The weekly true Democrat. (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1905-1912, 1906-10-12
Total GA, 221. SO 1907, O55. 38


Total 914, 221. So 5,607, 055. 3S
Governor Broward declares that of
the twenty million acres of swamp and
overlooked lands granted to Florida in
1850, only three million remain. Of
this 9l4, 221. So acres has been contracted
to certain railroad companies, by GER
tifcates issued by former Boards of
Trustees (which the present board re-
pudates), thus leaving 2,085, 778, O4
acres with which to satisfy Legislative
grants aggregating latter deducting
the certified lands) 4, 692, 1893. AZ acres
a shortage of 1907, 055. 38 acres.
The claim of the Tallahassee South
eastern railroad having been declared
forfeited by the trustees, they sold,
through Arthur T. Williams, in July,
1902, to Neil G. Wade, of Levy county,
been previously reserved for said road.
The Louisville and Nashville Railroad
Company having succeeded to the land
grant rights of the Pensacola and At
lantic Railroad Company, and its claim
therefor having been denied by the
trustees, and proposition to accept in
lieu Of the lands a sufficient number of
acres unsurveyed in the lower part of
the peninsula (the Everglades) to sat
isfy it's grant having also been denied,
brought suit in the United States Court
atPensacola against the Trustees, enjoin-
ing them from selling or conveying the
lands which were subsequently april
20, 1909 patented to the State in the
Everglades, and from paying out or
otherwise using the sum of 1929, 8I4 re-
ceived from Neil c. Wade for the l03, q.
778 acres Of Tallahassee Southeastern
lands above referred to. Said suit is
still pending.
January l, 1901, there was a balance
in the Treasury of the Board of Trus-
tees of the Internal Improvement Fund
of 6,$l2795 During 1901 and 902 the
receipts from sales of land were $685.
480. 25, and from other sources SO, 312 &C,
making a total of 1913, 100. 80 The dis
bursements for the two years were
SIS, 800. 49, leaving a balance January ],
1903, Of 1927, 279 Sc During 1903 and
1904 the receipts from sales were $43,-
236 IS, and from other sources $26, $50 08,
making a total, with the balance as
above Of 1867, 098. 20. The disburse-
ments for the two years were 1874, 1884,
leaving a balance January /, 1905, of
1882, 97965 The balance reported on
hand January /, 1906, was 1912, 272 35
OF this 1923, 824 was and is tied up IN
the injunction suit of the Louisville &
Nashville Railroad Company Vi. Trus-
tees of the Internal Improvement Fund
in the Federal court at Pensacola, leav-
ing available $48. 448. 35. Up to March
81, 1906, the Trustees (as drainage COM
missioners) had spent in drainage Oper.
atoms $64, 236. 46. Some lands have
been sold since January l, 1906, and
some money spent for drainage, but the
amounts have not yet been reported.
On the 21st Of November, 1904, the
Trustees of the Internal Improvement
Fund denied applications Of the several
railroad companies for deeds TO the lands
claimed by them under legislative grants
(aggregating 4,l32, 969.78 acres) and
adopted resolutions declaring that they
Twill assert their rights and defend the
title to the lands granted and irrevOc-
ably vested in them under the Inter
nal Improvement act of 1855; that they
had no legal right. authority or power
to bind their successors by means OF
certificates or instruments of writing
or obligations, other than duly executed
deeds passing the legal title to lands of
the fund, and that all certificates, etc,
The Jennings-Broward theory is, that
because the legal title TO the swamp
and overlooked lands granted TO the
State by the act Of Congress Of Sep