290 



FLORIDA. 



Insurance. The fire insurance companies in 

 Florida number 54; life insurance companies, 11; 

 miscellaneous (accident, plate-glass, tornado, 

 surety, etc.), 17. The aggregate premium receipts 

 in the State for 1898 were as follow: Fire, $622,- 

 659.58; life. $603,716.77 ; miscellaneous, $54,141. 33; 

 total, $1,280,517.68. The aggregate losses paid m 

 Florida in 1898 were: Fire, $312,388.64; life, $213,- 

 361.68; miscellaneous, $19,118.11; total, $554,- 

 86848 The net outgo for insurance during the 

 year was: Fire, $310,270.94; life, $390,355.09; mis- 

 cellaneous, $35,023.22; total, $735,649.25. 



Charities. The report of the State Insane 

 Asylum for 1898 shows 491 patients at the close 

 of the year, 48 more than during 1897, as follow: 

 White males, 147; white females, 138; colored 

 males, 106; colored females, 100. The per capita 

 expense during the year was $76.33. 



Prisons. The number of convicts in State 

 camps Jan. 1, 1899, was 717, an increase of 30 

 over 1898. In the preceding year 344 were re- 

 ceived and 237 discharged, 15 were pardoned, 40 

 died, 21 escaped, and 2 were committed to insane 

 asylums. The convicts sentenced during 1898 

 were 50 white males, 2 white females, 269 negro 

 males, 13 negro females. The Reformatory, at 

 Marianna, for offenders under sixteen years of 

 age was completed the last of the year. 



Militia. The report of the Adjutant General 

 for 1899 shows the total of the active military 

 force of Florida to be 1,254, of whom 99 were 

 officers and 1,155 noncommissioned officers and 

 enlisted soldiers, a gain of 75 enlisted men dur- 

 ing the year. The naval militia had an aggre- 

 gate of 218 men, 5 of whom were commissioned 

 officers. 



Communications. The railroad mileage for 

 1899 is reported at 3,370.73, which is assessed at 

 $18,759,155.44. A passenger tariff rate of 3 cents 

 a mile on some roads and 4 cents a mile on other 

 roads, to go into effect July 18, 1898, was made by 

 the Railroad Commissioners. The railroads in- 

 volved contested this ruling in the courts of the 

 State in 1898 and 1899. A compromise was ef- 

 fected of 3 cents a mile for round-trip tickets and 

 4 cents a mile for straight tickets. 



The State of Florida in 1899 is reported to have 

 3,101.44 miles of telegraph lines. Their value is 

 assessed at $252,726.15. 



Products. According to the last report of the 

 Commissioner of Agriculture, Florida has under 

 cultivation 882,062 acres. The aggregate value of 

 farm products was $17,905,060; value of mine, 

 forest, and miscellaneous products, $31,059,015; 

 total, $48,965,075. 



Periodicals. The following list of periodical 

 publications in the State is believed to be ac- 

 curate: Dailies, 18; triweekly, 1; semi weeklies, 

 6; weeklies, 108; monthlies, 10; total, 143. 



Indians. The Seminole Indians in Florida 

 number about 600. During the year a movement 

 was begun to provide them with land in severalty 

 in the Everglades. The State, in making drainage 

 contracts, set aside for their use 10,000 acres sub- 

 ject to legislative action. 



Homestead Land. The State in 1898 held 

 1,592,793 acres open to homestead entry. Su- 

 wannee County contains the fewest, 768, and 

 Walton County the greatest, 206,260. 



Birth and Death Bate. The birth rate of 

 Florida for five years ending with 1898 per 1,000 

 of population was 14.63; the death rate was 8.05. 



Legislative Session. The biennial session of 

 the Legislature convened April 1 and closed May 

 31. The Legislature comprises 32 Senators and 

 68 Representatives all Democrats. 



In his message the Governor called attention 



to the excellent financial condition of the State, 

 and said: " Since the adjournment of the last 

 Legislature $100,000 of the principal of the State's 

 debt has been paid; $75,000 of this amount was 

 paid in 1898 and $25,000 in 1899. The State tax 

 proper has also been reduced to 3 mills. 



" One of the most serious financial problems 

 that confront the Legislature is the payment of 

 pensions under the law enacted by the last Legis- 

 lature. Prior to that period all pension laws 

 were passed for the benefit of those who enlisted 

 in the military or naval service of the Confeder- 

 ate States or of this State, who lost limbs or 

 who were permanently injured by wounds or dis- 

 eases contracted while in said service. The last 

 Legislature departed from this principle, and gave 

 the benefit of the pension laws not only to those 

 who enlisted and are permanently injured from 

 wounds or disease contracted during the service,, 

 But since. The same change was made as to the 

 widows of pensioners." The Governor called at- 

 tention to his recommendation to the former 

 Legislature that the " Constitution should be so 

 amended as to have a circuit judge appointed 

 for the State, who could be directed to hold court 

 in any county where a necessity existed, whether 

 that necessity was produced by unusual crime 

 or by disability of the judge of the circuit." 



The Legislature was asked to consider a remedy 

 for the failure of the Constitution to provide a 

 successor to the Governor in case of a vacancy. 

 The Constitution provides for the succession of 

 the President of the Senate, and, failing him, the 

 Speaker of the House. Owing to the death of 

 the President of the Senate and the expiration of 

 the term of the Speaker of the House, the Gov- 

 ernor had no successor, in event of a vacancy,, 

 from Nov. 8, 1898, the date of the general elec- 

 tion, to the meeting of the Legislature, April 1, 

 1899. 



More than 200 bills were passed by the Legisla- 

 ture. The more important of these were : 



To increase revenue by taxing railroad spurs. 



Extending the pension law to a larger class. 



Protecting fire insurance companies paying 

 taxes from outside companies. 



Compelling fire insurance companies to pay face 

 value on policies drawn. 



Providing for a tax for maintenance of the 

 State Board of Health. 



Giving enlarged judicial powers to the State 

 Railroad Commissioners under a constitutional 

 amendment previously passed. The general pro- 

 visions of this act have been confirmed by the 

 Supreme Court of Florida. 



For suppression of the sale of railroad tickets 

 by persons known as " scalpers." 



Compelling the fencing in of railroad tracks. 



Authorizing the Governor to appoint a com- 

 mittee of three to investigate the convict system 

 of the State and to report to the next Legisla- 

 ture the best method of working convicts. Florida 

 has no penitentiary, and its convicts are hired 

 out to the highest bidder. They are kept in stock- 

 aded camps guarded by armed men. 



For the protection of children. Up to this time 

 no redress, except for personal assault, could be 

 had by law for children. 



To recover damages for death of minors. 



For protection of shippers of merchandise. 



For preservation of game. 



A joint resolution relative to election of Sena- 

 tors of the United States by direct vote was 

 passed. 



A concurrent resolution and memorial to Con- 

 gress relative to the Interstate Commerce Com- 

 mission law was passed. 



