The weekly true Democrat. (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1905-1912, 1906-11-02
THE PROPOSED DRAINAGE
CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT
LAST WORD TO THE VOTERS.


to walk innOcently into the spider
parlor?
8. Because the drainage commission
ers are not required to make any esti
mate of the cost of the work befor,
they levy the tar.
This is altogether unjust and unfair
In levying all other county and Stat,
taxes, an estimate is always first made
to see how much money it will be nee
essary to raise by taxation. Anybody
who builds house or starts q business
OF any kind always wants to know
what 1t will cost before he goes int
the scheme. If your farm or your wilc
land is to be taxed 10 cents per acre
annually for drainage without any limit
OF time, wouldn't you like to know
what the drainage will cost, so that
you know for how many years you will
have to pay the tax?
8. Because the amendment makes no
provision for local option.
The people of the drainage districts
are not to be consulted at all. They
are expected to put up the cash for
some wildcat drainage scheme, but they
are not allowed to say a word about It..
Why should they not be invited TO vote
upon itI We have local option for liQ-
uor. Why not for drainage? Espe-
cially when the people themselves have
70 pay for IL. Why won't Governor
Broward let the taxpayers of each
drainage district vote whether or not
they want to tax themselves for drain
ageT We do Il now in ali sub-school
districts. Why not have local option
for drainage2 Why not let the people
themselves decide whether they ahOuld
be taxed, instead Of Ave arbitrary Off
Gals IN Tallahassee
2. Because the drainage tax Is un.
equal and unjust.
It is not apportioned according to the
benefits to be received by the proposed
work. EueFy landowner will have to
pay, whether his lands are benefited or
injured by the drainage. Suppose YOU
own a piece Of high ground, and your
neighbor owns q piece Of muck land.
He goes to Tallahassee and gets Gov.
Broward too start a drainage district
drain his muck lands at your expense.
The drainage district is established, and
your high lands are included. You will
have TO pay 10 cents an acre every year
TO help drain your neighbours lands, and
there Is no use in your kicking, either.
The constitutional amendment will make
L absolutely useless. This is not an
imaginary case. In the Everglades
drainage district there are thousands 70
acres Of high sand hills which have to
pay this drainage tax.
3 Because wherever a drainage dis
,rict is formed, it will prevent the sale
'f lands and obstruct the development
IF the country.
You can't sell lands when they are
being taxed ten cents an acre for an
Indefinite time No one will buy lands
which are subject to an annual tax of
,en cents an acre to drain somebody
Uses land. No investor will put his
money in lands that have to pay such
tax, when no one knows what will be
lone with the taxes, or whether it will
Tot be wasted in impractical schemes
md possibly worse. Would you want
Q buy lands burdened with such a tax?
No and nobody else would. AS q re-
ult, the development of the State will |
'e stopped, and all kinds of property !
will loose value. Can't you see that |
his Is inevitable If the amendment is
dopted