The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1908-04-12

! PAST POINTS A MORAL.
| Governor y. B. BrOward. who re-
! Gently announced his candidacy for
the United States senate, has ad-
| dressed the following letter TO public
men Of Florida, in which he sets
| forth his accomplishments since elect
/ ed to be governor. Gov Broward
says he will do all possible for the
! benefit of the people of Florida and
what he has done indicates that he
viii strive to do this also
Jacksonville, Fla, April 4, 1908:
Dear Sir: A few days ago | wrote
you letter in behalf of the candi
dacy of our late lamented friend and
| senator, Hon w. j. Bryan. Since
| that time, as you know, he died as
the result of typhoid fever, from
which he was then suffering.
! His kinsmen and many of his
! friends and mine have requested that
I become a candidate in his place for
! United States senator before the
! democratic primaries soon to be
! held. l have concluded to do so and
| | therefore now ask you to support
me. 1t may seem harsh to receive
a letter from me making this request
so soon after the death of our friend.
fSenatOr Bryan, but it is only about
a month and a half before the pri-
marieS, and if / am to be nominated
it is necessary that speedy work be
done.
/ assure yOu that if nominated and
elected to the United States senate
will do all that | am capable of for
the benefit of the people of Florida
and of the country at arge
| II hn
an account of my stewardship as
governor.
/ l promised, when J. candidate for
your governor, to veto any bill repeal
ing or weakening the primary cleo
ton law and the railroad commission
law. These laws are still on the
statute books and | vetoed two meas
ures tending to weaken the primary
law and have approved several
Strengthening the railroad commits
sion law. some of them being in di-
rect line with my recommendations
as governor.
! | promised TO employ every means
in my power 10 save and reclaim the
public domain for you. |, as trustee
of the l. I. Fund. together with the
other trustees. have done everything
in my power TO accomplish this end.
We have defended through the courts
the litigation brought by the rail
roads and their successors under the
legislative land grants. and have re-
Gently. effected a compromise by
which these claims, covering all the
remaining public land, were assigned
10 the state board of education. thus
saving to the people approximately
2.250.000 acres of land. an area
larger than the states of Rhode Island
Do1
which land. when drained. will be
worth many millions fof dollars. We
are now selling reclaimed land near
the canals at from SIS to $50 per
acre. several hundred acres of the
reclaimed land being now under Gull
tiyatiOn and bearing heavy crops
The trustees Of the |. I. Fund of
D.! which l. as governor. am chairman,
have. after due investigation of the
feasibility and practlcabllity Of the
drainage of these lands. had two
large and modern dredges built and
put TO work: they have cut through
the rock rim on the east side Of the
'glades in two places and are now
progressing with the work economi-
cally and satisfactorily. We hope to
be able to construct and put 70
work other dredges in the near fu-
tUre, one in the Miami river AMI tha
other in the CRlOOsahatchee river at
FIT. Thompson.
We have applications now for the
purchase of lands in the Everglades
near Miami. from a gentleman en-
gagged in the sugar beet industry in
. the west, and from several other gen
tlemen who intend putting in a
large sugars manufacturing plant A
hundred citizens of Miami have
agreed to purchase about 40 sections
Of land. the proceeds 10 20 into
| building a dredge with which 70 re-
claim the lands in the vicinity Of
Miami
/ A drainage district has been Gre
ated in the Everglades and a drain
age tax levied by the last legislature
but sufficient amount has not yet
! been collected with which TO do any
/ considerable work. The expenses of
the entire drainage operations so far
/ have been paid BY the proceeds from
sale Of some Of the same lands. and
not by taxation.
As your governor, | have devoted
/ every power of mind and body to an
honest effort 10 serve the people
notwithstanding statements made by
| certain newspapers TO the contrary.
and propose 10 90 out of office with
! a conscience which tells me that I
( have in no instance violated the con-
/ fdence of the people.
/ I VII say this to Won in conclusion:
] The state and her people need
! friends in office. I believe / have
proven myself a friend of the masses