FLORIDA. 



Pol i Ural. Tin- People's party raet at Ocala 

 b. s, perfect ini; i lie first organization of its 



klllil ill Florida. 1 >ele;;atcs Were elected to att'-lld 



t lie St. I -ciii- ( '(invention on Feb. ".., and the con- 

 \ention adjourned to meet in Ocala oo the second 

 iay in .March. 



The resolution* refer to both the old parties as 

 be in:,' in league with Wall Street, and declare 

 that i hey will never fa vor the Ocala demands, oi 

 adopt laws by which every man in the country 

 can enjoy the fruits of his labor. "Therefore 

 we pledge ourselves not to affiliate with or sup- 

 port the party or men who will not indorse the 

 Ocala platform, or that enacted in May, 1891, at 

 Cincinnati by the People's party, but will await 

 the action of the St. Louis conference on Feb. 

 J'J before further action in the organization is 

 taken." 



The Republican State Convention met at Tal- 

 lahassee on April 13, and 212 delegates were pres- 

 ent, half of whom were white. No ticket of any 

 kind was nominated. A platform was adopted 

 which approved the administration of President 

 Harrison, and his renomination was recom- 

 mended. The McKinley bill and the Reed rules 

 were approved, and the inability of the Fifty- 

 first Congress to enact the Lodge bill, or some 

 other election law that would secure to the 

 people their rights under the Constitution and 

 maintain the integrity and dignity of the na- 

 tion, was deplored. The Democratic rule in 

 Florida was denounced as "a long-studied plan 

 to rob the majority of its liberty." The Florida 

 election laws, the reckless expenditure of public 

 money, the system of leasing convicts to the 

 highest bidder, the lynch law as an outgrowth 

 of Democratic misrule, were all condemned, and 

 recommendations for the remedy of these several 

 evils were made. 



The Democratic State Convention met at 

 Tampa on Wednesday, June 1, and the follow- 

 ing ticket was nominated : For Governor, Henry 

 L. Mitchell ; for Justice of the Supreme Court, 

 R. Fenwick Taylor; for Secretary of State, John 

 L. Crawford ; for Attorney-General, William B. 

 Lamar; for Comptroller, William I). Bloxham; 

 for Treasurer, Clarence B. Collins; for Superin- 

 tendent of Public Instruction, W. N. Sheats ; for 

 Commissioner of Agriculture, Lucius B. Womb- 

 well. 



In the platform adopted the fundamental 

 doctrines of the National Convention of 1888 

 at Chicago were reaffirmed, a liberal policy on 

 the part of the General Government in the mat- 

 ter of public improvements was advocated, and 

 the right of the South to demand this policy was 

 upheld "until her waterways and harbors are 

 adjusted to the needs of commerce to the same 

 extent as other sections of the country." The 

 party pledged itself to redress the grievances of 

 the agricultural classes of the State, laboring 

 then under heavy burdens, and demanded for 

 their benefit a financial reform which should re- 

 lieve the existing agricultural depression. Im- 

 migration to the State was encouraged. After 

 denouncing the McKinley and Federal elections 

 bills, the following demands were made: 



That Congress sliull puss such laws as .shall effectu- 

 ally prevent the dcal'm;,' in futures of all agricultural 

 ainl mechanical productions, providing sm-h stringent 

 system of procedure in trials as shall secure prompt 



FRANCE. 



279 



'nn\ i, -non. and imp. -in.: -u.-h pcnaltice a* tthall secure 

 tin- mo>t p<-rfc<-t compliance with the litw. 



Unlimited coinage ot'.-iiver. 



Aliolition of tlu- national hunks, and the MibMitu- 



tion of togal-tenderTrownrj notes in ru-uofnutionul 



hunk notes, is.Mied in sullieient \oluim- to do the busi 

 Of the country on a cash MMem. n-j/ulatiiu,' the 

 amount m-i-ili-d on a j>t,r c<i/n> 



Interwti of the oountxy expand : and that all 



issued by the < loVel nm. lit shall be 1,-j.Ml tender ill 



payment of all debts, both private and public; and 

 we also demand the repeal of all laws importing a tax 

 and other restrictions upon the State bcnkingr 



That the amount of the circulating medium be 

 speedily increased to not less than (j>:>o per capita. A 

 graduated income tax. 



The control by the Government of the rail- 

 roads was recommended, "transportation being a 

 means of exchange and a public necessity." 



At the State elections, held Oct. 4, the entire 

 Democratic ticket was successful. The total vote 

 of the State for Governor was 40,078, of which 

 Mr. Mitchell, the Democratic candidate, received 

 31,887, and Mr. Bask ins, the third-party candi- 

 date, received 8,191. 



The presidential vote at the November elec- 

 tions wns as follows: For the Democratic elect- 

 ors, 30,143 ; for the Weaver electors. 4,845. 



FRANCE, a republic in western Europe. The 

 republican form of government was established 

 on Sept. 4, 1870, after the overthrow of the third 

 empire. The Constitution, adopted on Feb. 25, 

 1875, and ratified on June 16, 1875, was n-vi-ed 

 in parts in June, 1879, August, 1884. June, 1885, 

 and July, 1889. The legislative power is exer- 

 cised by the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate, 

 which unite in a Congress or National Assembly 

 every seven years for the purpose of electing a 

 President of the Republic. The National As- 

 sembly, thus constituted, has power also to 

 amend the organic law, and by the action of the 

 individual Chambers may be convoked for that 

 purpose. In case of a vacancy in the presidency, 

 the two houses meet immediately to elect a new 

 President. The President appoints the Cabi- 

 net ministers from the members of the Chambers, 

 nominates all civil and military officers, is 

 charged with the execution of the laws, and has 

 power to conclude treaties, but not to declare 

 war without the consent of both chambers. 

 W T ith the assent of the Senate he can dissolve the 

 Chamber of Deputies. The Deputies are elected 

 for four years by the suffrage of all male citizens 

 who have lived in one commune for six months 

 previous to the election. Each arrondissement 

 forms an electoral district and elects one Deputy, 

 except such as have over 100.000 inhabitants, 

 which are divided into two constituencies. Un- 

 til 1876, and again in 1885-'89, the Deputies for 

 each department were elected on a collective 

 ticket. When the district system was reintro- 

 duced in 1889, a provision was enacted also which 

 prohibits a person from being a candidate in 

 more than one constituency in the same elec- 

 tion. The right of .deciding in cases of con- 

 sents was taken away from the Chamber and 

 vested in local electoral commissions. The 

 Chamber has 584 members, and the Senate 800. 

 The Senators are elected for nine years by dele- 

 gates chosen by the Municipal Councils "of the 

 communes acting with the Deputies and the 

 members of the councils-general and district 



