The weekly true Democrat., 1908-04-17
DRAINAGE BOARD
TO BE ENJORED
Three Companies Again Bring Pro-
casdinGS.

Once more has Jhe Ieuefal cur tDs0L
petitioned to enioin and restrain Cover
nor Broward and his fellOw-members
of the Florida Board of Drainage Com
nissioners and the tax collectors of the
counties of the State in which are To-
Gated the Everglade drainage district
from collecting the acreage tax Of FIVE
cents per acre levied on certain lands
within that district by order Of the
Board Of Drainage Commissioners.
A little more than two years ago sim
liar suits were instituted and q perp6t-
ual Injunction was granted restraining
the collection of an acreage tax leYied
under the law Of 1905, that law being
declared by the court to be unconstitu-
tional and void. The Legislature Of
1907 passed a new drainage law, which,
the advocates Of the Governors pet
scheme, declared had cured ell defects
in the old law, and again an acreage tax
has been levied on the lands in the
drainage district.
Yesterday three separate and distinct
suits were filed in the United States
Court for the Southern District Of Flor
ida. In which the court is asked TO en-
ioin and restrain the collection Of the
acreage tax on lands owned by the petit
TONERS within the drainage district.
PLAINTIFFS AND DEFENDANTS.
Major Alexander St. Clair-Abrams,
as solicitor for the plaintiff, filed bill
for Injunction on behalf Of the Model
Land Company, a corporation duly char
tered and existing under the laws of
the State Of Florida, against Napoleon
B. BroWard, as Governor; A. Q. Groom,
as State Comptroller; William v. Knott,
as State Treasurer William II. Ellis,
as State Attorney General; Benjamin
McLin, as State Commissioner Of Agri-
culture and against the same officers
as the Board Of Drainage Commission
ers Thomas ]. Hardee, as tax cOllec-
tor Of Dade county, and GeOOge o.
Butler, as tax assessor of Dade county.
Another action of exactly similar
character was brought by the Florida
East Coast Railway Company against
the same defendants composing the
Board Of Drainage Commissioners and
against the same tax collector and tax
assessor Of Dade county.
And then came q third bill for injunc-
ton filed by Cooper & Cooper and b. j.
L'Engle, as solicitors for the Southern
States Land and Timber Company, an
organization incorporated under the laws
Of the State of Louisiana, against the
same defendants composing the Board
of Drainage Commissioners ard also
against Thomas j. Hardee, tax cOllec-
tor of Dade county; w. G. Langford,
tax collector of DeSOto county, and T..
o. Swanson, as tax collector of Lee
county.
CASES OF SUN.
In the case brought by the Model
Land Company the bill hled Is for an
injunction to prevent multiplicity of
suits to prevent and remove clouds on
title to land to declare uncOnstitu-
tional and void tax for drainage and
for relief.
The petitioner sets up that il is now
and has been for several years the
owner in fee simple of III, 054. 35 acres
OF land lying and situate in thescOunty
of Dade, upon which a tax of cents
per acre has been levied, under and by
virtue of section 5079, Laws of Florida.
The petitioner alleges that large por-
tion of this land is of little or no value,
and has not a value exceeding 81 90 per
acre. Also that some is assessed at
the rate of 5 cents per acre as q drain
age tax that is not worth exceeding so
cents per acre, and that the tax cOllec-
tor is proceeding to collect the said
acreage tax.
1t is alleged by the petitioner that
100, 900 acres of land owned by other
persons, and corporations within the
said drainage district, have been en-
tirely omitted, and are exempt from the
payment of the said drainage tax.
The petitioner prays for q writ Of in
junction to be delivered 20 the defend
ants both pendente lite and perpetual,
as a Board Of Drainage Commissioners
and individually.
& Notice was also filed to the effect
that application will be made for an
order Of injunction on April lS, at which
time the defendants must appear and
answer to the petition.
RJsEvERAL COUNTIES.
In the suit brought by the Southern
States Land and Timber Company, the
complainant sets up that IL owns 332,
247 acres Of land in Dade county; l08,
596 acres in DeSOtO county and 1853, 100
acres in Lee county, all within the dis
trict that has been designated as a
drainage district, and on which tax Of
cents per acre has been levied.
It is set forth that the lands in said
district comprise pine, hammock and
grazing lands of different character
from the lands in the Everglades and
adapted for entirely different uses and
purposes.
It is set forth that under the drainage