The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1906-11-01
GOVERNOR WAS
IN PENSACOLA
Spent Yesterday Afternoon
and Last Night Here,
Leaving This A. M.
HE GAVE TIE JOURNAL A SPEC
iAL MESSAGE TO The PEOPLE
OF EscAM6lA COUNTY REGARD.
ING IMPORTANCE OF VOTING
TUESDAY.

ING IMPORTANCE OF VOTING
TUESDAY.
Governor Napoleon B. Broward. I'm.
announced and unheralded, arrived in
PENSACOLA yesterday afternoon. He
had come as far west as Milton. and
decided to visit Pensacola and greet
his friends and supporters in this
city, who always give him a hearty
welcome. While his visit was not a
! lengthy enc, the governor neverthe-
less met many OF his acquaintance,
and when he departs this morning
at o'clock 1t will be with the salts
1action Of knowing that he put In
several telling blows in favor of the
drainage of the Everglades, which is
10 be voted upon at the general cleo
ton next Tuesday.
Last night the governor was the
guest at supper of Hon. John S. Beard
and spent several hours WITH that
gentleman discussing various mat
tiers.
Later he was seen by Journal rep
resentatfve, and gave out a most in
teresting interview upon his favorite
su6Ject-the drainage of the Ever
glads-which will be read with inter
est by the voters OF Pensacola, Els
GAMBIA county and all over West Flor
da. The governor sad ne had mes
sage for the people Of EScamba coun.
ty particularly. and he desired them
to consider several very important
reasons why they should vote ives"
on the proposed amendment. The
governor said:
The Governor Interviewed.
"Mr. Beard and other speakers
who are opposed to the adoption of
the Constitution amendment use the
argument that as the drainage of
he Everglades will enhance the value
of the lands, thereby increasing the
assessment rolls of tn state, a general
tax levy upon all the property of
Florida should be made with which
to pay the expenses of the drainage.
81 advocate the adoption of the
constitutional amendment because it
localizes the expense of the drainage
to the drainage district which en-
braces portions of the counties of
Monroe, Dade. St Lucie, Osceola. De
Soto and Lee and effects only the
lands to be especially benefited
"The opponents of the adoption Of
the constitutional amendment have
asked that l recommend a general
state tax which ! have refused to do,
and have informed them that i would
veto a bill of that kind If enacted.
my reasons for advocating the
adoption Of the constitutional amend
ment are these First-It will local
,sze the expense to the lands TO he
benefited; second-it would be unfair
to all the people of Florida TO levy a
tax on all of them to drain the-Ever-
glades. 81
As To Taxation.
Let us reason together for mo-
ment. An acre Of land in the Ever
glades is assessed now for about pc
an acre. An acre Of pine land in
FScamba county is assessed for about
$500. Therefore the man in EsCam-
bia county owning IN acre of land
would pay sixteen times rs much
towards the drainage of TIE acre of
land in the Everglades asse ssed at.
pic, as the man WHO owned IL would.
pay for the reclamation of his Town
land which whea. drained would he
worth from $1,000 to 500 o0sper acre:
A merchant in Pensacola who has
a SIS 100000 stock OF goods. would
paw as much towards the reclamation
of the Everglades as would the man
owning 100000 acres in the Ever.
glades contribute towards the drain
age of his own lands. The stock of
goods IN Pensacola would be iinttas-
ed very little in value whereas the
100000 acres Of land in the Eyer.
glades would be increased from 225,
900 90 in value to q million dollars
or more. ... ~
''The man in Pensacola who owns
horse and d,9y and rho pays his
tax on q valuation of $4,000 for them
would pay four hundred times. as
much towards drainage an acre Of
land in the Everglades as would the
man who owns an acre OF land in
the Everglades which acre would be
increased in value froI& &c to $4,000
perhaps.
What X Means.
The defeat Of the constitutional
amendment would meaa TO the people
of Florida the great danger Of having
in future years a tax levied on the
whole state for the purpose of re-
claiming the Everglades. whereas the
adoption Of i've constitutional amend
ment would forever prevent any such
thing.
In the next place We are not vot
ing upon a proposition as TO whether
we shall reclaim the Everglades or
not, because We are already dredging
in the Everglades and IN the course
OF a month will have the second
dredge at work. The trustees have
put up for the people of Florida from
Nthe swamp and overlooked land funds
five cents an acre on nearly $780,
Cf0.00 already and as the only way
we have for getting money Is to sell
portion of the 2,S60,000 acres of
land that We own. it is but reasonable
that the syndicates and individuals
owning in the Everglades four and a
half million acres of land should put
up as much per acre as the trustees
have put up per acre for you
#, Syndlcates Should Help.
"The adoption of the constitutional
amendment means that the syndlcates
onJ railroads shall y,1k {bo;- {,,c