The weekly true Democrat. (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1905-1912, 1906-06-29

/ possessing JUDICIAL power, nave no right
TO assume that the law is illegal, should
of itself have prevented the use Of any
part of this fund for the construction
of these dredges or for any drainage
scheme whatsoever. The gentlemen
composing the board are purely execu-
tive officers. They are without power
to determine whether law is constitu-
tional or unconstitutional Thus, wheth-
er the scandal ! have referred to be
true or not, nothing can be clearer than
that the money held by these trustees
is being used to build dredges for drain
age purposes not only without authority
of law, but absolutely in conflict with
the law as it now exists.
suPER-scRUPuLousNEss.
Nothing amuses me more than the
gravity with which Governor Broward
claims that a contract exists between
the United States and the State of
| Florida whereby these lands must be
drained by the State and that all he is
insisting upon doing is the carrying out
of this contract, as the honor Of the
State requires it should be carried out
This super-scrupulousness on the part
Of the Governor and his coadjutors is
charming in its high and lofty sense of
honor. For fifty years this contract
has existed, and the government Of the
United States has not bothered its head
to enforce 1t. 1t is a well settled prin-
ciple Of lavhthat if q contract is made
the only persons that can compel per-
Torrance of it are those directly inter-
ested. Again, q party who will wait
for over fifty years to enforce q contract
10 very likely to be met with the objec-
ton that the statute of limitation bars
enforcement Of the contract or that il
is stale claim" and not enforceable
either at law Ortiz equity. i
AN ADsURDITY.
Nothing can be more absurd than this
claim Of carrying out q contract with
the United States made by Governor
Broward and his allies. Having sold
the lands TO innocent persons for q val
liable consideration, undrained, and Sc
cured their money, we are cOOlly told
that TO carry out the contract with the
United States the purchasers must be
taxed more than the value Of the lands
to drain them. The claim that they
bought these lands subject to this con-
tract b too frivolous for serious cUDsid-
GRAFTON. ! suppose we will be next told
that the people Of this State understood
the United States as q gift that one Of
the conditions was that they should be
taxed to drain them have heard Of
cook that was 30 scrupulous in her clean
liness that she washed the shells of the
eggs before she broke them to drop into
the frying pan, but At the same time
spat into the frying pan to find out il
it was hot enough for the frying pro-
cess The scrupulous sense of honor
and the high and lofty regard for the
sanctity of the contract now displayed
by the Governor is about on a parity
with the Over-scrupulous cleanliness Of
this worthy housewife,
GAMBLING DECISIONS.
In one Of the pamphlets Governor
BrOwaYd is flooding the State with are
garbled extracts from judicial decisions
which only tend to deceive the pubic. !
He has the effrontery in one pamphlet !
to say that the State has not sold the !
lands TO other parties, and is not now
attempting to compel these purchasers
to pay for the drainage after pocketinR !
their money and applying it 70 other
purposes This is exactly what the |
tempting to do. The 9, 1000, 600 acres of !
land now taxed have been purchased |
and paid for by the purchasers The
Boald Of Drainage Commissioners is |
now requiring these people, after paying
for the lands to pay tax 70 drain other
lands now owned by the State and for |
the benefit of the people Of the entire .
State 1t is immaterial whether the .
Trustees of the Internal Improvement .
Fund and the State receive for draining
these lands an expenditure Of millions .
of dollars by capitalists in the construc-
tiOn OF lines Of railroads in the State or .
paid the cash directly into the treasury .
of the trustees; they received agreed
upon consideration for the lands The
presen; owners of the lands now taxed .
purchased them either from the trustee,
or from the railroad companies 10 which
they were decided and paid for them in
cash. The trustees have not expended
one dollar OF the consideration for which
these ands were decided in making
drains except such money as they ave
now illegally eXpending IN the construc-
tion Of two dredges.
WHERE DO THEY GET IT?
! have before me two iarge pamphlets,
on containing thirty pages and the other
fOuT-= ~, which are being scattered
broadcast among the voters Of the State
Of Florida, and the printing and circula-
ton OF which must be paid for by some
body. UndisEuI sedly these pamphlet.
are addressed 20 the people oi the state
OF Florida for political purposes. They
.Hr "a.