The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1911-04-28
CAPTAIN INcLIs IN JUSTICE TO
COLONEL WALES

hearts of men-honest men.
! 1t is not expected to appeal to me
who are willfully dishonest, to men
who would sacrifice principle for polit-
ical gain, or to the cat's-paws of such
men. 1t is written. as stated, purely
for men only
This little journey" is not plea
charity-it is a plain, unvarnished de-
mand for justice-justice for Sydney
l. WALES, to whom the state of Flor
ida is indebted and justice to Florida,
the citizens of which are honest de-
spite the continued injustice that has
been and is being done this aged
man.
Through the expenditure of thous-
ands of dollars and years of service
Sydney l. Wales secured for Florida
from the national government the
sum of $685. 900 in Indian war claims.
for which he received nothing, al
though his efforts and his eXpendi-
lures were almost solely responsible
for the immense sum- being secured.
He also brought to Florida from the
national government more than 49,
100000 acres of land, for which he re-
ceived the insignificant sum of two
cents an acre payable in land, not
money!, while twenty-five cents an
acre has since been paid for $4,000
acres which another man secured from
! Uncle Sam. These separate and dis
tinct contracts have often been con-
founded in the successful efforts to
defeat payment of the just debt. The
refusal causes Florida to be scorn
ed in the money markets of the ma
ton, and the state will deserve the
scorn just as long as the injustice
continues.
There are honest men who believe
the claim should not be paid Why?
Because they have been befuddled by
/
tice-men who hoped to gain politi-
cally by refusing to pay Col WALES
after he had delivered the goods"
The subject is a big one, covering
many years., and some noodles" seem
incapable of digesting these fatcs:
That Sydney l. WALES, under contract
iaor
governors, brought to Florida from the
national government more than a mill
lion dollars, which the state would not
| have secured except through his eff
| forts; that he spent thousands of dol
lars in the mere getting of data for
this work-spending money when
Florida script was selling for forty
cents on the dollar-and that the val
idity of his contract was never once
questioned until the money was in the
state treasury, and now showed the
bold effrontery' to ask for his COM
mission of Is per cent. He was offer
ed $4,000 when he had spent nearly
lect the claim.
Since his first defeat during the
Jennings administration, succeeding
legislature have turned the claim
down, each time by a narrow mar
gin, although not one just argument
has been presented against the pay
ment of the claim.
Not only have these legislators re-
fusel to pay a just claim, but they
have deliberately refused to allow the
claimant to go into the courts-the
state courts-in order to prove the
validity of his claim
Why should an honest legislator OBJ
ject to having this claim acted upon
by the states own protectors-the
courts? Simply a question of politics
questionable politics.
Fearing that the claim might be
paid, or that a bill may be passed
giving Col. Wales the privilege of
bringing suit, those most responsible
for the defeat of Col Wales, who
lives in hall bedroom, while some of
his friends" live in mansions, begin
| systematic work before each legisla-
| tive session, and continue that work
throughout each session. Some of
them are in Tallahassee now and have
been since the opening day of the ses-
sion. If the claim should be passed
they would not be held responsible.
Why, then, their continued opposition?
| Because it would be unpleasant to be
shown to have treated one to whom
the state is indebted, unfairly.
The best men OF the state, including
| Governor Bloxham, General Bullock,
| George P. Raney, ST., who are now
dead; Hon. w. A. Blount of Pensacola,
regarded as one of the leading law
yers of the entire country, have de-
clared that the claim is just, and
| f0nrhf re