The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1911-12-16
INVESTIGATION Of
THE EVERGLADES
I'LL LbLisO1siO1V
Where There is So Much Smoke There
should be Sifted to the Bottom

Washington, Dec. 16.-Adhering to
ihis expressed determination TO have
Congress probe the suppression OF
government engineering reports on
conditions in the Everglades by Sec
retary of Agriculture James Wilson
Congressman E. r. Bathrick, OF Ohio.
at the request OF many Of his con-
tstituents who have purchased Ever
iglades lands. has demanded that the
House committee on expenditures In
the Department OF Agriculture make
AN investigation of the department,
and the committee is expected to be-
gin work just as soon as 1t disposes
lof the famous Harvey Wiley case.
THAT Developments of an interesting
ieharacter will be brought out is con-
lddently expected in Washington po-
llitical circles.
Interest in the investigation is
heightened by the fact that $4,000
purchasers of Everglades lands. repre-
Isented by trustees. recently brought
suit in the circuit court at Kansas
City. Mo, in which they seek to tie
Iup hundreds of thousands of dollars
of the Florida Fruit Land Company.
lorganlzed at Colorado Springs. Colo.
1 tHc SoAti at Aoi iCSAdIh tiOl oA
the Everglades is carried out. Many
purchasers have asked lawyers to sue
the state Of Florida. but this is pre-
vented by constitutional provision
Between $4,000 and $4,000 people are
said to have purchased Everglades
lands with a view of locating and OPP
Grating truck farms, and many of
these have appealed to congressman of
4 tfhajr district for infnrna nd
sistance in getting their rights. 1t is
said that fully 5000 residents of the
District of Columbia, including SEN
ators. representatives. department en-
/ ployers, newspaper workers and 9TH
ers, are among the purchasers, and all
Iare asking this question:
"WiIl our land be worth the price
we paid for it, or have We been bit
ten?"
| Further development in the Ever
glades will alone answer this ques-
ton, but the land people have already
l"got their'n." They bought this land
from the state at an average of 50 per
Iacre-the state to pay $3.50 Of this for
drainage operations-and are said to
have sold it at an average Of $50 per
acre. Quite a number Of dealers have
isold their holdings and retired to rest,
il not security. on the proceeds.
A letter of explanation was recent
lly written by c. G.. Elliott. chief Of
the division cd frainage Of the De-
lpartment Of Agriculture, TO Secretary
Wilson, the secretary asking for all
facts on account of a demand of Con-
gresham Clark. who was falsely ac-
lcused by Washington newspaper
with having been instrumental in sup
pressing the report.
| Wright's Report
]. o. Wright, a supervising drainage
lengineer employed by the Department
of Agriculture under Elliott, after
depending considerable time in the Ev-
lerglades and among Florida officials,
began a report on the Everglades, the
loptimistic character of which Elliott.
his chief, and other engineers would
mot stand for. Some of these officials
| believed at the time that Wright was
going to accept the position of drain
lage chief of the Internal Improvement
Board of Florida, at a salary Of s5,-
1000. which position he did secure and
has held since February Is, 1910, sew
leral weeks after the reports were sup
pressed.
Wright, according to Elliott, insist
ed upon presenting the report in a
graphic and popular manner and
when not allowed to inject highly IA
vorable matter into the report, delay
ed its preparation for months. Ques-
toned by Elliott as to the cause OF
delay Elliot says Wright replied that
I"Governor Broward of Florida would
. be defeated In the coming election. and
. the succeeding administration would
ihave no interest in the Everglades
project" Various engineers criticised
and changed the report and Wright
finally temporarily refused to attemp
to revise it.
Copies of the report. before revision
were sent to the Internal improvement
Board, Governor Gilchrist and lant
syndicates. They We're published as
Legislative document. Land dealers i
is alleged eliminated the adverse fea
3 lures and used the favorable feature
:, in their advertising.
These advertisements resulted in .
food OF inquiries being sent to Sec
tretary Wilson, prospective purchaser
!deSiring to know the exact condition
in the Everglades and if the govern
ment was behind the movement Sec
, Iretary Wilson and Chief Elliott pre-
pared a circular letter the sub
iject, which contained several feature
that were Objectionable to the Ian
dealers, principal among them bein
- this statement;
.A1so in this soil provision must b
made for irrigation, or for maintainin
the water in the bitches and soil at
: fairly uniform depth. not too low i
order that there may always be suff
eient moisture for the production c
crops. and TO prevent the liza bility
the muck catching fire and burning
That such fires have occurred is We
known to all who know anything
Z the Everglades.
Land Men Get Busy
In January, 1910. according TO E
lot certain interested Evergiad,
land promoters visited his office an
in the presence of Director True an
l. others Threatened him PERSONAL
with public exposure" in case he d
not cease sending out reports derogs
tory to the Everglades He refuse
to accede to their wishes and the
- threatened to "go higher up" TIL
threat was followed by an order fro
Secretary Wilson that all informatie
regarding the Everglades be wit
held from inquirers- Later, Secreta
Wilson called Chief Elliott to his off
and emphaticaliy cautioned hi
tasainst giving out any informati'
whatever. The secretary thereaft
A. referred all inquiries to the Intern