The St. Lucie County tribune. (Fort Pierce, St. Lucie County, Fla.) 1905-1920, 1905-10-06
The Dock Controversy,

Onqer the caption or the Nhar'
Controversy" and signed A Larg,
Property Holder and Wharf User. ;
there appears an article in your issue o.
the goth; one Of those belabored art
cles, the chief characteristic of which il
It's failure to state the facts Of the
case-or more plainly speaking, its fail
ure to state any facts at ALL The OBJ.
stinacy with which some few people re.
fuse 10 see and admit the real principal
that is involved in a controversy is one
Of the things that causes more trouble
and lack Of intelligent understanding
than any other one thing that disturbs
the public mind.
The article above referred to INDUCES
in lot of gush, misrepresentation and
attempt to mislead the public that only
that kind of braying can accomplish
when representation of the real facts
are not set forth, and as the county
commissioners are attacked in this har-
angue for daring to attempt to preserve
to the public public riparian right Of
way from Indian river into the town Of
Jensen; and as there is surplus of
cheap talk being INDUCED in, the COM
missioners feel that their actions in the
matter should be fully understood and
to that end the chairman of the board
will set forth such facts as have been
presented, which facts, in the opinion
Of the board, justifes their action in
the matter.
In view Of the fact that this Large
Property Holder has thrown down the
gauntlet his side of the case will have
to blame him for the presentation that
will now be made.
At this point We will state that there
is no ground whatever for the state
ment that the taxpayers will be bur-
dened with the expense of another suit,
for the county has not been to cent
Of expense, nor will it be, for these
commissioners, whom this large proper
ty holder designates as mere cat S
paws, guarded against the county hay
ing to pay single cent, by making the
residents of Jensen and vicinity sign an
agreement to defray all expenses, so
this Large Property Holder" has mis-
represented the commissioners; yet this
statement is just as near the truth as
anything else he has said.
In the first place, Jensen has but one
main street leading through the town
to Indian River. At the river end of
this street the citizens were granted
the riparian rights, upon which to build
a dock. These riparian rights were
granted to the citizens by the county
commissioners of Brevard county be-
fore st. Lucie county was created.
Whether said commissioners had right
to give deed to these riparian rights,
the commissioners of St. Lucie county
do not propose to pass upon; but as the
matter was considered within their le-
gal jurisdiction by them, the commits
sioners Of st. Lucie county certainly
felt safe in assuming that the matter
had not passed beyond their interven.
ton, when those public rights were
about to pass into private ownership.
When the deed passed from the Bre-
ward commissioners to three trustees of
the Planters Wharf Association, money
was subscribed by the public, and a
dock built; later it was found to be
difficult task to keep the dock in proper
shape for use, and the trustees trans.
ferred the riparian rights, dock, tram |
way and tram car to C. S. SCHUYLER, 7
without any consideration, further than $
Mr. Schuyler agreeing to maintain t
dock and charge wharfage on fruits,
vegetables, etc., handled over same, r
According to information furnished =
commissioners of St. Lucie county, this
:ransfer was made by the trustees with. h
'ut the knowledge or authority of those c
who had furnished the money to build
he dock, or in ether words, the ripar. !
an rights, which the commissioners of :
5revard county had decided to three q q
rustees as representatives of the pub.
lc, to secure a public riparian right of
way to and from the town of Jensen,
we're, in connection with the dock tram
way and tram car gratuitously given to q
private individual, thus depriving the =
ublic OF any entrance to the town from
he river, except over private property. +
was further set forth to the commits.
toner's that fish house and business