The weekly true Democrat. (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1905-1912, 1907-09-06
The PRESS AND THE INVEsTIcA.
TION

] faH VIC lEkAsAAAANG ANANNRNtN eNANlA AANA
the affairs aud management Of the In
ternal Improvement Fund proceeds, !
/ rs plain that nothing more than the sx
| penditure Of the appropriation can b
/ predicted If we had an investigate
after the Hughes type we might know
/ more, but IL is revolving 10 suppOs'
/ the administration Of a trust fund II
/ the ha.ds Of men trusted and honOrec
\ BY our people. III profits have come q
some thfOugh ways that are deyiOu,
and dark, IL is by no means probable
! that the law has been violated or that
| the trustees have been priyy 10 the
lands, and we should not grleye 10
know that FlOridians as well as stran-
gers have secured something out OF
them. There have been suspicious cir
cumstances attending many Of these
transactions which warranted inyc5ti-
cation, and it was well 10 demand IT,,
but We should not forget that insurance
had been found winter than snow many
times, and that the people can hardly
expect two such men as Hughes IN one
generation.
But 10 connection with these facts
there passes current q slur upon the
men Of The FLORIDA press which IS alto
gethcr without Justice. To say that
the papers which nave insisted upon an
investigation because Of suspicious cir
Cumstaucla fail % give reasons for the
faith tta' la jon them when put on the
Witues chair, n TO bring out one Ot
those half truths which are more dee
cUying than II whole 'ie There may
be ample warrant for grave suspicion
in the mind d. a man who must bc
silent when sworn 10 tell aJl be knows
Of his personal knowledge.
Take parallel case: As a enters q
hotel he sees q man pass ont with
bundle under hIs coat That Is none Of
his business. Bat when he learns that
a bundle has been stolen from the cOun-
ter il rs his duty 10 tell the clerk what
he saw, though he would still be incom-
petent TO swear on the witness stand
that he had seen The thief pass out.
Many know that fortunes have been
made out Of the Improvement lands.
Men poor but yesterday. as they rcadi-
" admit, have suddenly accumulated
'rcdits and stocks and Investments re-
narkabie fOr our State. This may have
icCn only Iu the course Of business.
These may be only the legitimate pro-
ceds Of good Judgment and accurate
knowledge. But the suspicion existed, .
nd the newspapers were justified in
Oicing 10 and an demanding that the
ccounts be- looked into. Especially .
vas this desirable in view OF the claim .
hat the trustees were independent and .
wed no accounting 20 the State and .
1e people
But the investigation is not the task .
the newspapers, and no blame at
aches 90 them when they fail to sup
ly the evidence on which the guilty
iay be- prosecuted Put the editor I'M
or oath as a witness and you close his
lOuth absolutely as TO facts appealing
irectly 10 him in his capacity as the
irCCtOr of q newspaper TO suppose
hat the thief or the official in league
nth the thief took a day off TO tell an
ditOr Of his theft is an absurdity on IFS
ace, and yet IL Is only through such
that a newspaper could
ain personal knowledge" Of wrong +
Ding through the trustees. The mem.
eTs Of the committee were appointed
} investigate, and they are officials
I the State for such work. Mr. Hughes
ID not ark the newspapers to give
10 names Of those who had committed
Of the law" in the insurance |,
lses, but ne found the wrong and eX-
lsed the wrong doors
There may be no wrong,to be exposed
Tallahassee but IL thetc be and 1t IL \
II exposed, no blame can remain with /,
Ie State press. - Times Union, oath.
But the blame will rest with this
.cond Investigating Commission, whose
lty it was and is to go into every act
I'd doing OF the board particularly so
all matters that had been criticised
I'd TO which public attention had been
Illed 10y the newspapers. This news
lper criticised all the SECRET, QUIET
UEAr LAND SALES and charged usurpa-
On OF power, sacrifice OF the lands,
ld up to this date not one speck Of
lbstantial evidence has been furnished
Ic public TO prove that the double
,rrclcd Drainage and Internal Inn
'0yomcnt Boards have not been guilty
Selling lands 10 rErs cheap below
hat they were being held at 10y pu-
.to parties and companies and set.
lg themselves mp as Czars To- do ms !
oy pleased in such matters. "Prcce-
nts for cheap sales and the law Civ
y the right 60 eel Tor what they
ease ID does not lurGi5h clear evidence
At The Bars Ao cents an acre, or The