The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1881-07-12

Okahamka 4 Panas0fTkee r.. Is
Alternate sections granted for 49,. s7s miles
Under general &c q 1872 amending the general inseo
chained for
Lake Jesup Osceola 4 Kissimmee River RR..
Ao0a6 ..---f....' ''f--. ~. ~
FeTnandina 4 JacEson1iie r. R........... Is miles
2ss miles
Alternate sections under grants 1872 7es miles
Alternate sections under grants Of 1881 SIS miles
Alternate sections under general - miles
1891 miles
ing up the deAciencies outside Of the six mile limit
Without any deficiency, alternate sections viii amount
be sopDieG Des more than hall say zoC0 acre. per
mile and the grant Of alternate sections viii then amount
Grants under legislation Of 1879 $4,000 acres
Grants under legislation OF 1881 oNUD Acree
| l31seOoo acres
| Grant of alternate sections .... 36O2 900 acres
i to,SozUU ACtee
Assuming that the whole land fund belonging
to the State is $1,000 600 acres, and il is proba-
bly, less by half million acres. it will be seen
that the Legislature not only gave it all away
but gdoc Gsoay four million acres more than the
State has any claim to These extraordinary
grants show "wild hunt" after land, and under
the circumstances surrounding the Fund, show
further the wisdom of the Trustees in providing
such sale as will pay all prior debts, prevent
further litigation, and at the same time leave
magnificent land fund for railroads which will
be available at once
We think we have said enough to Justify the
sale and that thinking men will approve il as
pregnant with happy results To the State. One
of these results will be the addition to our taxa
BILE resources which the sale of so large body
of land will make. Another result will be the
introduction of immigrants to make the lands
productive to their owners, inasmuch as it can
not be supposed that the purchase has been made
for the fun Of the thing; and another result
will be TO make available for railroad purposes
or millions of acres which we're tied up for
the benefit of the creditors of the Fund Viewed
in any aspect, think the sale fortunate for the
State and therefore justify it.
A legitimate, adverse criticism would be- that
while large sale TO some syndicate would be
justifable, yet the sale in this instance was at
too low a price. The answer is that previous
administrations had tried for years TO sell at a
reduced rate and failed that while persons were
applying to purchase bodies at higher rate Of
q hundred thousand TO o million of acres, theiI
applications were always to pick the lands
Mhile the present purchasers offered TO take :
our judgment it was wisest to sell to the las,
offsrers, since such q sale would produce suffi-
Gent amount 10 make finish of the obligations
resting on the lands and the purchasers mus
necessarily include in their purchase immense
.. quantities of land which no one else would buy
: "The bad with the good" as every Floridiar
knows means more bad" than good" But
the best answer is found in the fact that the U
8. Court had already authorized a sale by the
Trustees Of four millions of acres or upwards "a
: railroad company at t,centy cents per acre. We
quote from the record:
JUNE 10. 1880 Ordered By tie court, Tha,
the Board may sell TO the Gainesville and Char.
lotte Harbor Railroad Company, OF the lands
} granted, or proposed 10 be granted TO said com
pany, by the fifth section Of said act az loo al
t.ccnty cents per acre, upon said company execu-
ting bonds for the prompt and proper completion
OF the road"
The 5th section of the act referred to granted
to the Company 10000 acres per mile as sub
sidy, and estimating the length Of their road at
400 miles they would thus have been authorized
to purchased 100000 Of acres at twenty cents
per acre, or 1000, which would not have paid
the debts of the Fund, while the Trustees have
sold the same number of acres at IS cents an acre
or for 81 100000, which will extinguish all the
debts and have a surplus We appeal TO the
good sense of ALL is not this act of the Trustees
TO be commendedf We know it to be fact,
as intimated elsewhere, that the creditors of the
Fund, but for this sale, would have applied to
the court for such action as would have given
them control of millions Of acres and the prece-
dent set as to price in the Charlotte Harbor R. r.
case would have been followed Who could
have blamed the creditors, In view OF the fact of
the constantly increasing debt and he action of
the Legislature approprating more lands than
belong to the Fund? The Tampa Tribune, in
its comments, shows wonderful lack of infor-
nation. In discussing the sale and the prob.
able results as TO railroads to Tampa, il seems
to think no care has been taken in secur-
ing any advantages 70 that section. In this It Is
entirely mistaken. There Is no point 10 Florida
that has greater reservations of land, not en-
braced in this sale, than Tampa. There Is the
Peninsular Railroad from Ocala direct TO Tampa
that, In addition TO the alternate sections OF six
miles on esch side, has also splendid grant from
the General Government The old Gainesville
and Charlotte HarbOr Railroad. now known as
ths Florida Southern Railway Company, has the
alternate sections TOR ak miles on each side of
line nom LeesbuFg diFect 70 ChArlolie Harbor re-
served, besides ak miles on each side OF line
running west from Leesburg 10 fernando coun-
~, thence south down through fernando to
Brooksville, and on direct 70 Tampa. These
large rsservaiieps are not touched by the sale.
having been Withdrawn prior to the same.
They are under the control Of the Board. and
will be used exclusively for building road or
roads south. Indeed, Il seems that the interest
ofTampa has bsen carefully looked TO, and the
prospect OF two good roads At least centsine y,
that point, giving the most abundant transporta-
ton facilities l6,s& esl 'Eil-
On the whole, we think our Tampa frinds have
no cause for uneAslness. We expect. IN the near
inture. to pay Brother Wall visii, riding TO
Tampa By one rad and leaving on another,
hehlsw Fever Reported ~ Rensa.
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