The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1908-02-23
Board OF internal Improvement
Trustees and Railroads Get Together

tOTt, l-i- ~
he own again.
vs. IT, wEak closed the. history of a |
- r-..ls in behalf of the people OF |
:. = 60 81 FElr.da, which was begun |
:. - IL 1901 when w. S. Jennings, !
u. - Governor OF Florida, walked into |
- nv ..ff,,~ Of he FIRST National bank (
- Ta a5assep. and demanded of its
- an. and cashier, MesSrs- George I
p 1vtIam Lewis. The deeds held by |
., .r escrow 10 110.055 acres of pub |
=. md fc- the Tallahassee South |
81 hallway. These deeds, after
60 dsIay. were finally handed over |
- sim were taken 10 the capitol, and |
80 a-derei cancelled By the trus- I
g ri the internal improvement fund |
- n. STATE. Hon. w. A. BlcunI, at
lr-1av iC- the l.. &; y. railroad, soon !
oi-- slei 3 claim TO these lands on |
~ mound that the state was still |
a. he /. & y. many thousand aSres |
e and on the original grant 70 the |
rdiirC3d. Similar claims were /
rr,5s BIZ nearly every other railroad |
IN ~ stats TnosR were fought by !
Crs-ac~ Jennings and his cofasS CUES, |
c-f ne GROUND that the original grants |
were. 4 diversion q the real objects !
and intent Of the internal improve
.uear land The resulting litigation |
- been continuous, and fought with |
aI .la 4cumen that the brains of the !
5e,- lc-4 talent could devise, in the |
sac and United States courts, cul- |
r,.-a-.ns this week in 2 settlement be- |
tween II. trustees and the railroads |
il manner satisfactory to the rail- |
roads ana Jhs state Just how much |
the state gained by the destruction
tl fhe deed TO the 10000 acres of
lad graulad To the Tallahassee South
Eastern Railway company ca road |
Ea,ting -rcm nowhere and ending at
ha ..l,e 3lace), is shown by the fact
hat OF these self-Same lands 5000 |
g"res We're g~anted To HON eStead set
ts.s OF Taylor county. and 100000
aC.e5 sgld TO private parties. which
Ic1ed lie stale the sum OF S223, 900 |
tesr Of all expenses.
OF tl-s amount 1926 000 in money |
ana $4,000 acres Of previously con-
tz,tei land was given 10 the railroad |
esiRlNLs 10 settle their claim, leav- |
iss salance of 500 600 in favor OF |
tla state ID. * interest, making is |
c-'- Sl260o0. The history, briefly !
OF the entire matter TO |
* is briefly told As follows:
EJElCI hGSbNH
Grant From the United Sta1es-Un- I
sr the act or congress a1.;roFed- Sep
.maer 18th. 1851, II ire swamp and
7-iowed lands situated within her
--jers were granted 70 the state Of
Ida for the purpose OF draining
4 TscIaiming the same. Under that I
ant there have been twenty million
res Of government lands patented to /.
]. state Of Florida
Internal Improvement Fund.
BIZ TIE act OF the legislature OF Flor |
p approved January 9Th, 1885, all the !
wa-g0 and oyerfiowed lands granted I
Z Florida under act of congress OF |
$50 tC1echer with other lands grant
I florida under bhe of congress of
81. were set apart and declared to
2 @ distinct ana separate fund, to
g known as the internal improvement
lG5 o., Florida. irrevocably vesting all !
said lands of said fund in I'VE trus-
PES. namely, the governor, comptrol-
r. state treasurer, Encouragement,
"a register Of lands tnow the com
iis7icper Of agri, ulture) and their I
gcccssCrs in office, with authority 10
Hedge the fund to aSd in the conStrnc-
ION Of system OF railroads, from
ast % west and north TO south IN
florida BY paving the interest en- GER
2.c bonds t. he iSsusd. and the drain
lSa and reclamation of the swamp 4
nj Ove~ilcwGi lands in Florida.
Diversion Of the Fund. II
/, We considered by the executive Il
iea-rTneUt CT the government that
lF lon station tending to grant any
-ar5 O. the swamp and Overf9wed
a2' 10 purposes other than dTainage
~ "a-iswati0n after payment Of th'
a'fres, on the bonds referred to, was
diversion Of the fund. and the then
'oForlCrS vetoed such attempted leg
,-'0E IN every instance between tAe
years l,Ij aad 1879 inclusive, until
.ar.re the session of 1879. following
-'' veto Of Governor Drew. bills were
I, 'T'd -"r+9iuir@ provision making
.H attempted grants to railroad com
~ IN I'd OF Uhor construction.
SUBJECT 70 the provisions of chapter
~, fnATC "s the internal improve
-L aaT. and 10 the trusts contained
.'i. 'wriUg the year 1879, and
l.l>''nen' wears to 1901. many grants
~ H4.e 3v he state legislature to
!, l''c cHE2r-antes Of the residuarv
l.. VS. N tho public lands, to aid
- re constipation Of railroads.
-, 'ac7feSness Aosinst the Fund.
- '''''oatS embraced In. the Sys-
'' f"d 70 in Che act of 1855 thai
h, 'Hcted became involved and
b.. '' T"r'ng the war between the
- ID such an extent that they
49, Hhf'te IN nav the interest
49,. as pr0vtieI in the act Of thu
>, cure which involved the Inter
- ~aYe~ent FIra TO the extent
,r,. ."''rnSf on said bonds tn tho
H. -i' or raarlv a million dollars
h-4 We're procured AGAINST the
,,,- 700 amounts and during the
A.. M fou~ million acres csf la-1
~, ~''d 81 this fund for Ell nNa 900
los. rs an7li@d to the Indebtedness
;. - -hn +und.
-, Deed End Issue Certificates
=, ing closely behind the Dtss-
and The earlv enas,tnne n+-
-. NE ras'duarv fnterest of the
a. F'0'-'dp IN the lands Of tbe
~ legislative land granted 10
a. movement Fund, The trns-
h,4 ~" Internal Irnpsorement I
HIlIhdrpnflV 4