270 



FLORIDA. 



The legislation in behalf of the railroad 

 interest seems to have been made necessary 

 by the reduced condition of the roads, the fa- 

 cilities of which were by no means such as the 

 demands and welfare of the people required. 

 The *' Railroad Bill " grants to certain compa- 

 nies State aid in the form of loans to the ex- 

 tent of $14,000 per mile. A company is also 

 incorporated to construct a railroad across the 

 upper part of Florida " between Jacksonville 

 on the Atlantic coast and Pensacola on the Gulf 

 coast and Mobile in Alabama," to be known 

 as the Jacksonville, Pensacola, and Mobile 

 Railroad. The bill provides that this road 

 shall be completed within three years from 

 June, 1869. 



Governor Reed had previously memoralized 

 Congress to grant to the State certain lands 

 for railroad and canal purposes, and there is 

 little doubt but that the efforts made and the 

 inducements held out will attract capitalists to 

 the State to build up its internal improvements. 



The Fifteenth Amendment to the Constitu- 

 tion of the United States was ratified in the 

 House on the llth of June, by a vote of 26 to 

 13, and in the Senate on the 16th of June, by 

 a vote of 13 to 8. 



After passing the homestead law and other 

 measures of a local nature, the Legislature ad- 

 journed on the 24th of June. 



As there were no general elections during 

 the year, there was no political canvass. A 

 convention of Republicans assembled at Talla- 

 hassee on the 27th of October, for the purpose 

 of adopting measures for the better organiza- 

 tion of the Republican party in Florida. Al- 

 though the call for this convention was not 

 issued by the State Republican Committee, 

 about seventy delegates, representing fifteen 

 counties, were present, and organized with Mr. 

 Josiah T. Walls as president of the convention. 

 In reference to the organization of the Repub- 

 lican party, it was 



Resolved, That the State Executive Committee be 

 called upon to organize the Eepublicans of this State, 

 and call upon this committee to appoint county ex- 

 ecutive committees in the several counties of the 

 State, for the purpose of a thorough organization of 

 the Eepublican party. 



There were loud complaints, in the conven- 

 tion, of outrages that had been committed in 

 various parts of the State, in gross violation of 

 law ; and, also of the discriminations made in 

 public conveyances and public inns against 

 colored citizens. 



In reporting upon the condition of Florida, 

 the committee said : 



Your committee beg leave to report, that they find 

 existing, in the counties of Jackson, Hamilton, and 

 Madison, a condition of things much to be deplored. 

 They have reliable information of the murder of 

 peaceable men, women, and children, and these out- 

 rages have prevailed to such an extent in the county 

 ol Jackson that, in the opinion of your committee, 

 this convention should recommend and most earnest- 

 ly urge upon the Governor that martial law be imme- 

 diately proclaimed in that county, and that the ex- 

 penses thus incurred in the protection of the lives of 



the inhabitants, and restoring order and obedience to 

 the laws, he collected from the taxable property of 

 the county, under the supervision of the officer com- 

 manding the troops ; and also that, in all other coun- 

 ties where the officers of the law are threatened and 

 defied, the same remedy should be applied ; and that 

 this convention pledge its hearty support to the Gov- 

 ernor in carrying out these measures, and protecting 

 all our citizens in the right of life, liberty, and prop- 

 erty, and the pursuit of happiness. 



The platform adopted by the convention 

 was as follows : 



Whereas, All permanent peace and welfare of a 

 State must be based upon the recognition and secu- 

 rity of the " inalienable right to life, liberty, and the 

 pursuit of happiness" of every individual, this con- 

 vention, by the sentiment of justice which it repre- 

 sents, and by every broad consideration of duty, 

 would make this avowal of its principles and pur- 

 poses : . 



1. "We indorse the platform of principles enun- 

 ciated by the Eepublican Convention at Chicago, Mav 

 20,1868. 



2. We heartily indorse the Administration of Pres- 

 ident Grant and the financial policy of his Adminis- 

 tration, and approve of his vigorous efforts to secure 

 the retrenchment of the expenses of the Federal 

 Government. 



3. We favor the adoption of the Fifteenth Amend- 

 ment to the United States Constitution as indispen- 

 sable to the lasting peace and security of the country. 



4. We congratulate the country on the success of 

 the Eepublican party in the late elections in the 

 Northern States. 



We most deeply deplore the alienation and divi- 

 sions in the ranks of the Eepublican party in this 

 State, as indicating disaster to our common cause, 

 and we call upon all Eepublicans to discard selfish 

 schemes, and the blind support of individual men, 

 regardless of consideration of that unity of party 

 action and harmony in which only consists our 

 strength. 



In view of the outrages upon human rights and 

 human life in Jackson County, we do most earnestly 

 urge upon the Governor the absolute necessity of de- 

 claring martial law in that county, as a protection to 

 its citizens and a vindication of the authority of the 

 State government. 



We call the attention of the Executive to similar 

 outrages in Hamilton, Madison, and other counties, 

 and we recommend the same remedy in these counties. 



We also urge the propriety of the citizens of such 

 counties being taxed to bear the expenses of such 

 necessary vindication of law and justice in those 

 counties, and that such tax be assessed and collected 

 under control of the military authorities in charge. 



Resolutions were passed by the convention 

 in favor of " urging upon the Legislature at its 

 next regular session the necessity of enacting 

 such laws as will secure, to the colored citizens 

 as well as to the white, equal and exact privi- 

 leges upon all railroads, steamboats, and other 

 public conveyances running, plying, and doing 

 business throughout this State, and at all pub- 

 lic inns." 



After listening to an address by Governor 

 Reed, the convention adjourned. 



The complaints of the delegates to this 

 convention, in reference to outrages that had 

 been committed, were not without founda- 

 tion. These disorders, however, were not 

 general throughout the State, but were mostly 

 confined to Jackson County, which was the 

 scene of a series of assassinations as mysteri- 



