FLORIDA. 



277 



the first half of the year by reason of the low 



I cnitnii. and tin- railroad situation there 

 did in>t improve later in the year. In the State 

 -hingtoii the largest number of miles of 

 ,iid. :;51 miles having been built for 

 nsiun of the Great Nurthern. 

 Other long lines \vei-e in Ohio, in the Indian 

 Territory, and in Wyoming. Toward the end of 

 the year all the principal lines of the country 

 were actively engaged increasing their equip- 

 ment and improving the road in anticipation of 

 a heavy trallie during the Columbian Exposition 

 at Chicago. The table below shows gross and 

 net earnings of the principal trunk lines: 



During 1801 Florida expended |564.:;n-J.C. t, ; 

 school purpose-, while in IN'tO the expenditure 

 was $r>l(j,r>:!2.70. The counties raised $50.'. 

 more by taxation for school purposes in !^!H 

 than in 181)0. The imputation of Florida at t he 

 last census was 391,422, and the numbcrf M-!U.O|S 

 in operation last year was 2,348, 1 schoolhouse 

 for every 167 people. 



S'ale Superintendent Albert J. Russell, the 

 State Teachers' Association, the county super- 

 intendents, and the teachers and pupils, have 

 matured plans by which the schod exhibit at 

 the Columbian Exhibition will be representative 

 of the best work done in the State. 



FLORIDA, a Southern State, admitted to the 

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

 The population, according to each decennial 

 census since admission, was 87,445 in 1850 ; 

 IK 1. 1:24 in 1860; 187,748 in 1870; 269,493 in 

 1880; and 391,422 in 1890. Capital, Tallahassee. 



Government. The following were the State 

 officers during the year: Governor, Francis P. 

 Fleming, Democrat; Secretary of State, John L. 

 Crawford; Comptroller, William D. Bloxham; 

 Treasurer, Frank J. Pons; Attorney-General, 

 William B. Lamar; Superintendent of Public 

 Instruction, Albert J. Russell; Commissioner of 

 Agriculture, Lucius B. Wotnbwell ; State Board 

 of Health. Richard P. Daniel, William B. Hen- 

 derson, William K. Hyer; Chief Jtistice of the 

 Supreme Court, George P. Raney; Associate 

 Justices. Milton H. Mabry and R. F. Taylor. 



Education. The number of youth from six 

 to twenty-one years of age, according to the 

 census of 1892", was 144,017; in 1888 it was 

 113,647, showing an increase of 30,370. The 

 census heretofore has been taken by the assessors 

 of taxes ; in this instance it was taken by school 

 supervisors, under the direction of the county 

 superintendents. The number of white youth 

 is 79,669 ; the number of negro youth is 64,348. 

 lu the census of 1884 the number of white youth 

 in excess of that of negro youth was 1,875, while 

 the number in excess in 'is92 is 15,321 an in- 

 crease of white youth over negro youth since 

 1884 of 13,246. Leon County has the largest 

 number of pupils of any county, aggregating 

 1 1 i.i M to, white and colored. There are of the 

 blind of school age 42. and deaf mutes 130; for 

 the>e the State provides an excellent school, in 

 which they are being clothed, fed, and educated 

 during the school year of eight months. There 

 are 1!.79S half orphans, and 2.J30 orphans. 



During the past decade the value of school 

 sites and buildings in Florida has increased 

 9407,881.07. The public schools now require 

 2,641 teachers, and there are 2,348 schoolhouscs. 



Taxes. The value of property, with gross 

 amount of State taxes, assessed for the year 



1891, including licenses and amount of auction 

 tax, was as follows : Total value of real estate, 

 personal property, railroads, and telegraphs, $97,- 

 547,004.91 ; general revenue, $414,780.34 ; general 

 school tax, $97,598.06; Board of Health tax, 

 $24.634.37 ; State purposes (license tax not in- 

 cluded), $537,013.37; license tax, $163,619.25; 

 county revenue, $305,872.44; county school tax, 

 $485,954.68; county road tax, $98,039.62; county 

 special tax, $104,735.27; total taxes for county 

 purposes, $994,602.01. 



The taxes for 1891 were assessed under the 

 revenue law in force Jan. 1, 1891, and completed 

 by the warrant prescribed by that law being at- 

 tached to the assessment roll. That warrant is 

 now modified by those provisions of chapter 

 4011, Laws of Florida, which became operative 

 on Jan. 1, 1892. These provisions were found in 

 sections 1, 2, 3 of chapter 4011. No lands can 

 be sold for taxes after the first day of January, 



1892. Collectors should receive moneys for taxes 

 on lands until the first Monday in April, IN'.I-.'. 

 On the first Monday in April, 1892, collectors 

 are directed by the law to close their books, and 

 not to receive further moneys that may remain 

 due for taxes on lands. Within thirty days after 

 the first Monday in April, 1892, lists and certifi- 

 cates of all the lands upon which taxes have not 

 been paid have to be forwarded to the Comp- 

 troller. Taxes on personal property must be 

 collected in accordance with sections 44 and 4-> 

 of chapter 1010. Laws of Florida. Personal 

 property can not be sold for the payment of taxes 



d against lands; nor can the taxes on JKT- 

 sonal property be included in the certificates of 

 unpaid taxes on lauds. Personal property must 

 lie responsible for taxes assessed against personal 

 property, and real estate must IK- responsible for 

 taxes assessed against real estate. 



on Feb. 11, Attorney-General Lamar filed with 

 Gov. Fleming an opinion to the effect that soft 



