306 



FLOEIDA. 



accused, and which was as follows : "And 

 now Harrison Eeed, Governor of the State, 

 respondent herein, by J. P. C. Emmons, his 

 counsel, comes here into this court, and asks 

 and demands, in virtue of the proceedings had 

 in the premises, that he, the respondent, be 

 acquitted and discharged of and from all and 

 singular said impeachment, as set forth in the 

 articles of impeachment filed, and that he be 

 discharged from arrest, and that he be relieved 

 from any and all further attendance upon this 

 court, or the Senate from which it was organ- 

 ized, growing out of the impeachment or the 

 proceedings aforesaid." 



The Court of Impeachment then adjourned 

 sine die, and two days later both branches of 

 the Legislature took the same action, without 

 having transacted any legislative business of 

 importance. 



At the regular session of the Legislature, 

 which opened on the 2d of January, and closed 

 on the 19th of February, considerable general 

 legislation was effected, mostly of local im- 

 portance only. The following resolutions were 

 adopted regarding the struggle in Cuba : 



Whereas, The people of the island of Cuba are 

 struggling for a national existence against a foreign 

 and alien power, and are attempting to establish for 

 themselves a free government, and to secure the 

 blessings of free institutions for themselves and their 

 posterity : And whereas, The war waged by Spanish 

 despotism against their feeble and struggling power 

 has no parallel for its atrocity and inhumanity in the 

 annals of modern warfare, and should in no manner 

 be countenanced by civilized nations : therefore 



Be it resolved by the people of the State of Florida, 

 represented in Senate and Assembly, That the Congress 

 of the United States is hereby requested to adopt 

 such legislation as may be necessary to enable the 

 national Government to extend such aid to the people 

 of Cuba us becomes a great and free republic, whose 

 people so ardently sympathize with the struggles 

 and hopes of the oppressed of all nations ; and 



Be it further resolved, That our Senators and Rep- 

 resentative in Congress are hereby requested to 

 present these resolutions to their respective bodies 

 as expressive of the sense of the people of Florida. 



A resolution was also adopted requiring the 

 Governor to appoint "a commission of five 

 citizens of this State, whose duty it shall be 

 to examine into, and report to the next session 

 of the Legislature, the entire amount of bonded 

 and floating debt of the State of Florida in de- 

 tail, and to make such recommendation in re- 

 lation to the finances of the State as they shall 

 see proper." 



Among the acts passed, was one declaring 

 that when a married man dies intestate, without 

 children, and is possessed at the time of his 

 death of real and personal property, the wife 

 shall be sole heir at law, and may take the 

 whole estate or dower at her election. The 

 boundary-line between Orange and Sumter 

 Counties was changed by the annexation to 

 the former of all that portion of the latter 

 lying east of the Ocklawaha River. Another 

 act makes it a misdemeanor " for any person 

 or persons to compound or mix for sale, any 

 drugs or medicines of any kind, in the State 



of Florida, or to carry on or engage in the 

 business or avocation of a druggist, or apothe- 

 cary, in this State, unless such person or per- 

 sons shall have first obtained a certificate from 

 at least three regular practising physicians, 

 graduates from some regular medical college, 

 said physicians being residents and practitioners 

 of the county with the applicant, and said phy- 

 sicians shall in said certificate set forth under 

 oath, made before some judicial officer, that 

 they have carefully, diligently, and thoroughly 

 examined the applicant under this act, and find 

 that he is of good moral character, of sober 

 and steady habits, and possessed of medical 

 and chemical knowledge to thoroughly quality 

 him for the business of a druggist or apothe- 

 cary, in the particular county in this State for 

 which the application is made under this act ; 

 and that the citizens of this State may have 

 full faith and confidence in his knowledge, 

 skill, carefulness and ability as a druggist or 

 apothecary, which said certificate shall be ac- 

 knowledged by the said physicians, before the 

 clerk of the circuit court of the county wherein 

 it is made, and filed in said circuit court, and 

 a copy thereof, under seal of the county, shall 

 be given to the applicant : Provided, however, 

 That, if there be not a sufficient number of 

 qualified physicians under this act residing and 

 practising in the county in which the applica- 

 tion is made, any other physicians of like quali- 

 fications, residing adjacent to the applicant, 

 may act and grant the certificate under this 

 act. Any person convicted of a violation of 

 this act shall be fined not exceeding $1,000, 

 or imprisoned not exceeding six months, or 

 both, at the discretion of the court." 



An act was passed specifying the condition 

 on which insurance companies incorporated 

 in other States may do business in Florida. 

 The officers are required to furnish the State 

 Treasurer with a statement of the condition 

 of their companies in detail, and to obtain a 

 certificate of authority ; they must also possess 

 at least $150,000 in United States or State 

 bonds, or "other bankable interest-bearing 

 stocks of the United States, at their market 

 value." The State Treasurer, Comptroller, and 

 Attorney-General, are constituted a board of 

 insurance commissioners to examine into the 

 affairs of any insurance company doing busi- 

 ness, or applying to do business in the State, 

 which examination must be facilitated by the 

 officers and agents of the companies. The 

 statements of the affairs of the companies must 

 be renewed in January of each year. Viola- 

 tion of the act is punishable by a fine of not 

 more than $6,000, or imprisonment for not 

 more than six months. 



An act to secure homesteads to actual set- 

 tlers on the swamp and overflowed lands of 

 the State was also passed. Another act reor- 

 ganized the Agricultural College, and made 

 the Superintendent of Public Instruction its 

 president. The corporation formed under this 

 act has power to erect such buildings as may 



