The weekly true Democrat. (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1905-1912, 1906-10-19
Drainaae in St. Lucie.


vital Importance to the welfare of st.
Lucie county than that of drainage.
With the exception of the high ridge
extending along the Indian river from
north to south, the balance of the
county is in need of some form OF
drainage before it can be brought into
a state Of cultivation. 1t is true we
have thousands of acres of undeveloped
lands that are not in need of drainage,
and the need of adding more thousands
of tillable acres is not pressing, but the
great future of this country will depend
upon our people engaging more extern
sively in general farming, which will
require a large addition to suitable
lands, and will require a thorough sys-
tenn of drainage.
Here at Fort Pierce our need for
additional farming lands within FIVE
miles of town is being supplied by the
Florida East Coast railway by the dig
plnp of a canal from the Indian river,
through the town and westward nearly
FIVE miles. This canal was cut last
year, but the depth was not sufficient
to accomplish the desired result, and
the railway company is now engaged in
deepening the cut, which, when. COM
pleted, promises to thoroughly drain
| large territory. In fact, the railway
company has agreed that should the
present canal prove insufficient to drain
a territory of sufficient acreage to pro-
vide a good farming back country,
that they would open a second canal
north of town through Taylor creek,
and, failing then, third canal empty
ing into the Indian river near White
City Junction will be cut.
All this is being done at the expense
of the Florida East Coast railway, and
does not cost the property owners a
cent. OF course, the railway company
expects to bring their own lands in the
back country into state of cultivation
and sell it to pay the cost Of cutting
owners along the route and contingent
thereto will reap equal benefit.
Our people being 80 much interested
in the subject Of drainage, the ques--
tions naturally arise: To what end
shall we. go to establish system OF
drainage? To what extent will the
system as laid out by the Internal I'm
provement Trustees benefit US? Are
we willing to pay 10 cents an acre for
an indefinite period to drain the swamp
and overlooked lands of the State?
Are we in favor of Incorporating into
the constitution of the State an amend
ment creating a perpetual board OF
drainage commissioners who are re-
sponsible to no authority and are not
even under bond2
The question of adopting the amend
ment will be voted on at the next gen
eral election, and it will be well for our
people to post themselves on the various
phases that this stupendous project will
develop before it has become an in
tegral part Of our constitution.
The Tribune being a peoples paper
has refrained from opposing the adop-
ton of the amendment for the reason
that it is claimed that the corporate in
terests and railroads of the State was
opposing it.. This statement is not true.
! The Florida East Coast railway is the
only road that would be liable for tax,
and the closest friends of the manage
ment are not aware of any opposition
that they are making to the adoption OF
the amendment. Although, as large
property holders within the first drain
age district, they are given credit for
having the business ability OF other
property owners, a majority Of whom
/ are opposing the adoption Of the amend
nent on the grounds that it is an IN
equal and unjust assessment; that lands
on high sand hills along the Indian river
and lands more than one hundred miles
away from the canal are assessed the
same as lands along the canal; that II
is granting more power to the drainage
commissioners than the Car of Russia
is empowered, and that it will result in
the building up in Florida of q power
full political ring that will throttle the
will of the people, and finally that the
results Of this large and perpetual tax.
alton win not rebound TO the good OF
the people who will pay the tax.
| On the first page Of this issue We
. give in full the proposed amendment u