The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1881-07-05

nave api IL Nv 4nos mooS con pnnic Hons
bearing the y 9 5ves leAial E1 avaa hce,"
which hays W ficI lily BOD - a1sce
Of Commis I6nef d land and Im1Is ixlion. -
II b not perhs Pc SAstomary for public officers
70 notice anonymous communications 81 this
character, bat - this unknown correspondent,
for whose gentility and intelligqcg
that paper stands sponsor, kaS Seeh htito .ssAe
-Mhai.i flaau nd Apaaal ~ nAaa. n Aaar.
4 4 Luptre fefl that Yanla fo nlysef ipius-
Tee Q Alloy Pa iAIIlihQ0d "a % fH As public
He states as q fact. Of which be is quite sure,
that no clerk in the Office which now hold had
ever received q much as 81 200 . year salary
previous 10 1877.
When David s. Walker was Register OF State
Lands the Board Of Trustees OF the Internal I'M
provement Fund allowed him $500 year Is
Salesman. He employed me as his clerk. and
paid me that amount also received 800
year for attending 70 the business OF Wells &
Randolph. This firm, having determined thai
their business required the undivided attention
Of clerk, employed another person; and .ap-
piled TO Mr.. Walker 70, have my salary raised.
He applied to the Trustees, and they increased
his salary as Salesman 10 $1,000 year; and
continued to receive that Sum as long as acted
as clerk. This has been, with the exception of
a short period, the salary OF the Salesman ever
since; and believe has been Invariably paid by
the Salesman 10 his clerk, M II IL now, excep
perhaps in the ease Of Frank W. Webster, who,
as shown by the minutes, was allowed $1,000
for clerk 4,H s59-tas FL
He (the correspoudent) states further that I
have two clerks, and If they are employed at the
expense of the State, the people have. right to
know. One of these clerks Is paid the amount
allowed me as Salesman from the proceeds of
the sales Of lands the other Is paid from my
oscn sadssy, and with this the public have moth
ing 10 do. ta .ea g9et 8af
The 500 year paid me as Secretary Of the
Board is not allowed me by virtue OF my Office
a. Commissioners, but is paid for services which
no more devGlve on me than any other member
OF the Board. The Board have the authority 10
elect any one Secretary even person in no way
connected with the government. and il is not the
duty of the person SO elected, legal or moral, to
perform the duties Of the Office without compen-
sation The first Secretary of the Board was
Mariana d. Papy, Attorney General, who was
elected January 10, 1855, twelve days after The
approval Of the Internal improvement Act and,
on the sixth day of March following, his salary
was fixed by an order of the Board at $500
year. Under the administration of Governor
Stearns Comptroller Cowgirl was Secretary, and
received the same salary, and al one time Mr..
Vilepigue, Secretary of State, and not one of the
Trustees, was Secretary of the Board.
IT, - 49,, ~ NJ A VU:l,:o
in Jacksonville during the administration of
Governor Stearns. Previous 10 Mr.. Williams
agency, in the year 1878, Williams & Corley had
been appointed agents by the United States
Court, and had engaged in the sale OF State lands
in Jacksonville. This branch Office, furnished
as it is with maps and all other information con-
corning the public lands. has, rightly supposed
by the Trustees, conduced to an increased sale
Of land. Jacksonville is in the line of travel of
nearly all persons coming TO Florida to purchase
State lands, and the agency there has greatly
facilitated the public in acquiring information in
regard to lands. and has largely increased their
sale. Mr.. Williams receives for his services a
commission of ten per cent on sales.
In 1877. soon after Governor Drew's admins
tration came into power, the propriety of discon-
tinuing this agency was mooted, and the Board of
Trustees, for the purpose of eliciting all light
possible on the subject, passed a resolution that
1t should be discontinued on a certain day, and
published the resolution. After due consideration
they found it contrary to the interest of the Fund
and contrary TO the interest and convenience of
public to abolish il, and rescinded the resolu-
ton before the designated day arrived.
The fees for maps are paid by the individual
ordering them, and 60 TO my clerks who make
the maps The amount arising from this source
is altogether uncertain, but. never reaches the
amount given by this correspondent. deny
that any man competent to oil the position Of
clerk In this Office could be procured for an
amount altogether contingent, and in no case
amounting 10 $500 year. sn- h .aHa 4f
With the amount paid 10 the Treasurer, which
IL included In the list Of expenses of this Office,
l have nothing TO DO ia..i.e.. .a- 81 .4s
This correspondent, in commenting on the re-
cent sale by the Board OF four million acres,
says that the agent of Hamilton Disstop might
be seen marking the initials of the purchaser ON
the Internal Improvement land In g Hillshorough
and fernando counties. and all that section"
The fact is that the initials Of Hamilton Dission
have been marked on the plat of each township
where he has selected lands simply 10 facilitate
myself and clerks in. keeping al account OF the
moneys received from the. sale Of lands selected
by Mr.. Disston in order 10 give him credit for
the amount as provided by the contract But
not one acre OF Internal Improvement land is in
clpded In the sale, The sale being exclusively of
thai class OF lands known as swamp and over.
flowed" Mr. Disston is allowed 10 select these
lands 10 any locality where they can be found,
if not reserved by the Board under some of its
previous contracts and Of course his agents
select the best lands Of the class, but are com
PEELED by the contract 10 take them in bodies OF
ten thousand acres, and not pick out the best
in small bodies. as The editor Of the Eeonomia
intimates in an editorial on the subject, Only
about two hundred and twenty thousand acres
Of the lands selected by Mr.. Disston have been
withdrawn from Market and for these the money
hiss been paid The rest If their selections are
in market at State prices and lands embraced in
them are being daily sold by me, as though no
cout Aviotad stf~i fff .tFs 50 ~ ttsl go =