The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1922-06-22
DIR. ETHEREDCE
SAYS BIG ISSUE
STATE DIVISION
VIII Introduce Bill AT Next Session
of Legislature To Divide
Florida

Florida
The following from the latest issue
of the Avon Park Pilot regarding
state division will be of general in
terest:
THAT state division will be the big
issue of the next legislature Is evil
dent from the announcement of DR..
E. j. Etheridge, democratic nominee
for the state senate from this district,
that he will personally introduce a
bill during the 1922 session to pro-
vide for the enactment of the legisla-
ton necessary TO bring about divi-
sion. AS to whether or not the bill
will be passed, DR.. Etheridge is nom
committal, but his friends are resting
assured Of the fact that the big fight
of the legislature will be made Tor and
against this bill. The doctor, more
than anyone else, they argue, mar
shalled the forces for county division
at the last Legislature and put it over
the combined opposition OF anti-diYis-
ionists, and when ne puts his shoul-
der to the wheel demanding state di-
vision, his admirers are OF the opin-
ION ;hat his Opponents viii find a zoe
man more than worthy OF their best
steel.
Or. Ethcridge declares that his de-
termination to fight Tor state division
arises from an observation Of The un-
lair, unfayOraDie manner in which
northern and western Florida are
frowning upon South Florida's efforts
to bring about reapportionment and
capital removal. He declares that il
the northern and western portions OF
the state find the rrosressiveness OF the
southern portion so unbearable as 10
be absolutely intolarable, then the
best thing for it to do is submit to
divorce proceedings. The divGrcement
being accomplished, he points out the
fact that they could then go their
own sweet way, travelling clean to no
where, otherwise Tallahassee, for the
transaction OF state business, and
clecting their Legislative representa-
tiyes upon the same basis and ratio
that they did years ago.
/ The exact lines of the proposed
division Dir. Etheridge viii announce
later South Florida would be made
to include only that portion that a
division along fair and impartial lines
would necessitate, SO he states, and
the division would be such only as to
wcrk for the mutual good of both the
proposed states.
DIR. Etheredge's announcement is
The first OF any of the legislators
pledging something definite for the
relief Of South Florida from the op-
preston OF the northern and western
portions Cf the state. This opDres-
sion is generally conceded to arise
from the fact that the recent legis-
iature5 have been elected according to
an apportionment OF several years
antiquity and the repeated opposition
to new and fair reapportionment.
Another issue which has a bearing
upon state division is the stubborn
ness with which any effort to secure
the removal of the present capital at
Tallahassee, far from either the geo.
graphical or population center of the
state, TO some point more centrally
accessible, has been fought. In fact.
many are arguing that capital re-
moval can never be secured without
rcapportionment and reapportion-
ment never. Hence they declare that
the only solution is division. That is
exactly along the line OF DR.. Ether
edges reasoning.
In the preparation of his proposed
bill, DR.. Etheredge will advise with
some CT the best legal material in the
state. Just as soon as the bill as
sumes sufficient shape, he proposes to
confidence the pubic as to its con
tents and the boundary lines of the
new states that would be formed.
THE one big probability that a re-
publican administration and congress
would never consent TO the division
is not such big obstacle, in the
opinion of Or. Etheredge, after all.
But even taking it for granted that
such is the case, he is inclined to the
belief that the wheels of government
will be turned by the democrats in
the very near future, in which event
the division could be accomplished
nicely.