The weekly true Democrat. (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1905-1912, 1906-04-20
= DRAINAGE BOARD
u AND ITS POWERS.
Major St. Clair-AbramS Points Out How
Governor and Advisors AAde Shift
Of Responsibility.

BOARD, HE SAYS, CLAIMS 1T CANNOT
VIOLATE THE LAW, BUT GRACIoUsLY
ALLOWS COLLECTORS TO.
That Governor Broward and his Board
of Drainage Commissioners, in order to
avoid the storm of protest aroused by
their attempt to collect the tax imposed
to secure funds for financing Governor
Broward's scheme of draining the Ev-
erglades, shifted responsibility from
their own devoted shoulders to those Of
the tax collectors of the FIVE counties
in the special drainage district, IS the
point clearly brought out by Major
Alexander st. Clair-Abrams, in letter
to the Times Union.
Major Abrams, working from the
texts Of the several declarations of the
Board of Drainage Commissioners,
shows that the board practically de-
clares that it cannot suspend the collec-
ton of the acreage drainage tax and
not violate the law, "but that it will
consent to the tax collectors violating
the law if they see fit"
The following is Major Abrams letter
in FULL
MAJOR ABRAMS LETTER.
Jacksonville, April 16, 1906
Editor Times Union - Your corre-
spondent in yesterdays issue, and, in
deed, the press generally, appear to
labor under the impression that the
State Board of Drainage Commission
ers has suspended the assessment and
collection of the cent per acre acre
age tax in South Florida. This is alto
gether a mistake.
The board, instead of doing this, has
by it's resolution declared that it has no
power to suspend the tax, but has gra-
ciously announced that it will consent
to the tax collectors receiving the State,
county and school tax, leaving the
drainage tax still in force and subject
at any time to having the land adver-
tised and sold for nonpayment of this
drainage tax,
This is the effect of it's resolution.
If the tax collectors decline to do this,
there is no power, except by injunction
from the courts, TO prevent 1t.
THAT STRANGE RULING.
"As a consequence the matter now
rests solely in the discretion of the tax
collectors and puts these officials in
this curious positions:
1.-THE board has formally declared that
it cannot suspend this tax without vio-
lating the law, but it will consent 10
the tax collectors violating the law if
they see fit.
"In other words, the board now throws
the responsibility on the tax collectors
to violate their oath of office Gf the po-
sition and contention of the board is cor
rect) while posing as DESTROYS of saving
the small taxpayers from having to pay
the tax pending litigation.
DANGER TO OWNERS.
"And meantime every owner of land
subject to this assessment and tax is
exposed to the advertising OF his land
for sale for non payment of this tax.
ut was not long before this that the
board solemnly declared it intended to
enforce the collection of this tax unless
enjoined.
1.-THE public feeling aroused by this
action alarmed the board, and as 1t
could not consistently say it had the
power to do that whiIh it had just pre-
viously declared it had not power to do,
it cooIly repeats it's declaration Of want
of power, declines TO violate the law,
but tells the tax. collectors that they
can go ahead and violate II! This is the
whole situation in a nutshell.
"ALEX. ST. CLAIR. ABRAMS y