The weekly true Democrat. (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1905-1912, 1909-04-09

hst under Act on Congress Of September % 1850 the
legal titles remain in the United States and pass to the
State only delivery Of the patent Therefore the lands
embraced in the patent numbering 1l dated the 10Th day
Of April 1903 conveying 2ss2 go acres known as che
Everglades Patent are not subject TO any claim Of any
railroad or canal company by reason Of any special egs
atve enactment granting lands thereto certificates
issued or obligations entered into BY the trustees Of said
fund, prior to the date Of said patent"
During the campaign Of 1904 these various be-
came factor in the election Of successful candidate for
Governor The L. n Railroad having succeeded to the
lands and land grants Of the Pensacola Atlantic Rail-
road Co. brought suit against the trustees Of the 1.
Fund Ex-Governor W. g. Jennings being the attorney for
the trustees On the Anal hearing Of the case May %
1907 this case was decided against the trustees Pending
the appeal the trustees through their attorney made
compromise with the L. & N. Railroad Co. Practically,
they went into the real estate business They decided the
railroad company S74S74 acres OF land situated In Lee
County In addition to this they gave the railroad com
pany $11339636 for the remaining claim Of the railroad
company ito 1.062 1928 acres, being approximately
SOLO % per acre for their claim. This Claim was as
signed to the State Board of Education The amount OF
land is given by the Commissioner OF Agriculture on page
537 Of his report for the year 1908 This differs slightly
from the acreage stated by the said attorney in his report
The claims Of certain other railroads had been purchased
by the Wisner Land Company The names Of these rail-
road companies appear page ga Of the Seventh Volume
of the Minutes of the Trustees Of the Internal Improve
ment Fund
The aggregate number Of given this page 544,
differs slightly from the number Of acres given in the Re-
port Of the Commissioners Of Agriculture for 1908 From
the Report Of the Commissioner Of Agriculture the mum
Der of acres conveyed to the State Board Of Education
under these compromises real estate deals aggregated
1855, 947.51 acres,
Sec a. Art H. of the Constitution provides THAT $3.50
Of the sales OF public lands which may here
after be owned by the State" shall become part Of thu
State School Fund" This was in the Constitution Of
1885, and is in the present Constitutions This provision
had long been neglected
On February 1908 upon the request of the Governor
he Attorney General rendered an opinion "hOding in
effect hat the provision of the Constitution referred to
applied to the lands Of the i2teFna Improvement Fund.-
1.-The recognition Of this claim Of the State Board Of Edd
cation against the Internal Improvement Fund was con
sidered important feature and largely Influenced the
adjustment and settlement Of claims by the trustees OF
the Internal Improvement Fund and cOnveyances the
School Board under said settlements" The foregoing
quoted from page 545, Vol, z, Of said minutes
On page $685. Report Of the Commissioner Of Agricul.
ture the number of Of State lands hand January
T. 1909, is as follows
swamp l03l, lOZSz
l. /. proper NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. 5,7O032
School 6A9