The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-07-28

improvement mAtters. that 1t is sx- pected that the pApers hostile to him and the present Administration will seize upon this fact e developed before the Investigating Commission this week, and make the most of 1t.
 MT. Jennings and tho trustees will be called to the stand within the next week or two. 4 numbsr of witnessss will be examined In this connection. and e some of the trustees are away from the capital 1t may bs moro than . week before they will bs asked to 70 on the stand and explain why the lands In question were sold at 50 cents an acre when there was . prospect of receiving greater sum through the of the trustees 1t is shown that they recognised 8 moral and equitable right" held by the Hillman Sutherland Company in view of the possession of tax deeds which they held to the land. The matter is complicated to . degree, and the trustees may be able to satis- fly the public thoroughly.
 Sutherland Company was previously held by the Southwestern Railway. Green Cove Springs and Melrose Rail- road. The railroad company acquired the land from the State under grant as . subsidy for construction. The railroad in question was never used as anything but a log road. but 1t ob- tainsd the land from the State under the lax and liberal policy of twenty every mile of railroad constructed. Af- ter the railroad company. which Il now transpires was . numbering com:
 pany. had worked the land for ell Il
 was worth applications was made to
 the Legislature upon proposition to give the land back to the State upon being allowed to take up the rau. The Legislature readily granted the per
 mission applied for. and the land wat
 deeded back to the state.
 The railroad had in the meantime, Il
 seems, disposed of the land to various
 sub contractors who had assisted then
 in working the land. and taxes were
 assessed against these owners; the
 taxes were never paid. the lands wen'
 to sale and Hillman Sutherland Com
 pany bought them for the taxes due on them. And at the time that these sales were made the title to the iano was vested in the State. It was the
 recognition of this prior right or tne
 Hillman sutherland Company to the
 lands that will probably be given as reason why they were sold at so 10" q figure considered also with the worked over condition of the property This is the first matter that has oeer stirred up by the investigation or ahs conseouence, but this promise to fur' nish material for the newspapers te work on for some time to come. U will be difficult, perhaps, for the tfus tees to explain why the land was SOU at the reduced figure even 1T It wa, worked over, if there was chance 'o get better returns from 1t through an action for trespass. It is easy 10 zee that the opportunity for criticism ol inc antis viii be improved upon' even if the trustees should establish Una. their position as thoroughly fisht sno tenable.
 The Supreme Court adjourned Wed nesday and will not reconvene again until October 9. While the office of the clerk will be kept open all sum mer the judges will go to the noun tains with their families, Virginia and North Carolina being the choice oi the majority.
 The State chemist has succeeded in stretching the appropriation for his
 pertinent to cover the cost of doub-
 i,ng the size of the laboratory. and the contract has been let for the work
 The pure food law which will so into erect in September will call for addi- tionai space and assistance. Worth Trammell, a brother of Senator Park Trammeu, and himself previously representative in the lower House, has been appointed food inspector.