The weekly true Democrat. (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1905-1912, 1905-07-07

III JaHuaFys AoOf, the AEbueee u bDS
Internal Improvement Fund passed q
resolution authorizing II. 3. HilsOn,
John G. Ward and their associates" to
recover all logs and timber belonging
to the State or to the Trustees
that are now to be found on the beds of
rivers and other bodies of navigable
water in the State, west of and including
the Suwannee river, except that territory
covered by authority givenF, w. Bell in
Chipola or Dead Lake, and in ChipOla and
Apalachicala rivers. The parties named
were to sell such recovered property at
mot less than 81 per thousand feet net
TO the State or to the Trustees" for
cypress logs and timber, and not less
81 per thousand feet for pine, after
the payment of all expenses and ser
vice of all kinds" The authority does
not extend to logs or timber not now
TO be found en- the beds Of navigable
rivers and streams" and continues
FIVE years from August l, 1904
In December, 1904, formal contract
was made by the board with II. B. Hill
son and John G. Ward, " not naming any
associates" appointing them agents
ito ask, demand, sue for and recover
in the name of the Trustees, all in
1ebtedness due to the Trustees by any
person OT persons on account OF trespass
committed upon the lands of the |. l.
Fund lying west of the Suwannee
river" except the territory similarly
controlled by F. B. Bell. as above de.
,cribed; said agents to receive fifty per
cent. of amounts recovered.
These two contracts have no relation
20 each other, and the latter is men,
toned simply in order to distinguish
operations under it from action taken,
heretofore or hereafter, under the for.
mer
1t is doubtless fact that millions of
feet of pine and cypress logs, timber
and lumber lie buried in the beds of the
streams, large and small and their con-
tiguous and connecting waters, situated
west of the Suwannee river" but a.
these logs and timbers and pieces OF
lumber reached their present situation
by the direct agency of their original
owners-who had the logs cut, or the
timber and lumber sawed-the suppose
ton that any single item of the same
belongs to the state or to the Trus-
tees" is too preposterous to be enter
tanned for one moment by any reason
able mind.
We know of no law under which such
property of private individuals or cor
porations may be declared. or even re-
garded, as abandoned by its owners;
and no title therein could otherwise by
any possibility exist in the State or the
Trustees. If any such law exists, we
shall be glad to be 80 advised
II, therefore, logs, timber and lum-
Der such as described in this contract
still belong to the former owners there
of, why should they consent to be de-
prived of their property without due
process OF laW?' IL these agents by the
operation of their contract with the
board, have the right to recover" such
property from it's present situation,
surely the real owners, by reason of
their owership, would have a right to
do 50. And if it will paw these agents
to incur the expense of recovery for
a compensation representing only one
half of it's tentative value, would 1t not
pay the owners to recover the full
value?
Lumbermen throughout the region
covered by the above contract will do
we'll, perhaps, to inquire into and vigor-
orously assert their legal rights in the
premises.
SUNDAY BASEBALL LAW.