FLORIDA. 



tho canvassers, "enjoining ari.l ivstraining 

 tli-iu tV.un concluding tlio canvass, and declar- 

 ing tin- result of the election returns now ln- 

 ilieni for Lioutonant-Governor, member 

 ..lu'ivsH, and raorabers of the Senate and 

 : i My I'm- tho State of Florida, until the 

 further order of tho court." 

 Tho canvass of tho election returns, with 

 suit of the election in each county, was 

 1 by tho Board on December 27, 1870, 

 mill published. The whole vote cast (except 

 nin counties, tho returns from which wcro 

 anvassod, on account, it was said, "of 

 daring informalities and non-compliance with 

 In- l:iw") was 24,278, as follows: for Lieuten- 

 ant^ rovernor and member of Congress, Repub- 

 li.vin, 12,446 and 12,439; Democratic, 11,832 

 and 11,810, respectively; tho Republican ma- 

 jority for either candidate was little above 

 000. In both Houses of the State Legislature, 

 also, the Republicans were elected by small 

 majorities; in tho Assembly, Republicans 23, 

 Democrats 20; in the Senate, Republicans 11, 

 Democrats 10. In the Eleventh, Twelfth, and 

 Twenty-fourth Districts no Senators were 

 elected, tho returns from the counties which 

 compose those districts having been in- 

 formal. 



Intimidation to voters during the election, 

 and fraud to change the vote after the elec- 

 tion, were openly charged by each of the two 

 parties against the other. 



The defeated Democratic candidate for the 

 office of Lieutenant-Governor refused to ac- 

 quiesao in the result as officially declared. 

 On January 10, 1871, the first day of the 

 January term of the Supremo Court, he ap- 

 peared before tho court and filed a petition 

 for mandamus to issue against the members of 

 tho I>oard of Canvassers, requiring them, or 

 any two of them, to canvass and count the re- 

 turns on file of the recent election for Lienten- 

 nnt-Governor, particularly the returns from 

 the nine counties not canvassed, and to de- 

 termine who was elected by the highest num- 

 ber of votes to the said office ; also to declare 

 that tho said "William D. Bloxham was elected 

 to the said office. Tho court ordered an alter- 

 native writ of mandamus to issue, returnable 

 on the 16th, commanding tho Board to "com- 

 ply with tho petition, or show cause why they 

 should not do so." 



On the other hand, Edmund C. Weeks, who 

 at tho tirao of the November election filled 

 the office of Lieutenant-Governor by appoint- 

 in ont from Governor Reed since January 24th, 

 did not recognize the legality and, conse- 

 quently, the validity of the said election, so 

 far as that office was concerned, at all. On 

 January 12, 1871, therefore, " the Attorney- 

 General of the State filed an information in 

 tho nature of a quo warranto upon the relation 

 of Edmund C. Weeks from which it appears 

 that Mr. Weeks claims to be the Lieutenant- 

 Governor of the State by virtue of a commission 

 from Governor Reed. It further appears that 



Samuel T. Day is recognized by tho Senate an 

 Lteatenjnt-Gorernar, and is exercising the 

 diiiirs of the said office; wherefore E. C. 

 Weeks prays that due process of law issue 

 against S. T. Day, to show by what authority 

 he claims tho office aforesaid. Tho writ was 

 issued by the clerk of tho court as a matter 

 of right, returnable on tho 16th of January, 

 1H71." 



The bonded debt of tho State for principal 

 and interest on January 1, 1871, was $1,012,- 

 872.48. The Comptroller states that, with re- 

 gard to tho bonds hypothecated in Now York, 

 he has given tho amount approximative^. 

 There are, besides, $276,825.28 of Comptroller's 

 warrants and Treasurer's certificates outstand- 

 ing. 



He avers the State's credit and ihe value of 

 her scrip to be now lower than they were at 

 the end of 18G9. Tho want of money in the 

 Treasury has subjected tho State to enormous 

 loss in meeting her current expenses, chiefly 

 those made to support public institutions. 



Tho annual report of the Treasurer, dated 

 also on January 2, 1871, shows that the re- 

 ceipts of the State during the year 1870 were 

 $230,764.44 ; and the expenditures $208,587.- 

 67 ; leaving a balance on hand of $22,176.77. 

 In these sums of receipts and expenditures are 

 included $33,713.88, and $66,890.96 of Treas- 

 ury certificates issued and redeemed, respec- 

 tively. 



The Comptroller, in his recent report, re- 

 peatedly takes notice that the financial con- 

 dition of the State is now worse than it was a 

 year ago, when it was not good. The Gov- 

 ernor avers that this is attributable chiefly to 

 the agency of the Comptroller himself. 



He affirms, however, that Florida has abun- 

 dant resources, which, if properly managed, 

 will place the State in such a position, with re- 

 gard to its finances, as to rank with the most 

 prosperous States of the Union. In order 

 to realize this end, ho urges a just and equal 

 valuation of the property of the State, amount- 

 ing, he says, to fifty millions, at least; and 

 specifies for the action of the Legislature eleven 

 measures. Among these are " tho levying an 

 annual tax uniformly upon all the property of 

 the State sufficient to meet tho current ex- 

 penses of the government and pay the interest 

 upon tho State debt ; a tax upon railroad, tele- 

 graph, and express companies ; a law requir- 

 ing foreign corporations doing business in the 

 State to deposit with the State's Treasurer 

 bonds of this State to the amount of $30,000 

 each, as a guarantee of good faith, and protec- 

 tion against frauds." 



Charitable institutions for the unfortunate 

 who must depend on the State for being taken 

 care of, or educated to some useful art adapted 

 to their condition, seem to bo wanting in Flori- 

 da as yet. 



Acts of violence against tho lives of citizens, 

 and open defiance to tho law, appear to have 

 prevailed in some sections of the State, so as 



