The weekly true Democrat. (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1905-1912, 1906-04-06
THE EVERGLADES
PROPOSITION.
The Pres and Cons Of This State
Natter.

HAttefs
Read and Reflect. Secretary McIn
tOsh's Report and the Jacksonville
Metropolis Answer. That Paper
Fairly Puts the Subject Before the
People Of Florida So They Can ReaC
and Form Their Own Conclusions or
the Scheme, Always Desiring to be
Just and Fair:
In this Everglades proposition it has
opposed the scheme because it believed
it was impractical and would cost toe
much money, and that there were better
uses that the peoples money could be
put to, such as building roads.
The Metropolis has given a great deal
Of publicity to this question, because II
was one in which the people of the State
were vitality interested. 1t has, follow
ing out its path of duty as a public
journal, criticised the Drainage Com
missiOners, but has used arguments, not
abuse: This paper, however, has been
roundly abused by Governor Broward
for its stand, but that has not made US
swerve one iota from our duty as we
see it,
To become fully advised on this Ever
glades matter, the Metropolis sent to
the Drainage Commissioners, at ITALIA
hassee, a request 20 furnish this paper
with the expenditures of the board on
this drainage scheme and received a re-
ply from Secretary Mcintosh, of the
Drainage Board, which we here publish
verbatim. The Metropolis gives this
report and our comments thereon, and
we believe it shows how futile is the
scheme to drain the Everglades and how
the poor people of Florida will suffer if
the board persists in it's position of col
lecting tax that has been declared I'M
constitutional by the United States
Court. Here are the two sides to this
question:
SECRETARY M'INTosH's LETTER.
MIR. w. r. Carter, Editor Metropolis,
Jacksonville, Fla:
Dear Sir-I am in receipt of yours of
the 9Th inst, in which you say: "Will
you be kind enough to furnish the Me-
tropolis for publication the list of ex-
penditures made by the Drainage Com
mission, including attorneys fees, if
any, since January !. 1905? This Ever
glades proposition is matter of great
interest all over Florida, and | should
like to be well informed about it. >"
In response thereto, beg to say that
l have made inquiry Of the members of
the Drainage Commission, and am in
formed in the most positive terms that
not one dollar has been expended by the
Drainage Commission for attorneys
fees, or for any other purpose, and that
no obligation, agreement or contract
has been entered into by said Drainage
Commission, under which any payment
of money is to be made hereafter in
connection with the drainage of the
land commonly called the Everglades,
or for the drainage of any other land;
not one cent of money derived from
taxation has been spent in any drainage
operation or in the preparation of such
operations, or for any other purpose in
connection with the drainage of land.
Your inquiry is limited to the Drain
age Commission, but as you appear to
be interested in the drainage question,
it will doubtless be of interest to you to
know that the preparation now being
made for the drainage of swamp and
overfiowed lands is being carried on
under and by virtue of the act of Con-
-gress of September %, 1850, which pro-
Vides:
THAT to enable the State 70
construct the necessary levees and
drains to reclaim the swamp and over
flowed lands therein, the whole of those
swamp and overfowed lands, made unfit
thereby for cultivation, which shall re-
main unsold at the passage of this act,
shall be and the same are hereby grant !
ed to said State" and the act of the
Legislature Of the State of Florida. |
chapter Clio, approved January 6, 1855, |
which, among other provisions, contains
the following:
"For the purpose of assuring proper
application of said fund for the purposes
herein declared, said lands and al the |
funds arising from the sale thereof, |
after paying the necessary expenses Of /
selection, management and sale, are !
irrevocably vested in five trustees |
to hold the same in trust for .
the uses and purposes hereinafter pro-
vided, with the power to sell and trans |
fer said lands to the purchasers and re- /
ceive payment for the same.
"The Trustees Of the Internal In
Fund shall fix the price Of .
the public lands included in the trust,
having due regard to their location,
value for agricultural purposes, or on
account of timber or naval stores, and
make such arrangements for the drain
age of the swamp and overlooked lands
as in their judgment may be most adj
Vantageous to the Internal Improve
ment Fund, and the settlement and
of the land. See sections
429 and 423, Revised Statutes of Flor
ida.
The State of Florida was pledged by
a resolution in relation TO draining the
passed by the Legislature