Live Oak daily Democrat. (Live Oak, Fla.) 190?-190?, 1907-04-29

lutely without transportation facili-
ties of any kind whatever. BY the
direct result of our construction, as
the first, and at that time only, rail-.
road in two of the counties traversed
Lafayette and Taylor there was,
within four years, an increase of
property values of over &c per cent.
or $2,529,71S.00.
= With construction made under the
general land grant laws, without
seeking special legislative favor, and
under an express reservation and
offer of public lands by the Internal
Improvement Fund Trustees for a
line first to be constructed into this
territory, our request for this proffer-
ed aid was met by the objection that
We had not come up to requirements
of policy of that honorable body
(as so termed by its Chairman).
This we did not understand until lat
er in the fact that the lands, which
we considered we had fairly and hon
estly earned, were disposed of at pri-
vate sale to interests identified with
one of our powerful trunk line COM
petitors. After that, a proposition
was rejected by which we undertook
to re-earn our rights to the moneys
received by the Internal Improve
ment Board for these lands, by build
ing additional mileage at a rate of
compensation of less than one half
of such moneys on the basis of acre
age which the general land grant
prescribed for each mile.
These are strictly personal incl
dents, so far as the State officials
might deem them. I mention them
to show that we have never received
| one cents benefit from the State un-
der its repudiated offer or otherwise.
Apparently We did not have a proper
appreciation of policies, being more
intent upon the duties of our. busi
ness than in conforming to the. de-
sires of the Board; nor have we
haunted the legislative halls with re-
quests for that justice which we con-
sidered we were denied.
We have stood alone as a railway
enterprise held in ownership entirely
within the State; and have carried
forward our work and given the best
service that strict personal attention
and our limited resources could pro-
vide; and it is, to say the least, sing
! ular that after being denied the aid
so expressly reserved and offered for
a purpose actually accomplished by
us, we should now find our undertak-
ing to extend our properties by our
own efforts, and as intended to create
greater development of resources, af-
ford additional facilities to cOngested
traffic and add to the material and
taxable wealth of the State, menaced
by its impending legislation.
| BY assiduous care We have created
a record of fair returns for our oper-
ations, and by, the requirement OF
rights and terminal locations at deep
water ports, with satisfactory show
ling of traffic possibilities, We finally
interested outside capital to finance
the construction of a line several
hundred miles in length, involving
the expenditure of several million
| dollars for initial construction, and
the creation of a valuable property
with the attendant advantages, that
necessarily would accrue to the
State and its people.
In face of all this | am in receipt
of advices that everything must be
held in allegiance until it can be de-
termined what the temper OF the
country in general will develop, and
particularly what the Florida Legis-
lature will do, now that it has join
ed the ranks of the corporation bait
ers."
Accustomed as they are in foreign
countries to regulation in far great
er degree than that attained even
by recent federal enactments, the
parties in question could appreciate
that fair and reasonable regulation
would not be a real deterrent in in
vestment for practical railroad oper-
! atoms; however, much it might affect