The weekly true Democrat. (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1905-1912, 1906-03-09
Office; Equal AIl--speciaI Privileges None

er than the ocean and water will run
down hill if given the opportunity. 1t
| is necessary for the State to do it be-
cause an individual will not. The FIVE
cent acreage tax was imposed because
its imposition was only reasonable on
the lands to be benefited. Not one
cent of the State treasury money is be-
ing used.
MATTER OF CONTRACT.
In touching upon the first point, the
matter of contract between the State
of Florids and the United States, Gov
ernOr Broward went into the history of
the Everglades. The United States
grant was given to the State for the
purpo9e of drainage and reclamation, :"
by m cans of levees and dredging, and
the acceptance of the land by the State
has been held by the courts to be a
contract binding upon both parties.
An act of the Legislature in 1858, he
pointed out, turned the land over to the
trustees of the Internal Improvement
Fund, and the railroad grant of 1879,
was made only with the proviso that it
was subject to the conditions on which
it had been entrusted to the trustees.
Under the conditions on which the
grant was made by the United States,
every dollar secured from the sale Of
swamp and overflow lands must be put
to draining and retaining other lands,
while such course is practicable, and
then turned over to the schools, etc,
LAND is NEEDED.
Governor Broward then stated that
the only plausible argument that had
been launched against the scheme was
that advanced by the Times Union yes
terday morning, when it editorially took
the position that more land was useless
as much valuable land was not yet Ia
ken up, and that what the State needed
was immigration.
Replying to this, the speaker asked
the question, what can you grow on
the land that is now being cultivated"
Corn, he admitted, could be grown, but
only in such quantities as could be used
at home, and a more extensive cultiva-
ton of il, means that all farmers Of the
United States would be cutting each
others throats.
Cotton could be grown, but already
the cotton-growers had formed an or
ganization to decrease the acreage, and
no more land for this purpose was want
ed. Sweet potatoes could be raised,
but the market was limited. Fruits
had but a limited mnrket, and even
then must be shipped North in the ear
ly spring to secure good prices.
SUGAR is NEEDED.
Then the speaker turned his attention
to sugar, and called the attention Of
his hearers TO the following statistics:
Last year total of 800, 1872 tons of |
sugar were used in the United States. |
averaging 20 pounds per capita. OF !
. IL. ,lvvl H..
the United States, and a total Of 2,246, !
D6S tons imported, with duties paid |
The value Of this, at 3 l-2 cents per |
pound, was Sl57, 224, 760
He then compared this amount with |
the following export values for last |
year: Corn, something over $44, 600. 600; |
wheat, SAT, 476, 92l wheat -four, SO, $685.
SO; naval stores, $lS, LOG, Sal: beef, |
53i. SS5, 857, making a grand total of !
only Sl44, 494, l54, or more than $l2. 000,-
700 less than the import value on sugar
alone.
IDEAL SUGAR LANDS.
Then, moving logically to the next
)oint, Governor Broward took up the
yalue of the Everglades as sugar pro-
lucng lands Nowhere else, he said,
Gould be obtained 1900, 600 acres Of
and, admittedly suitable for sugar pro-
luction, with soil of uniform quality,
With climatic conditions ideal, and with
he sugar already produced on drained
portions of this land admitted by no
ess an authority than DR.. Wiley, chief
hemist Of the Department Of Agricul-
ure of the United States, to be the
,est in the world.
If immigrants are secured, this is
What they must be put TO doing The
ost Of clearing one-half million acres
f hammock land and preparing it for
ugar culture. he estimated at from
i've 20 thirteen millions of dollars,
While all that is necessary to prepare
he Everglades TO this purpose is TO
ut through the rock ledge that sur
ounds 1t and let the water run Oft.
FEASIBILITY OF PROJECT.
Taking up the feasibility of the pro-
ect, Governor Broward dwet on the
act that Okeechobee is II feet above
ca level and that water runs down hill.
iere he produced his maps, showing
hat the lake was higher than the sur
country, and further strength
ming his argument by relating the
many occasions when Okeechobee had
verfowed and inundated the lands of
PRODUCERS situated at a great distance
rom IT,
He also pointed out the great terri
DRY that is drained by the st. Johns
liver, despite the fact that the flow of
&c Inh0a "a MT nua-NanNk |