The weekly true Democrat. (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1905-1912, 1907-05-17

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The following excellent and sensible
editorial on the above subleet we take
from St. Augustine Record
III bin. now pending. introduced By
Mr.. Farris Of Duval, shall accomplish
its purpose and finally discharge the
Trustees of the Internal Improvement
Fund, we shall see the conclusion Of a
most notable chapter in the history of
Florida. When appointed, the board
saw itself in possession of millions of
acres Of lands in this state which had
no value in the market and yet was en-
numbered with debt for which the
court was about TO cast the whole ur-
der the hammer. The first question TO
decide was whether the lands could be
used only for purposes Of reclamation
and drainage" or whether, in the broad
err sense, they had been given to the
State by the general government for
purposes of internnl improvement. "
At that time the internal improve
ment" whereof the State stood most
urgently in need was a system of rail
roads there'were then thirty miles of
railroad in operation in the State. At
ter careful examination of the law, the
board decided that the State held the
lands in fee as a gift and could use them
absolutely for development and inn
prOvement, view which the Supreme
Court of the United States confirmed in
cases brought from other states. Out
Of this view the modern Florida as
we know it was born.
The first step was to clear off the
debts and that was done by the Disston
sale which was barely in time to save
the bequest from the hammer of the
Federal Courts auctioneer, the sale
having been already decreed. Next
came the policy Of bringing capital to
the State by donations of this land
which the State could not sell, could
not tax and could not settle, policy
which has put every farm and garden
of the state within reach of shipping
station.
The attempt to reverse this policy,
the claim that the deeds to the lands
given by the Board with the sanction
and at the order of the Legislature,
were void; the effort to sell them at
private sale to favored parties and de-
vote the proceeds to an impossible and
impracticable effort at drainage lands
not needed under the plea Of Saving
them for the people," aroused a pub
lie feeling which finds expression in the
Farris bill.
Whether the bill becomes a law or
not, there must now be some settle
ment of the questions brought into liti-
CATION. Should the Legislature fail to
act the holders of these lands will be
forced to ask confirmation of their IL
ties from the Federal Courts and the
State be at the cost of endless litiga-
ton. Having decided that the State
had the right to dispose of the lands as
it has done, the Supreme Court must
finally hold that the titles given are
valid, but afterwards will come the diff |
ficulties as to which of the claimants
holds prior title and which of these is
the owner where the grants overlap
each other; finally the question as to !
what the State must pay in damages to |
those grantees for whom no land will
remain in the last division.
Undoubtedly the State has failed to
draw exact lines in eliminating it's
grants-this was necessarily so when |
the surveys lacked both care and agree
ment among themselves; it is also true
that the lands were valued by the gran
tees less for themselves than for the
foundation of credit in the money cen
tiers of this country and Europe Il is
best that these questions be settled |
now. before the lands grow enormously
in value andpaSs into the hands of third
parties-it is well also to remove their
care from the hands of a Board which
denies the act Of its predecessors and
claims the right to dispose Of them by
methods plainly unfair and indicative
of a desire to give special favors. To
escape litigation the holders Of great
4 n ,.,sm $3.50, l.