The weekly true Democrat., 1908-06-05

claims or residents OF LhaC county.
These pensioners rendered service for
the whole State and not for any partic-
ular county, and il is not right that the
rich and pOpulous counties should es-
cape the tax levied for pensions in ex-
cess Of the claims Of their own citizens.
PLEDGED TO HOLD THE STATE LANDS /;
MADE PEACEFUL SURRENDER TO RAIL
ROADS.
Again, when Governor Broward was
running for the Office Of Governor he
pledged the people that not one foot Of
the lands held by the Trustees Of the
| Internal Improvement Fund, and not
one dollar Of the money held by them,
should be conveyed or delivered to the
railroad companies SUNG for them, ex-
cept under and in pursuance Of the man
date Of the highest court Of the land.
| Yet he and the Board of Trustees re-
Gently compromised with the L. & N.
Railroad Company and the Wisner Land
Company whereby 440, 900 acres Of lands
involved were conveyed to the railroad
company and the land company, and
nearly a quarter of a million dollars of
the very money he had reference to was
turned over to the l.. & N. Railroad
Company and the Land Company.
Without considering whether this COM
promise was advisable or not, it was a
plain and absolute violation of his pledge
| to the people made when he was APP
pealing to them for their votes for Gov
nor. A large proportion of the money
| in the hands of the Trustees referred
to, and which they were enioined by the
| United States Court from using, arose
from the sales Of large bodies Of lands
in Taylor and Lafayette counties.
These lands were sold by the Trustees
to big land companies, not in small
quantities to settlers or to citizens Of
these counties. Twenty-Five per cent.
Of the proceeds should have gone into
the School Fund of the State.
$3.50, 900. 90 PAID TO L. & N. AND wIsNER
LAND co.
Nearly a quarter of q million dollars
of these very proceeds were paid out
under this compromise TO the L. & N.
Railroad Company and the Wisner Land
Company, and the remaining portion of
these proceeds was used by the Trus-
tees-nO doubt at the instance Of Gov
ernOr Browavd-in carrying on his
dredging operations in the Everglades.
So that the people Of Taylor and La
fayette counties have derived abso-
lutely no benefit from this vast area Of
public lands in these counties.
WHAT HAVE THE PEOPLE GAINED BY
THESE OPERATIONS 7
The land Is gone the money is gone;
the School Fund has not even got It's
portion and II the people Of these
counties want any Of that land, they
must now pay the present owners from
FIVE to ten times what they could have
bought II for from the State before the
Trustees disposed Of It. Is it possible
that the people Of these counties In
particular, and the people of other
counties in Florida, who are all inter
ested in the School Fund and in the
public domain in a general way at least,
will support for office q man who has
dealt in this way with important inter
ests and who has violated his pledges
heretofore made TO the people.
RAILROADS GOT ALL THEY ASKED FOR.
This compromise gave the railroad
practically all il claimed, and the rail-
road company would have made il on
the same terms before Broward was
Governor.
N--~-@~@N@~@ 6AA4~AsNaASE
AS to the drainage Of the Everglades,
which the Governor boasts Of as 9 great |
accomplishment, in the first place, the |
people Of this State have never been |
given the figure showing what this |
work has cost them up to this time. |
IL is variously estimated at from three |
to tive hundred thousand dollars. The |
result Of the work is better known. It |
seems that by the aid Of an almost un-
precedented drouth, extending over q
period Of nearly two years, some twelve |
thousand acres Of land have been re-
claimed that Is, the water is at pres
ent of this amount Of land and IL is |
subject TO cultivation. II seems that
this land can be purchased at so. 90 per
acre, but II has found but few purchas-
ers. II seems also that people who un-
dertook TO grow crops on some Of this
land the past season made total failures
largely by reason Of the drouth.
BRowARD's DRAINAGE SCHEME WILL
BANKRUPT THE STATE.
IL is estimated that there are nearly
{, 200, 900 acres Of land in the Ever
glades. If Governor Broward has been
three years reclaiming 1900 acres Of
land, that means 4, 900 acres per an
mum, then in 100 years he win have re-
claimed within 1000, 900 Of this land.
No mortal man can tell what the cost
VIII be. So uncertain Ia the venture,
10 say The least Of II, that not q angle
candidate in the present race for Gov
ernor has been willing 20 take q stand
1nqpahhedly for carrying on this work.
PROPERLY THE work or THE
y. 8. GOVERNMENT.
have advocated ln my platform. and
DO now the deepening ana widening