The Pensacola journal., 1905-05-06
GOV. BROWARD
ON RECLAMATION
aEcoMMssDs ADOPTION OF COM
sTlTUTIoNAL AMENDMENT AND
STATUTE AUTHORIZING CARRY
ING WORK INTO EFFECT.

The special message Of the govern
or, sent to the legislature Wednesday
ON the drainage OF swamp lands and
the Everglades, is a very exhaustive
and lengthy document. covering fully
the situation from the creation OF The
trustees OF the internal improvement
fund in 1856 to the present day.
It concludes as follows: THE vital
importance of the questions and the
hest interests involved, together with
the array of legal talent employed by
the railroad anu canal companies,
claimants under the alleged land !
grants, against the trustees, made Il
necessary that the trustees employ
able counsel to represent the great
trusts imposed upon them, and they
have employed R. w. Williams, Of Tai
lahassee, Messrs. Bryan & Bryan and
Hon. w. S. Jennings, of Jacksonville.
and Hon. w. B. Farley. of Mariana.
Reiterates Former Views.
81 became firmly convinced many
months ago that the lands belong to
the internal improvement fund for the
purposes of Grainage and reclamation,
and have so publicly expressed these
views throughout the state of Florida.
Upon more thorough investigation.
having been more fully advised. and
having assumed the responsibility OF
the trusteeship, | am more and more
impressed with the correctness of my
former views, and / am more fully de-
Tnr- ~~l - 14cr
90 discharge the duties devolving upon
me in Fart as trustee, and solely as
governor, to the end that the remand
er of this fund now available may be
used for the purposes and trusts ex-
pressed in the laws heretofore refer
red to.
1T cannot be said that the trustees
have in the past recognized the right
of the railroads, under legislative
land grants, as being superior to the
duties of the trustees to drain, when
drainage contracts TO convey the title
to the large areas of the land have
from time to time been made to the
railroads, and claimed TO have been
earned by them
/ Backward Glance.
In 1898 when the railroads were
claiming more lands than had been
patented. and when the governor, then
one of the trustees, had been a trus-
tee from 1881 10 1885 as governor, and
from 1890 to 1897 trustee as comptroll-
ler, and from 1897 trustee as governor,
and when the attorney-general and the
commissioner OF agriculture. two OF
the trustees, had been such since 1889.
and when the regularly retained legal
advisor OF the trustees was one of the
trustees from 1885 to 1887, during
II which period nearly all of the land
grants were made and claimed 10
have been earned, contract for drain
! age was made by the trustees which
Z provided for conveyance of about
: 100000 acres of~land, then claimed by
!, the railroads as having been granted
) to,and earned by them page 437 min
, utes of the trustees, 1881 the validity
!, OF that contract was never seriously
questioned,
si The acts of the trustees in the past
are not inconsistent with the recogni
: ton OF their primary duties to carry
/ out the trusts as expressed in the In.
ternal improvement act to drain and
reclaim the swamp and oyerfowed
lands IN this state, as therein proyid.
Ell for. There being an estimated area
OIL 100000 acres of swamp and over
flowed lands unfit for cultivation ano
available in the territory of the Kis
simmee valley, Lake Okeechobee and
the Eyerglades-3. 100000 acres 81
which territory have heretofore beer
decided by the trustees of the Internal
improvement fund to the various rail
road an0 canal corporations, which
S.O00,000 acres would be greatly bene
: lifted by the successful drainage ant
PROCLAMATION of the 10000 acres now
vested in the trustees and under theil
control and management
1t has become necessary in consid
ering the plan of drainage and recla
nation OF the Everglades to considel
the benefits of this adjacent territory
and 1t Is found that a constitutions
amendment is necessary to enable n,
trustees to require a proper ccntribu
tlon ON the part of the owners of tn,
! lands heretofore decided, in proportion
to benefits that the land will desriy,
> by means OF such drainage and re
clamation, therefore recommend tha
a constitutional amendment be pro
posed creating a drainage district
: embracing the Everglades and the ad
= iaeent swamp and overfowed lands
including the Kissimmee valley, an
0 right to establish other DRAINAGE dis
trtcts. authorizing a drainage CON
mission to levy an acreage tax for
. reasonable amount, to be levied an
collected annually, to be used in III
drainage and reclamation OF said tel
I ritory, and in the aid of the great pul
n poses and the trusts accepted by th
state OF Florida In its acceptance &
] the magnificent domain, patented I
4 Der by the United States government
"As difference of opinion exists a
; to the necessity for such. a constitl
). tional amendment, and as 1t is th
purpose OF the trustees to procee
L with the drainage and reclamation I
y the 100000 acres now under tae
control as speedily as possible. ] ais
recommend in addition thereto. tn;
statute authorizing the creation I
drainage districts by the trustees an
= the assessments of benefits and dan
ages he enacted -