FLORIDA. 



289 



lachicola. 3.061 ; Orlando. 2.9!i:! : \\Yst Tampa. 

 : I'alatka. 2.s2* : 1-Yriiandina. 2.502. The 

 four cities Jacksonville. Key \\'cst. Tampa, and 

 IVnsaci'la in IS'.K) had an aggregate population of 

 f>2..Vj:!. and in 1895 of 71. :!.V>. a gain of nearly 36 

 per cent. 



Finances. The finances of the State are re- 

 1 in a greatly improved condition, so that a 

 lower tax rate was recommended by the Comptrol- 

 ler in January. A fe\v years ago the rate was 44 

 mills, and the State was running behind at the rate 

 M i.OOO a year. The rate in 1800 was 3^ mills: 

 and according to the Comptroller's advice, it was 

 reduced in 1896 to 24 mills, making a reduction of 

 about $ 75,000 on the State tax for the year. 



Education. The first semiannual apportion- 

 ment of the 1-mill school tax for 1890 distributed 

 $49,936.80 to a school population of 62.421, averag- 

 ing NO cents to a pupil. The number of schools is 

 2.404. of which 1,775 are for white and 629 for col- 

 ored pupils. The cost of these schools is 653,175. 

 The invested school fund amounts to 617,100. 



The Tallahassee Summer Normal School was in 

 session seven weeks during the summer vacation, 

 with a good attendance of teachers in both the 

 white and colored departments. 



The State Normal College for Colored Students 

 graduated 4 in June, and opened in the autumn 

 with the largest attendance in its history. 60 ap- 

 plicants taking the entrance examinations. 



The State Agricultural College, at Lake City, 

 graduated a class of 14 in June. 



The so-called Sheats law. making it a penal 

 offense for any person or persons, association or 

 corporation, to conduct a school of any grade, 

 public, private, or parochial, in which white per- 

 sons and negroes shall be instructed or boarded in 

 the same building or taught in the same class or 

 at the same time by the same teacher, came before 

 the courts and was decided against as regards the 

 title, " An Act ,to prohibit white and negro youth 

 from being taught in the same school," which was 

 declared inadequate. No other point in the law 

 appears to have been touched upon. 



Products. The cotton crop of the State was 

 given in Hester's annual report at 48.000 bales. 



The shipments of lumber and timber from the 

 port of Pensacola for 1895 amounted to 150.797.695 

 feet of lumber. 132,173.000 feet of sawed timber, and 

 856.493 cubic feet of hewed timber. 



Water Ways. Several memorials from the Leg- 

 islature asking appropriations for improvements 

 in the State water ways were presented to Con_ 

 and the following were included in the river and 

 harbor bill: For continuing the improvement of 

 Appalachicola Bay and river. $12,000; of Pensacola 

 harbor. $ 100,000: 'of Key West harbor, $80,000; of 

 Charlotte harbor and Peace river. *1 6,000; for im- 

 proving Carrabelle bar and harbor, making a 10- 

 foot channel from the mouth of the river to 

 the channel in the bay. slO.OOO: improving Caloo- 

 sahatchee "river, $1.000; completing improvement 

 of Chipola river, $5,000. Preliminary examinations 

 of the following waters were authorized : Anclote 

 ris-er. Jupiter inlet. Ilillsborough Bay. Crystal river, 

 and Cedar Keys. Surveys and estimates were directed 

 to be made at Appalachicola Bay. Tampa Bay, 

 Withlacoochee river, and St. Lucia 'or Prospect in- 

 let and river. 



Disastrous Hurricane. A terrible storm, which 

 swept over several States Sept. 29. was most de- 

 structive in Florida. It struck at Cedar Keys on 

 the west coast and passed northward over about 20 

 towns and villages. The destruction was greatest 

 at Cedar Keys, where the water came up with the 

 wind in a great tidal wave, and rushed in a torrent 

 through the streets, carrying with it houses, boats, 

 VOL. xxxvi. 19 A 



and debris of every description. While the storm 

 was at its height. 2 hotels and a dwelling took fin- 

 and were burned down. The town was almost 

 completely destroyed, and 39 lives were l<t. Karly 

 reports from 7(5 towns showed that 67 persons v. 

 killed and 62 injured: and the list was increased 

 by later reports, while it was believed that many 

 fishermen and spongers lost their lives on the < 

 in addition to those found. The destruction of t In- 

 valuable timber, turpentine trees, farm crops, phos- 

 phate works, and buildings of every description was 

 very great. The State Agricultural College, at Lake 

 City, was badly damaged and many of the finest de- 

 pots along the' lines of railroads were wrecked. 

 In many districts not a vestige was left of the 

 growing" crops. It was estimated that $10,000,000 

 would not cover the loss, direct and indirect, in the 

 State. The people of Cedar Keys were obliged to 

 issue an appeal for aid. 



Political. The election of State and county 

 officers was held Oct. 6. A Governor, Secretary, 

 Treasurer, Comptroller, Attorney-General. Superin- 

 tendent of Instruction, Commissioner of Agricul- 

 ture, and justice of the Supreme Court were to be 

 chosen, together with all the members of the House 

 of Representatives and 16 of the Senate, half of 

 the Senators holding over. The Legislature will 

 elect a United States Senator to succeed Wilkinson 

 Call. 



The State Democratic Convention met at Ocala. 

 June 16. The party in favor of free coinage of 

 silver elected their chairman and secretary, but in 

 the choice of delegates to the national convention 

 4 were given to the gold advocates and 4 to the 

 silver men. The antisilver men carried their point 

 in the adoption of the platform, a vote of 176 to 

 170 deciding in favor of the first resolution in 

 the majority report of the platform committee, 

 which was : 



" Whereas. Questions of coinageand finance are 

 matters prescribed by the Constitution for national 

 legislation, and we recognize that it is the proper 

 function of the Democratic National Convention, to 

 assemble at Chicago at an early date, to prescribe 

 the policy of the party on such questions, as well as 

 all other national issues : Therefore be it resob.-nl. 

 That all such questions are properly referred for 

 determination to the National Democratic Conven- 

 tion, and we pledge our support to the policy of 

 the party which may be so enunciated." 



After declaring in favor of a tariff for revenue 

 only, and congratulating the Democratic party on 

 its opposition to " all monopolies, syndicates, and 

 trusts, holding that the aggregation of capital in the 

 hands of a few is a menace to civil government and 

 a shadow of death to free-institutions," the resolu- 

 tions commended the administration of Gov. Mitch- 

 ell, recommended laws for increasing the efficiency 

 of the militia, praised the work of the State Board 

 of Health, expressed sympathy with the Cubans, 

 urging the President to recognize them as belliger- 

 ents, and said further : " And in this connection we 

 take pride in commending the courageous manner 

 in which the President has upheld the Monroe doc- 

 trine in Venezuelan affairs, which has given influ- 

 ence and dignity to the American name and com- 

 mands respect for its flag." 



The last resolution was as follows : 



Whereas. The last Legislature of Florida passed 

 a statute prohibiting the teaching together of white 

 and negro children in the public schools of our 

 State: Ami u'litn:"*. The same statute has aroused 

 general discussion and caused the expression of 

 much doubt as to the position held by our people 

 on the question : Be it resolved. That the Democracy 

 of Florida, in convention assembled, declares its 

 hearty indorsement of such law, and expresses the 



