Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-12-03
The Disston Purchase.

Gov. BlOXham. of Florida, while he has
host of warm friends and admirers, has
some bitter enemies. Lately he and his
administration have been attacked for
selling the lands known as the DisstOn
purchase. 1t is claimed that these lands
were sold for too low price, and that
Henry 5 Sandford had offered 40 cents an
acre for them. 1t is probable that every
body in Florida thought that the State re-
ceived all the lands were worth at the
time the sale was made. Whatever dis
satisfaction there is now probably arises
from the fact that DisstOn has done so
we'll with them. With regard to the Sand
ford offer the editor of the Tavares Herald,
who was the attorney of Mr..
Sandtord in the transaction which Mr..
SandfOrd had with the State about the
lands, SAYS there never was a time when
Mr.. SandfOrd would have gwen 40 cents
an acre. Soon after Gov. BlOXham was
inaugurated Mr.. SandfOrd offered so cents
an acre for 100000 acres in bodies of $40
and 800 acres, with the privilege of pur-
chasing 100000 acres more. The Board
Of Trustees refused the offer.
Later, Mr.. Sanford secured a contract
for ], 600, 900 acres for $780, 600 in selected
bodies of not less than GAO acres, at 90
cents for the first 100000 acres, 40 cents
for the next j00, 600 acres, and 30 cents for
100000. Mr.. SandfOrd, according to the
editor of th,eTavares Herald, did not keep
his part of this contract and lost the land
purpOsely. The DisstOn purchase of
,f
10000 acres was, in the opinion of many,
far better for the State than the broken
Sanford contract. Whatever else may
be said derOgatory to the administration
Of GOV. BlOxham it can hardly be success
fully attacked for selling the DisstOn
lands.
All is not perfectly calm and peaceful
in the Republican National Committee.
Logan and Dorsey have been out with
each other for some time. Last January,
when Dorsey resigned the SecretaryshIp
on account of his alleged bad eye, Logan,
TO conciliate matters, offered a resolution
of thanks for the skillful manner in which
Dorsey had placed the soap on the Demo-
cratic track. He doubtless thought Dor
sew might De nG6ueu SOlAiC uetg " AO HIS
dirty work. The latter, however, saw 1t
was too thin and called Logan ''an ambi-
tious hypOcrite." Logan then claimed to
have offered the resolution only to insult
the great star reuter-. 1t is thought the
next meeting of the committee will be
warm one, as Dorsey threatens to openly
denounce his enemy. Such unity and
brotherly love in the grand old party is as
refreshing as the dews of HermOn.
tits gratifying to note that Postmaster
General Gresham recommends in his
annual report the increase of the limit on
newspapers, sent by others than publish
ers. to three ounces. The present postage
on newspapers is one cent for single
papers not exceeding two ounces, and as
many large papers are small fraction
over that weight, much vexatlOn is caused
by a misunderstanding of the laws.
Papers not fully prepaid are not for
warded. The MORNING News has
earnestly ADVOCATED this change IN the
postal regulations, and it is to be hoped
the recommendation of the Postmaster
General will be fayorably received by
Congress.