The weekly true Democrat. (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1905-1912, 1906-10-26

year, and II makes no difference how
high your land may be, or how little
you need drainage, II may even be that
drainage viii ruin your land, still II is
subject to this heavy tax.
You may own twenty-five acres of
land in any county in the State of
Florida: your land may be one hundred
feet above sea level and five miles from
the nearest land which could possibly
be termed swamp and overlooked, still
il your twenty-five acres of land should
be located in one of these drainage dis
tricts, it would be subject to this heavy
tax for the purpose of draining another
mans land five miles from you. What
benefit could this be to your land?
You may be told that the drainage
commissioners would not subject land
as high as this to the drainage tax, but
as a proof that they will, there is today
in the present drainage district created
by them, lands which are at the very
least $50 feet above the level of the
sea, and some of the highest in the
State
Let us consider this matter well be-
fore we vote on this proposed amend
ment. Now, when our State is in the
best condition Il has ever been, when
our naval store and timber industries
are at their very heights, when people
are fiocking to our State in thousands
every year in search of homes, and our
lands are increasing in value every day,
let US be careful that we do not ruin
the prosperity of our State by subject
ing our lands to such a dangerous tax
as will make it impossible to sell them.
The passage of this amendment will
surely be the death.knell of many of
the industries of our State, which are
today the very backbone Of our COM
merce. We cannot be too careful how
we take this leap in the dark. Have
the politicians who propose this scheme
really got the best interests of the
State at heart? Or are they only seek
ing to gain their own selfish ends?
Live Oak, Fla, Oct. 18.-Editor Dem
ocrat- During the last primary election
campaign in this county, in which was
honored the third time as one of your
nominees to the House of Representa-
tives, ] expressed myself as being OPP
posed to the drainage scheme as / saw
the situation at that time, and / now
ask space in your paper to say to my
friends and the public generally that
am still opposed to the measure set
forth in the proposed amendment to the
constitution of the State.
A large acreage of the land proposed
to be drained is now in litigation. Sew
eral years ago the Legislature granted
the land to certain railroad companies
for building railroads through various
sections of the State, and the trustees
of the Internal Improvement Fund have |
not conveyed the said land in accord |
ance with Legislative action, Hence,
it is now question for the courts to
determine who are the legal owners of
the land! During my career as a men, |
Der of the Legislature | have never vo-
ted to donate an acre of the public lands
to any railroad or other corporation, but |
why spend the peoples good money on
the drainage scheme until the question |
of ownership is fully settled? The peo- |
pie are supreme and can call the sub
ject OF drainage up at any subsequent |
time if, in their judgment, such neces-
sity exists.
do not believe that it would be right |
to require the taxpayers Of Florida to |
canal, ditch or otherwise improve lands |
that may ultimately go to the railroads. |
believe that all officers who handle |
large sums of the peoples money should
be required to give good and sufficient |
bonds, but If you adopt the proposed |
amendment to Article 16, of the Con-
of the State of Florida, you
creBte Board of Drainage Commits
sioners consisting of five men, the gov
ernor, the comptroller, the state treas
urer, the encouragement and the com
missioner Of agriculture, who will not
be required to give bond as such Drain |
age Commissioners, but will be charged !
with the responsibility of receiving and |
all drainage funds, which |
will, according to all estimates, reach |
we'll into the millions of dollars, wheth- |
err the Everglades can be successfully
drained or not.
believe the officers above referred |
to have enough daily work to do with
out adding an additional burden of such |
on them.
The various tax collectors collecting |
drainage assessments will not, under |
the amendment, be permitted to pay |
the drainage money over to the State |
treasurer. who is under bond for the |
faithful performance of his duty, but |
will be required to make all payments |
direct to the new branch Of the State
known as the Board of |
Drainage Commissioners, FIVE bondless |
officers. Engraft this measure into the |
and IL will take years to
get rid Of It. Adopt the amendment |
and you authorize and empower the |
Board of Drainage Commissioners TO |
drainage districts and fix the |
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