The weekly true Democrat. (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1905-1912, 1907-08-16


The Tallahassee staff eorresponden
Of the TimeS- Union, who 4 doing som.
excellent work In connectionswith the /
|. Fund investigation, had another o.
his now famous series Of interview
with members Of the board Comptrol.
Ter Groom being the victim. AZ an in.
terview Il Is so unique a specimen that
we give Il entire, as follows:
what do YOU think of the scope OF
the inquiry into the acts and doings Of
the trustees Of the internal improve
ment fund.-
'"T'he legislature of the State fixed
that. and ! have no opinion to express
about Il 80
"Do you think the investigation a
wise one at this timer"
THE State legislature settled the
wisdom part of the matter when il pas
sed the law providing for II.
do you approve of it?"
II am ia thorough accord with both
the Jennings and Broward admlnistra-
tons"
"As a member of the trustees for
two terms, you may have had occasion
to study the minutes of some or all of
the past boards, and if so what have
you TO say as to their policy in selling
and disbursing the public fund.-"
eve have no board. We are trus-
tees"
1.-THE State, however, quite generally
recognizes the trustees as q board, and
| so put it. +"
But we have no board that word is
a misnomer.
What is your county?"
"HernandO county. Br0Oksville Is
my legal home"
Compare these curt, inapt, unrespon-
sive and meaningless answers with the
alert, intelligent, well-considered and
open minded responses made in previous
interviews to similar questions pro-
pounded to the other members of the
board, Messrs Ellis, McLin and Knott.
Mr.. CFoom's insistance that a board
Of trustees is not board, while quite
as immaterial as it is erroneous, indi-
Gates with unerring accuracy his pre-
else mental calibre, especially when re-
garded as a suppostitious reply to a
courteous request for his views con-
corning the past and present policy Of
the board in the matter Of selling and
disbursing this public fund" The board
itself, in its minutes and official pro-
ceedings, calls itself 1.-THE Board" and
1.-THE Board Of Trustees, and such is
its legal and official designation, and has
always been.
And then observe the extraordinary
latitude of the answer TO the question
asking If the pending investigation
meets with his approval az am in
thorough accord with both the Jennings
and Broward administrations. The
statement was altogether unnecessary
and irrelevant, but Mr.. Groom doubt
less did not see any other place for it
in his interview, and it would have been
a hardship upon him to have omitted
II.
But quite the cutest feature of the
occasion was the alacrity with which
the Comptroller, speaking as a member
of the board, disclaimed the possession
of any ideas or opinion concerning
the wisdom and scope of the pending
investigation and repeatedly fixed upon
the legislature the sole responsibility
1t was a stroke of genius worthy of the
intellect of the average mule driver,
and more than any thing else in the re-
markable interview, perhaps, will serve
to convince the people of Florida of the
expediency- necessity, indeed--of choos-
ing some one else TO fill the office of
Comptroller in the primaries next year.