The weekly true Democrat. (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1905-1912, 1906-11-09

Last Saturdays Tampa Timss ScsFs'
the Drainaas scheme. +

iELlhI OUT IedoSEo may Bgt w VIC .hCpLO-
duce the following excellent article by
The Tampa Times:
Citizens Of Tampa and the State OF
Florida: "A gross outrage upon youri in
telligence, your rights, even your iber-
ties as q self-governing people, -is being
attempted by Gov Broward and his
minions in the passage of an amend
ment to the constitution of the State
creating an olgarchy of five men with
unlimited power and with q scope so
vast that Il will hold the whole COM
monwealth in bondage. Here IN Tampa
the men who are at the governors back
IN this most unheard of tampering with
thesfundamentaI law of the State for
the benefit of designing politicians, are
the very men who sometime ago engi-
neered the passage by the people of
Hillsborough county Of the law appro-
priating 500, 900 for the improvement
of public roads. Yes, and they subse-
qbently controlled the fund. How much
Of the great sum has ever been spent
upon the Improvement of the county's
highways? Look at our roads today,
and say what evidence there is OF the
vast benefit they should have derived
from the expenditure of such a sum.
The money is gone, but where?
The times reiterates these are the
men who would now confuse you by
specious arguments and maudlin pseudo
patriotic gush to support measure so
ubiquitous thst the honest, observant
man blush at the audacity of those who
would perpetuate the wrong.
The proposed amendment was passed
by Joint resolution of the very last leg
islature, the very same day as was
passed the present drainage act, save
that the powers conferred in section "a
of the amendment are more complete
and binding than in this act. Think of
it. The passage of the act and the
present operation of the board that act
fully prove that the matter is one that
falls within the prerogatives Of our leg
islative body; but that is not enough.
A future legislature might amend or re-
scind the law. So now we, as intelli-
gent people are asked to sanction the
placing Of an iron grip upon our Threats
by adding a new unit to the basic law;
q board Of commissioners which, rest
ing secure behind the mighty bulwark
of the States constitution, would defy
all censure for their misdeeds and be
immune from punishment for fraud.
They would be their own executive,
their own judge and jury, their own
legislative Assembly and to crown all
would be endowed with the fright of
eminent domain, the most sacred, the
most dreadful attribute of sovereign
power.
1t has been speciously argued by some
of the supporters of the scheme that
the men who are declared to be ex Off
clio the members of the board could be
held separately accountable under the
IL. 60 h
ment in case of malfeasance in office.
This is not true. In a precisely similar
case in Philadelphia, where such a
board was created for the erection and
maintenance of the city building in the
process of which the most gigantic
graft was unearthed, the Supreme
Court of the United States decided
that prosecution of the board was lille.
gal and all redress for the wrong they
had peTpetrated was impossible. Those
men were thieves, but the people who
had been hoodwinked into resigning
sovereign rights into their hands were
left impotent to bring the rascals to
justice or take their ill-gotteE booty
away with them.
Review the history of this proposed
amendment. It is what is called an adj
minIstration measure 1t was known
to be such when introduced into the last
Legislature, a large majority of which
body was a plant tool in the hands of
Broward; ready TO sanction anything
he might suggest. And it would be
safe to say that not one-half Of the
members who voted for the drainage
bill and the joint resolution for the con-
stitutional amendment ever even read
the documents or were familiar with
their most ominous meaning. And the
meaning is this: The amendment would
give to the Governor of this State and
his five conspirators power so sweep I
ing, so lasting, SO absolutely uncOn. .
trollable that they would and what I
men can resist the love of power? -es- /
tabish themselves for substantially an |
time as the real rulers OF the /
State They would supersede her eX- |
ecutive, her judicial and her Legislative /
officers as at present constituted and /
become the masters of the whole peo |
pie; for, mark you, there is no limit to |
their tenure of office save such as their |
own grace may name, no more than
there is any special designation Of how /
they shall spend the money, which they |
may secure bp taxing the people any
where, within the borders Of the State. |
Do not vote for this infamous politi-
cal scheme. IL is impossible, even with |
half an eye, not to be able 70 see
through the thin film Of pretended pa
triotism and devotion TO the welfare Of |
Florida into the cunningly concocted
4 r 4 - 4. a.