The weekly true Democrat. (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1905-1912, 1906-11-02

dertaken without any previous esti
mate of the coast being first made
The DisstOn engineers knew more abou
the Everglades than any one, and the,
estimated the cost of properly reclaim
ing the big saw-grass south of LAX,
Okeechobee (only one-sixth of tn,
Eyerglades) at nine million dollars
3, Because the title to the Everglades
is now in litigation.
Nominally the title rests in the Trus
tees Of the Internal Improvement Fund
and therefore belongs to the people OF
Florida, but this title is now being at.
tackled in the United States Courts by
various legislative grant claimants.
Until these cases are finally decided,
the ownership of the Everglades must
remain in doubt. II will be some years
before this question can be settled,
Meanwhile the Trustees cannot give q
good title to an acre Of the Everglades,
and they are running q grave risk of
losing every. dollar they spend in drain
peoples money before the title Is set
tied. Would a careful man In his own
business waste money like water on q
doubtful title? Would you build an sx-
pensive house on lands that some one
else was suing you fort Wouldn't you
let the court decide first 7 What posi-
bic harm can come from waiting for
the courts TO decide
4. Because there IL no limit TO the
tax.
No one knows how much his tax Is
going TO be, or how long he will have
to pay Il. The tax limit IL 10 cents per
acre, but there 10 no limit 10 the time.
1t may be levied for s, 10, 20 or so
years. There 10 no check whatever
upon the drainage commissioners. The
reason for this Is that the drainage
commissioners have made no estimates,
and they can't make any estimates be-
cause they haven't any complete sur
vey. II they could make an estimate
Of the total cost, the taxpayer would
be able TO figure out just how much his
total tax will be, and for how many
years he will have to pay Il. AS il is,
he Is in the dark. The consequence is
tnat lands in the Everglades drainage
district cannot be bought or sold. No
one wants TO buy with this blanket tax
hanging over the land, because there is
no limit to II.
s. Because the greater part Of the
Everglades is not worth draining.
More than half of the Everglades is
rocky, and worthless for agriculture.
The part worth retaining Is a strip
along the East Coast, and the big saw
grass south of Lake Okeechobee. The
fall Of II feet from the lake to the
ocean is not q gradual fall evenly dis
tributed the whole distance. Within
Ia miles of the lake there is a fall of
IL feet, leaving only feet for the bal
ance Of the way, a distance Of rs miles
south TO the Gulf of Mexico. Only g
feet in 20 miles. The lower part of
the Southern GlRdes is washed by sea
tides.
6. Because the value of the best
part of the Everglades Ia very doubt
full.
These muck lands have not proved a
success In other parts of the State
The drained muck lands of the Kissim. |
NEE Valley were badly damaged by fire |
some years ago in q dry time, and thous-
Dnds Of acres were destroyed by fire |
These lands are now used entirely for |
grazing and are worth about $50 per |
acre. Today there are not 50 acres un- |
der cultivation between Orlando and |
Lake 0keechobee.
z. Because no discrimination has been !
shown by the drainage commissioners
n leVying the drainage tax.
Lands of different classes, high or
ow, dry or wet, good or bad, were all
diseased the same blanket acreage tax,
10 matter what distance from the Ever
ylades, or how much or how little they
would be benefited by drainage. The
Ugh sand-lIills Of Avon Park, covering
hundreds OF square miles, were taxed
Exactly the same as the marshes bOr-
lering Lake Okeechobee.
g. Because the people Of the drain
Re district are opposed to draining the
Everglades.
Except a few people living on the
River. This opposition
vas shown at the May primary when
Ion. J w. Watson from Dade county.
Ion. Claude Olmstead from St Lucie,
Ion. A. +. Donegan from Osceola, Hon.
v. II. Hooker from DeSotO, and Hon.
T. F. Wilson from Lee (all drainage
istrict counties), were all elected TO
he House against drainage also Hon. {
iunt Harris 10 the Senate from Mon
oe and LeecOuntiea. lnall these coun.
les those favOring drainage were de-
Gated.