The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1881-01-11


There is a probability that the fund will be
relieved OF the interest on the Pensacola and
Georgia and the Tallahassee Railroad bonds,
and this Will leave ouIy 3a590to on which inter
est will have 20 be provided The unpaid interest,
however, nOsc outstanding and WATCH goes to
make up the obligations OF the fIad, amounts To
something ike $500 900 and il is this liability
which the Joint committee viii be called on 70
consider Of the ways and means Tor extingGlsh
ing It is Al insignificant sual hen cnu9pared
with the body OF lands belonging to the tf1nG
agxrexAting about l3 900 900 acres, VITA large
quantities s5ilI to De selected and patented Fef-
suau A the liabilities are ara1un ing 10 Less
than i've cents IA acre they 80 encnmher The
lands "A TO render them unavailable fof pnbllc
uses without the cnusect Of tina creditors hereas
If the obIixat5o were exungusaed tAey GnGbi
be devoted TO aiding in constructing trunk line
Of road through South Florida and the confirm
alton of the road from the ApalaGhicn!a river To
Pensacola II it were cnunperen. for tEe stuff
to assume ana pay the indebtedness and thus
relieve the lands Of the existing lien, We saflk!
b. inclined to advocate epgrse * chat kind .
but The language Of the Consfitg1ion As interpre-
ted by the Supreme Court in The case Of Cheney
and wife against Jones Florida Erpor's, vol "a,
page 567) forbid such assum ption The obligations
Of the hand are not liabilities OK o% !sts2, >
such, but are simply Iieus On The lads, and
although the State las residglry interest n
these It does not appear 10 he competent kpr it
70 create d4ht by Issuinz bonds to eXtingrisA
the lien The power Of the State TO ssre b"nds
Is limited to zach dehts As are created for ordi-
nary State expenses and these debts naEsE exia'
at tie naH the bonds are Authorized 10 make
them valid
We conclude, therefore, thar some means must
be found outside Of State assumption il speedy
relief Is to Be provided Il would appear to re-
quire an amendment Of the Constitution to aa
thoFize the employment OF State credit.
The most desirable means to accomplish the
end would Be through sales Of lind, bur expert
ence shows that these do not amour. 10 enough
70 create the hope that the lien by such means
could be wiped oas inside Of a generation =
EH.sEts have been made TO sell large bodies a; a
greatly reduced price, bat without .uecess, and
unless the demand for public land shall largely
increase il Is highly probable inat the annual saes
VIII lot 90 HHCn more IMAM meet current lltEFtsN
and expenSes, leaving little or nothing 10 be ag
piled to the reduction o. the old deht.
On full consideration Of the snh5ect, " are
inclined to believe that the assumption by The
State q the obligations resting on the fund will
soonest relieve the lands and render them avla-
bic for railroad purposes Ths would reqnfe an
amendment 70 the Coustitesi6 aud caGse DELAY /;
bat such amerdment could be perfected and voted
On BY the people and beenne part Of The Coastj-
tution BY the middle OF 1888 provided Of cnurse
that the Amendment should be ratified IL which
We do not think there would be any doubt, it the
same " - properly guarded