The sun. (Jacksonville, Fla.) 1905-1908, 1906-08-04
Conducted by
Little Algernon and His Pa

the amenument mao Deen submitted to the two
attorneys OF the Board and that they had nrO,
nounced 1t certain death. Mr.. West said that 'i ho
would withdraw the bill If that amendment wac
insisted on by the Governor The Governor said
What am l to do? told these men that hought
the amendment was all right am filling a mans
place here and must act mans part If AIM
able to take care OF myself must take the ron'
sequences" Mr.. West Mr. Jennings and Mr.
Bryan told the Governor that the amendment
would surely destroy the bill, and that he was
tricked into partial acceptance of it. and that
the men who would come to him secretly and get
his promise to do thing after they had been told
by the attorneys representing him in his capacity
as Trustee, that the amendment would DESTROY
the bill, were not entitled to any consideration
They had secured his acquiesence in the amend.
ment by unfair means, and 1t would be a greater
wrong to keep partial promise so gained than it
would be to act contrary 70 it, And so the bill
was passed without the amendment.
Alg.-What did these three 40 then, pa?
Pa-They didn't do anything Immediately but
failing in their efforts to pull off their little trick
they took violent dislike to the drainage scheme
as whole, and to that part of it provided for by
the bill passed at the last session in particular.
Algy.-Have they 0one anything SINCE pa?
Pa.-No, they haven't really done anything but
they have been awfully busy trying to do some
thing They Joined In with some other patriots,
who are patriotic about the condition of their
pocketbooks and the great Literary Bureau To-
Gated in Jacksonville came into being, with
Choat (not pronounced Shoat) in charge of the
Literary Department, with Major Healy as tray.
cling representative. They have been conducting
for months past and.are still conducting and wlll
probably conduct to the end, terrific warfare
against the drainage proposition.
Algy.-Do you think, pa, that these men really
care whether the Everglades are drained or not?
What mean is, are they opposed to it because
they do not think IL would be a good thing for
the State to do?
Pa-No, my son, oh, no. they are not opposed
to 1t on this ground. They are opposed to it be-
cause they do not think that their particular in
terests would be enhanced by II. They are opposed
to 1t because they think they would be better off
financially II the plan should fail
Algy.-I hear lot of talk about the people who
own the land to be drained being opposed to drain
age Is this true?
rat depends upon what you mean my son,
by the word people, II you mean the people
who claim the land and who wish to own it lor
the purposes OF speculation in order to fill their
own pockets, will answer yes. But if you mean
the people who are actually living in the vicinity
OF the proposed drainage district, and those VINO
own small tracts of land which are periodically
oVerfoWed for the lack of the very system of
canals to carry off the water from Lake Okeecho
pee which THE Trustees have outlined will say
no ana the best proof that / can offer you thai
make their living cultvating this very land want
tne protection from Lake Okeechobee overfows
whlch the plan of the Trustees will afford them
49, that nearly every one of them has paid the
drainage tax. 1t Is only the large land owners
IKE the three who tried to put up the job on the
Governor, and the big corporations, who have
lodged the tax To put It another way my SON.
the people want the lands drained and have paid
.ne drainage tax, and the spectators do not want
ene iahus drained and have by contention in the
courts sought to evade the payment of the tax.
A,gy'-l nave heard, pa, that the tax Is heavy
puruen on the people, and by the word "people' !
mean THIS time the actual settlers of the area Is
this true?
Fa-No my son. 1t is not. An inspection of the
report from the Tax Collectors in the drainas'
counties of the men who have paid the drainage
TAX SHOWS an average of less than dollar 70"
each individual owner paid on account of the
drainage tax, and the total amount which will
come from the actual settlers will be very small
Aigy-By this, take 1t, the people, the actual
district -
Pa-You are correct my SON, very small