The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1883-01-09
SUPPLEMENT TO THE FLoRDIAN, JANUARY ., 1888.


have pienary to cancel the settle
with the owners Of the lands upon such equitable
may De reasonable and just the end that the property
be restored to the owners again Of
enue to the State
As the law stands the certificates for lands assessed
since January lst 1877 and sold prior March 1879
the hands Of the Commissioner of Lands and
subject to redemption by the owners SALE while the
certificates for lands sold since March H. 1879 in
the hands of the Comptroller subject to redemption sale
the law directs This is manasty UNJUST all lands sold
for taxes should be placed the footing The hold
ing of these certificates by different departments the
government also creates confusion and unsatisfactory.
recommend that all the certificates for lands sold
assessed since January 1871 be placed in the Comp
troer office for redemption SALE under proper restrictions
time of sale, and that the Comptroller authorized
certificates where proof is made of having been
paid and to make such other settlement respect the
with the taxpayer appear be equitable and
proper.
INTERNAL IMPROVEMENT
The United States Congress granted Florida of
September 84l, which took effect upon the admission of
the Union March ls45 fve hundred thousand
of land The lands granted for internal improve
ments' and consequently known Internal Improve
ment Lands proper"
There much larger grant made September 90 $780,
consisting of all the swamp overlooked
State belonging to the United States The chief object of
this grant for the purposes of reclamation drainage
Under the first grant, of Internal Improvement Lands
proper there hand reported by the Commissioner of
Lands and immigration 1880
Under the second grant of swamp overHowed lands
the State has received patents for acres of which
1882
There had been disposed Of up January L. 1884, 1884,
729 and since then exclusive
of the four million acres sold to Mr. Disston.
The Internal Improvement Act of 1885, vested all of the
Internal Improvement lands proper then unsod well all
the swamp oveowed lands hand with all the proceeds
that had accumulated in the Governor Comptroller Treasurer
Attorney General and Commissioner of Lands Board Of
Trustees, to carry out the provisions Of said act.
The designated road from Jacksonville to Pensacola
with extensions to ST. Marks and Crooked rivers and ST.
Andrews bay-a road from Fenandna to Tampa with
tension to Cedar Key-a road from Pensacola north to the
State ne and canal from the waters of the ST. Johns river
Lake Harvey Indian river proper works be assist
ed by the fund 1t further authorized coupon bonds be is
the several roads, at the rate of ten thousand dol
per mile completed road and additional bonds for
bridges &c The trustees authorized to guarantee
per interest these bonds out of the land
fund.- and did endorse bonds to the amount of fol
lows:
Pensacola and Georgia Railroad COMPANY 81 22O 600
Railroad Company 100000
Florida Railroad Company 100000
Florida Atlantic Company
war, the companies operating the roads, having
failed pay sinking fund seized and sold by the
teeS-the
Gulf Central in 1862 and the Pensacola and Georgia and Tai
lahassee railroads in 1862 The effect of these sales
relieve the railroads of the bonds except the half
of per semannuay, to meet the principal of the
bonds Thus the land fund.- held by the Trustees in addition
paying large before the for interest," became
alone responsible for all the interest upon the bonds not
tired and cancelled by the sales.
Thus briefly have stated the origin of the Indebtedness
against Fund.- which has been topic fruitful of discus
son Space will not permit me to enter into history much
less discussion of the various gations connected with
these sales the Trustees and the holders Of
the coupon Indebtedness Had the entire price bid for the p
G. and Tallahassee roads been promptly paid much loss
would have saved the Fund. There balance,
however of $4I2 for the P G. and balance of $5O775
Tallahassee road that not paid The balance due
P G. road with interest paid only last july and
then after litigation. That upon the Tallahassee road
has not vet paid Trustees have been compelled to
for resale for the principal with large accumulation
Should the proceeds of the sale be inadequate to
pay both principal and interest," the fund will be liable for any
balance of the interest left unpaid.
When entered upon discharge of my official duties,
and thus promoting development of the State by securing
proper Railroad facilities of the most gloomy character
Two had evinced their appreciation of the
situation by earnest effort to sell off large body of the
lands a reduced the only OF saving anything
to the fund.- Governor Administration had appointed
the eminent statesman and diplomat Revedy johnson, who
the capacity of Minister Penpotentiar
our Court ST. James, the agent of
State to Europe for the purpose of selling large body
of twenty-five cents in order to relieve
the fund.
Soon my immediate predecessor Governor Drew came
into Office he recognized the absolute necessity of such sale
as the only relieving the fund and developing the