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

This Is a subject that comes closest
to every man, woman and child in
Florida, for good educational facilities
not only insure an intelligent, progress
sive citizenship from among those who
are born in the State, but also attract
to its borders the very best class of
people, who, in seeking homes, con-
slider the question Of education of prime
Importance.
The State of Florida is in possession
of about three million acres of land
that If it belongs to the State it be-
longs to the schools. The Legislature
has granted to railroads more land than
the State has, and the title to the lands
held by the State Improvement Board
is in litigation. If the railroads should
win neither the State nor any of its
people should be made to pay for the
drainage Of these lands II the State
should win Florida would have an area
devoted to school purposes that would
place her in advance of any other State
in the Union.
BELONGS TO THE SCHOOL FUND.
1t is the purpose of the Drainage
Commission to make these lands pay
for their own drainage. They have no
right to do so, since all the lands-not
the residue-belongs to the school fund.
In addition to this is the fact that
under present circumstances, these
lands could not be sold to advantage
now. The fact that they are in litiga-
ton would make it impossible to sell
them now for anything like half the
amount that could be gotten for them
If their title was clear.
p,ak 20 than mana nnk - Nk;-okso,,
they could not be sold to advantage
now. Outside of the drainage district
only about 3 per cent of the land of the
State is Is in cultivation, and the i'm
mense areas that are for sale make
the price paid for even the the best
land low. With the increase in the
population Of the State this condition is
rapidly passing away, and the time is
not far distant when lands in Florida
will be valuable. Florida land is now
worth much more than twice as much
as it was ten years ago.
DRAINAGE COST Is unknown.
No one knows what the drainage of
the Everglades would cost. Four mil
lion dollars is a low estimate. OF this
amount, under the present plan the
State would pay about 81, 900, 900, or
about go cents per acre Of the State
land to be drained.
If this land was sold now, with it's
clouded title, with its distance from
transportation, while over %, 900, 900
acres Of land can be bought compare
lively accessible to the railroads, it
would sell for q song. A little Of It
near Fort Lauderdale, on the Florida
East Coast Railway, would bring fair
prices, considering the disadvantages
under which it would be offered, but
after drainage the great body of Il in
the interior, with it's title clouded,
could not be sold for 50 per acre. If it
would average that amount it would
net only about 81, 900, 900 for the school
fund, even allowing as low a cost as 60
cents per acre for drainage.
But If it would sell for 81 under pres
ent circumstances it would sell for at
least 81 per acre the moment the final
decision was rendered awarding the
land to the State. This would net for
the school fund over $40, 200, 900, a diff
ference of over Sc, 900, 900 only by clear
ing the title.
PRICE TEN YEARS HENCE.
But if it would sell for 81 now, with
q clouded title, or 81 with a clear title,
II would sell for at least So per acre
ten years hence or SIC twenty years
hence. This last sum would make
available $40,OOO,O0O for the school
fund.
Drainage would cost less ten or
twenty years hence than 1t would cost
now. Besides the fact that better
plans could be prepared, q good deal of
drainage would be done by individuals
in that time which would, to some ex-
tent, cheaper the drainage of State
lands. 1t Is not sure that, with all the
adverse conditions, the land at present
would pay the cost of drainage. IL is
sure that If drainage were delayed
until the land was needed the school
fund for the next generation would be
so large that its interest annually would
be sufficient to provide for every boy
and girl in Florida liberal education
and our State would lead the world in
the education and intelligence of its
people. SCHOOL TEACHER.
Perry, Oct. ia great deal of IN
terest is being taken here in the ques-
ton Of drainage, and the vote on the
constitutional amendment pro-
viding for il will probably not fall far
below the total vote cast. Gov. Brow
ards earnest advocacy Of the measure,
with the comments they have aroused
in the newspapers, have put the people
to talking and thinking, and there are
very few men in the country who have
not an opinion that they will not eX-