED
(By JOHN c. TRICE.)

TALLAHASSEE, April 21.-The af-
ternoon session of the house was given
over to the consideration of the reap
portionment bill, which consumed also
part of the morning session. When it
went to the scrap pile at 5:35 by the
indefinite postponement route, the
house recessed to 8 o'clock, when it
met again for the consideration of To-
cal bills.
At the morning session the reappor-
tionment bill came up on a motion to
make it a special order for Friday of
next week, which was pending yester-
day when the house adjourned for the
day.
Mr.. Perry, of Lee county, who was
favoring the bill, moved to indefinitely
postpone the motion. Speaker Jennings
ruled him out of order.
Mr.. Perry then moved to indefinitely
postpone the bill. This he did in, order
to force the consideration of the bill
at that time, and was sustained by the
speaker. Arguments proceeded until
the noon adjournment.
On resuming the chair at the after
noon session the speaker reversed his
ruling of the morning, which. had per-
mitted an advocate of the bill to bring
it up by that kind of a motion.
Mr.. Futch, of Lake county, then ask
ed permission to withdraw his motion
to make the bill q special order for
Friday of next week and, on being
granted the privilege. himself moved
to indefinitely postpone the bill.
Against this motion the discussion
was led by Mr.. Harris. of Pinellas
county, followed by Messrs. Perry, OF
Lee county, Newton. of Orange county.
and Ellis, of Alachua county, the in
PRODUCER of the bill.
In favor of the motion to indefinitely
postpone, the leading argument was
made by Mr.. Futch, Of Lake county,
followed by Mr.. Stokes. Of Bay county.
The final vote was reached on a motion
for the previous question made by Mr..
Ellis, the introducer of the bill, who
stated he thought the discussion had
proceeded far enough to bring out ev-
cry point that was to be brought out
on both sides, and that he believed the
mind of every representative on the
floor was made up as to how he would
vote.
The roll was called and the bill was
indefinitely postponed by a vote of II
to "a. For the purpose of making a mo-
ton to reconsider the vote, Mr. Perry,
of Lee county, changed his vote to the
affirmative, making the vote as re-
corded read AZ to 33.
The argument of those opposing the
passage of this bill was based upon the
ground that the constitution made it
mandatory on the legislature meeting
in 1897 to reapportion the state, and
laid the same mandate upon the legis-
latures meeting every ten years there
after. This not being one of those ses-
sions, it was contended that any at
tempt to reapportion at this time by
any other way than by constitutional
amendment was repulsive to the con-
stitntion itself. Mr.. Futch in his ar
gument quoted from a decision of the
supreme court of Florida and from nu-
merous authorities to substantiate his
contention.
Those favoring reapportionment by
an act of this legislature contended
that when the legislature of 1897 failed
to reapportion the state as required by
the constitution the obligation was
passed on to the next session, and all
the sessions since that time having
failed to perform the duty the organic
law made it mandatory on this session.
Just exactly whether or not any,
thing will be accomplished by the mo-
ton to reconsider the vote of this af-
ternoon cannot be forecasted, but the
lines have been tightly drawn from the
very beginning of the session and the
assumption is that there will not be
much chance to change the result.