The Detroit times., 1912-02-21
BY WILLIAM SHEPHERD.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla, Feb. 21.--
The Florida land scandal that has
broken in Washington has been brew
ing In Florida for many months.
Today in Florida there are millions
OF acres OF swamp lands that are the
graveyard of thousands of small
rainy day" fortunes. In the gator
ponds" the muck lands the ICY
press swamps," 1.-the palmetto
prairies" lie buried the life savings
and old age hopes of thousands OF
families.
The shame of all this is that the
United States government officials
knew what was going on and did not
expose it. Secretary Wilson. OF Presi-
dent Tafts cabinet, did not raise
hand to stop II.
Indeed, on the other hand, the land
men show favorable report OF IS
pages on the everglade lands, where
the swindle has been the greatest, pur-
porting to come from the government
The government has never forced
them TO withdraw it.
II is a significant fact that C. G..
Elliott chief of drainage, under VIII
son, and A. d. Morehouse, assistant to
Elliott. who have been removed by
Wilson's order, had done all in their
power TO suppress favorable report
on the everglade lands which had
been made by J. o. Wright, a govern
ment surveyor. who, after his official
task has completed was hired by the
leaders in the everglave drainage pro-
ject.
Postoffice inspectors. who have re-
Gently been put to work investigating
the Florida land bubble, declare that
in many land Offices they find men
who at other times they have found
connected with stock mining fakes.
OF course, this doesn't mean that all
Florida land dealers are crooks or that
all Florida land is bad, but 1t Is true
that thousands of people are paying
for land" that should be sold by the
gallon.
When you go 10 Fort Lauderdale
and two or three other small towns
on the edge of the everglades, you find
the centers of the chief argument In
favor of eyerglade lands. These spots
are in the district that is reclaimed;
they are on the rim of the everglades,
the high shore line of the swamp and
they are maryelously rich. To these
places come the delegates OF the
Florida Land club"
The land club" business is a clev-
er trick OF many OF the everglade land
companies. In various cities the CON-
panies merge their prospective Gus
toners into clubs and these clubs
elect one OF their members TO go to
Florida and look at the everglade
lands.
When one of these delegates
reaches Fort Lauderdale or the other
centers he Is astunished by what is
shown him OF course all the Fort
Landerdale and other good river land
rs taken, but he is shown over II
nevertheless. Then he is taken onto
the roof of a building and given a
view of the swamp. Before him
stretches the great morass Of eight or
nine million acres, further than his
+eye-eaH- see,------
They're digging canals almost as
large as rivers out there says the
land man THE state is doing the
work and as soon as. they are all dug,
which will be July I, 1913, we are go
ing TO knock the dams out of them
and this whole stretch of swamp
WnCn you see DslOTe you, - miles
long and 22 miles wide. Will suddenly
be converted ipto the richest, blacklist
farm land in the world
The delegate usually falls for It,"
But neither he nor the members OF
the Florida Land club" back home
buy any land outright. indeed, not.
The land men are too clever 10 do
anything in the grating line so brash
as that Most of the companies who
have plots in the everglades and who
worl, at different points along the
edge OF the great graveyard OF small