The weekly true Democrat. (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1905-1912, 1905-10-27
TROUBLE IN the carr.

=
business governor" began to rule oveI
the people of Florida and their assets
he app ears to have discovered that the
affairs of the !. l. Fund we're in a bad
way, and IN his characteristic, bOmbas-
tic and despotic style, he addressed the
following communication TO the board:
Gentlemen-I have decided, after ma
ture consideration, that all monies be-
longing TO and under the control Of the
Internal improvement Fund of the State
Of Florida should be held in the name of
the Trustees of the Internal Improve
ment Fund. and that all disbursements
should be made on orders signed by all
Of said trustees, and that the receipts
for monies and other property should be
made In the name of the trustees, and
that monthly reports in detail should be
made to the trustees Of all receipts and
disbursements, and of the amounts and
location Of all money, bonds and securi-
ties belonging 10 or held by the trustees
or under their control.
beg TO herewith submit resolution
for your consideration which, If adopted
by the trustees, will accomplish the
purpose suggested in this letter. The
matter Ia referred to you for consider
alton and action.
OF course, the board very promptly
and obediently and properly adopted
the resolution; but the public, in re-
viewing the incident, must be struck
with several very curious features Of it,,
viz:
That II took the exceedingly astute
business governor" more than eight
cen months TO discover that something
was wrong.
That the official records and the gov
ernor's letter carefully avoid saying
Whdt Wds wrong
In whose name, If not in that Of the
trustees, had the "monies belonging
to" the fund been "held" up to the time
Of this discovery?
Who had been making disbursements
thereof without "orders signed by all
Of said trustees?
In whose name, II not in that Of the
trustees, had receipts for monies and
other property" been made?
What was the secretary and treasurer
OF the board (who had been thus acting
since 1881 doing all this while, that he
had not time, or had not been required,
to make monthly reports in detail Of
all receipts and disburseme ITS" to the
trustees?
Was this dual official concerning
whose appointment or election the rec
ords Of the board are SILENT the only
person connected with the affairs Of the
fund possessieg knowledge as to 1.-THE
amounts and location Of all money,
bonds and securities" belonging to the
fund.-
And II, in pursuance of the above.
mentioned resolution, the board sue
ceeded in securing the desired informl-
ton concerning "the amounts and loca-
ton Of all money, bonds and securities
belonging TO the fuid, why has not the
board taken the public into it's conf
dence and shown in its published rec
ords where this valuable property is
kept, and how2 Is II because, accord
ing TO tho Jennings theory, the affairs
of the fund are mot subject to legisa-
tive control, and therefore that any de-
sire on the part of the people Of Florida
to know these things would be regarded
by the board az an mpertinence? Ifsuch
IL the fact. is it not high time for the
people, through their representatives in
the Legislature, to demand that IA proper
showing be made Of the affairs of the
Fund, and that this board Of trustees,
who are their servants, be required To
give a proper and ineligible account of
their stewardship
~-=sNs----4-Has"a..H.-
A POLICY HOLDERS PLAIN TALK.
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