The sun. (Jacksonville, Fla.) 1905-1908, 1906-09-01

large land syndicates will be called on to pay
more than half of It,
Pa.-Again, my SON, you have struck 1t right.
It Is only the people who own the lands in the
drainage district who will be called to pay for
draining the Everglades. and 1t naturally follows
that those who own the MOST LAND will pay the
MOST TAX. And six land syndicates have con-
fessed that they owned over half Of the land to be
taxed
Algy-But. pa, these large synaicates and these
individual land owners acquired these lands from
the Trustees. Do you think 1t fair that they
should be taxed to drain them after the Trustees
decided them to them?
Pa-There might be some doubt about that,
Agy II 1t were not for the fact that the Act of the
Legislature putting the title OF these lands in the
Trustees, and the decisions Of the Supreme Court
OF the State interpreting this Act ALL SAY that
these VERY LANDS ARE SUBJECT TO THE
DEBTS AND OBLIGATIONS OF THE TRUS.
TEES and the obligation the paramount oblipa.
l.on, the first obligation, of the Trustees is to
drain. This Is special reason why the people
owning lands to be benefited by drainage should
pay their share of the cost FROM WHICH
THERE is NO ESCAPE, and is a reinforcement
OF the general proposition that lands specially
benehtted by great public work, should contr
butte their just share of the cost of such work
Algy-All right, pa, think see that now. I'll
not be bothered any more with doubts about the
whole State paying for drainage and the justice of
those people owning the lands which are benef1t
ted paying for their share Of the work, but. It
seems to me that this proposed Constitutional
Amendment puts whole lot of power in the
hands OF I'VE men. Do you think that that ia ad.
visable?
Pa-What do you mean by putting whole lot
Of power?
Algy.-I mean that the five Drainage Commits
sioners. II the Constitutional Amendment ia adopt
ed, Will have the power to spend the money de-
rived from the drainage tax Just as they please
and are not required to give bond.
Pa-Thats true, my son, they are not required
to give bond but all their acts are the acts Of pub
lie oficials which are open to the inspection NJ
any one In whose mind there should arise ones
tion about the proper expenditure of this money
ana the proof or improper expenditure being very
easy to obtain. 1t would be an easy matter for
ANY CITIZEN to make affidavit which would
CAUSE THE ARREST, TRIAL AND, IF FOUND
GUILTY. THE IMPRISONMENT of any one or
all or these public servants who should betrav
their trust. And then again. the whole crowd
OF them have to come up for reelection every four
years and the people can hold them accountable
for their acts at the polls as well as at the bar Of
justice. '- Va
Algy.-But Is It not an unusual thing for men
to be vested with as much power as these Ave men
seem to be vested with? ''
Pa.-No. not unusual, Algy. On the contrary
quite usual No great public work is ever under.
taken unless the officers chosen to carry n out are
vested with considerable power, certainly with
power sufncient to enable them to carry out the
work ehectualy. notable case of recent han.
pening was that In which Congress vested the