UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. (FLORIDA.) 



683 



ness during the preceding year, and 10 cents on 

 the $100 on the cost of labor. The amended law 

 provides, first, for the payment of an annual li- 

 cense fee of $5; next, an annual payment upon 

 the aggregate value of the real and personal prop- 

 erty comprising the plant, the sum of ^ of 1 

 per cent, per $1,000, or 50 cents per thousand, up 

 to a valuation of $3,000,000; over that amount, 

 fa of 1 per cent., or 25 cents per thousand. 



The law providing for two State detectives was 

 repealed and the office abolished March 12, and 

 March 15 the office was reestablished and the 

 Governor was authorized to appoint two detect- 

 ives, which he did. The former incumbents, who 

 were thus legislated out of office, contest this 

 action. 



Two acts concerning fox-hunting were passed 

 one making it unlawful to hunt foxes between 

 May 1 and Aug. 31, and the other making it un- 

 lawful to shoot at, kill, or destroy any fox while 

 such fox is being chased or pursued by a dog 

 or dogs. The penalty for the former act is $10 

 fine or ten days in jail; for the latter, a fine of $20 

 to $50, or imprisonment not less than ten days. 



A new law was made for the protection of birds. 

 Game-birds, as intended in the act, are named, 

 and the English sparrow, the redwing blackbird, 

 and the purple grackle, or crow blackbird, are 

 excepted; and any one may kill a bird found on 

 his own premises destroying his grain, fruit, or 

 poultry, but may not sell it. The act further 

 authorizes the Governor to appoint annually an 

 arbor and bird day. 



An act was passed increasing the membership 

 of the levy court of Newcastle County from 5 

 to 7, and authorizing the Governor to appoint the 

 additional members for the time being. This, it 

 was contended, was beyond the powers of the 

 Legislature. 



It was made a prerequisite for receiving the 

 State school money that each white district 

 should have raised by taxation $100 and each 

 colored district $50. 



A resolution was passed for submission of an 

 amendment to the Constitution in regard to cor- 

 porations; also a joint resolution requesting Dela- 

 ware's Senator and Representative in Congress, 

 if in their judgment they can wisely do so, to 

 support a bill for the purchase of Temple farm 

 and Moore House, at Yorktown, Va., by the Gov- 

 ernment of the United States. 



In all, 238 bills were passed. Among those of 

 public interest not already mentioned were the 

 following : 



For the corporal punishment of wife-beaters. 



For the suppression of gambling by means of 

 slot-machines or other devices. 



Changing the time when reedbirds may be 

 killed. 



Amending the act for the protection of women, 



Providing for the appointment of an oyster- 

 revenue collector. 



For the improvement of the Christiana river. 



Providing a free ambulance service for the city 

 of Wilmington. 



Making Abraham Lincoln's birthday, Feb. 12, 

 a legal holiday. 



Enabling the cities and incorporated towns to 

 receive one-third of the liquor-license fees col- 

 lected therein. 



Amending the act to prevent the spread of dis- 

 eases among cattle so as to make it cover tuber- 

 culosis. 



Providing for the establishment and mainte- 

 nance of free public libraries. 



Appropriating $150 for colored teachers' insti- 

 tute, and $450 for institute for white teachers. 



Amending the law on iniilidions of butter. 



For the improvement of the schoolhouHea for 

 colored children, and making an .ipiMonriatiori 

 therefor $(5,000 annually. 



Appropriating money to l.hc Ucb.ware Society 

 for the Prevention of Cruelty t.o 



The Governor vetoed a hill fo jjf,.. 



grade certificates of teachers valid t'oi <|ualifioa- 

 tion for the office of county SHJK , ii!i< u.i, n t of 

 schools. He also vetoed a bill le^alizin^ i he 

 shooting of live pigeons in matches. 



Judicial Decision. The majority deci-iou 

 rendered by the Supreme Court in May, in ;m 

 action against the so-called Adams law passed in 

 1897 for the taxation of investments, was to the 

 effect that the law is invalid on account of the 

 fact that an amendment to one section which was 

 passed in 1898 was unconstitutional because tak- 

 ing up a subject not within the title of the act; 

 and that the unconstitutional provision could not 

 be separated from the other parts of the law and 

 leave them operative. 



FLORIDA, a Southern State, admitted to the 

 Union, March 3, 1845; area, 58,680 square miles. 

 The population, according to each decennial cen- 

 sus since admission, was 87,445 in 1850; 140,424 

 in 1860; 187,748 in 1870; 269,493 in 1880; 391,422 

 in 1890 ; and 528,542 in 1900. Capital, Tallahassee. 



Government. The following were the State 

 officers during the year: Governor, William S. 

 Jennings; Secretary of State, John L. Crawford; 

 Treasurer, James B. Whitfield; Comptroller, W. 

 H. Reynolds, Alonzo C. Croom (appointed on 

 death of Reynolds) ; Attorney-General, William 



B. Lamar; Superintendent of Public Instruction, 

 William N. Sheats; Adjutant-General, Patrick 

 Houstoun, J. Clifford R. Foster (appointed on 

 death of Houstoun) ; Commissioner of Agricul- 

 ture, Benjamin E. McLin; State Chemist, R. E. 

 Rose; State Auditor, W. V. Knott; Railroad Com- 

 missioners, H. E. Day, J. L. Morgan, J. M. Bryan ; 

 State Health Officer, Dr. Joseph Y. Porter ; Board 

 of Health, E. M. Hendry, Horace E. Simpson, 

 M. D., N. B. Broward; Chief Justice of the Su- 

 preme Court, R. F. Taylor; Associate Justices, 

 Milton H. Mabry, Francis B. Carter; Supreme 

 Court Commission, W. A. Hocker, J. G. Glen, E. 



C. Maxwell; Supervisor of Convicts and Convict 

 Camps, Robert F. Rogers. 



The term of the State officers is four years. 

 They are elected in November of the years of the 

 presidential elections. The Legislature meets bi- 

 ennially on the first Tuesday after the first Mon- 

 day of April of the odd-numbered years. The 

 session is limited to sixty days. 



Population. The Federal census of 1900 di- 

 vided the population of the State (528,542) as 

 follows: Males, 275,246; females, 253,296; native 

 born, 504,710; foreign born, 23,932; total white, 

 297,333; native white, 278,076; foreign parents, 

 24,044; foreign white, 19,257; total colored, 231,- 

 209. Persons of school age, 197,600; males of 

 militia age, 114,500; males of voting age, 139,- 

 601; foreign males of military age, 7,934; colored, 

 53,723, of which 53,546 are negroes. Foreign born 

 of voting age, 11,736; colored, 61,417. 



The population of the largest 10 cities in 1900 

 was as follows: Jacksonville, 28,429; Pensacola, 

 17,747; Key West, 17,114; Tampa, 15,839; St. 

 Augustine, 4,272; Lake City, 4,013; Gainesville, 

 3,633; Ocala, 3,380; Palatka, 3,331; Fernandina, 

 3,245. 



Finances. The Treasurer's report gives the 

 following figures: Balance in treasury, Jan. 1, 

 1901, $277,885.10; receipts during the year from 

 all sources, $544,040.85; disbursements in 1 '01, 

 $631,443.83. Balance in treasury, Jan. 1, 1902, 



