The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1912-02-15
WILSON IS involved
SUPPRESSION OF REPORTS ON
EVERGLADES LAID TO AGRI-
CULTURAL DEPARTMENT.
THE FACTS
House Expenditure Committee Will
Investigate Conditions In Florida.
Gigantic Land Fraud, lnvoiv-
wing Millions of Acres.

Washington, d. C.-Another inves-
tigation Of the department of agricul-
ture involving orders of Secretary Will
son and Solicitor McCabe, similar in
many respects to the recently con
cluded McCabe-Wiley controversy, but
which embraces charges of suppressed
reports and influence of land specula-
tors over government officials, is to
be instituted by the house committee
on expenditures in the agricultural
department.
Circumstances, s%moldering for
months, relating to exploitation of
Florida Everglade lands, millions Of
acres of which have been sold
throughout the country by s~yndicates
in the past few ears, burst into a
flame before the committee following
the summary dismissal from the gov
eminent service by Secretary Wilson
of G.. G. Elliott. chief engineer of the
drainage division of the department,
and Assistant Engineer A. d. More
house, and the suspension Of F. E.
Singleton, an accountant, on a techni-
cal charge of transference of public
funds.
Representatives Frank Clark of Flor
ida and K. r. Bathrick of Ohio, who
have instigated the investigation,
charging the congressional committee
that officials of the department of ag-
riculture had been influenced by Flor
ida Everglade land promoters in the
suppression of a report on the condi-
ton of the lands made by the drainage
department; that Chief Engineer FL
lott was threatened by agents of the
land promoters unless he would revise
a circular letter to the public which
did not contain laudatory references to
the lands they were selling, and that
upon his refusal, the circular and a
subsequent fuller report were sup
pressed by the order of Secretary Will
Sol and that later, Engineers Elliott
and Morehouse were removed from Of
fee.
Mccabe Before Committee.
Solicitor McCabe, who was called be-
for the house committee, of which
Representative Moss of Indiana is the
chairman, denied that the dismissal of
the department officials was in any
way caused by the Florida land case
and declared that the action was TAX
en- following charges that the dis
missed men had misapplied funds. All
the papers relating to this feature of
the case he turned over to the depart
ment Of justice for possible prosecu-
ton.
The charges involving the dismissed
men were reported to have been made
to Solicitor McCabe recently by ]. o.
Wright, a former subordinate of Ell
lott, but at present chief engineer of
the board Of trustees of the internal
improvement fund of the state OF
Florida. Wright made a favorable re-
port upon the Everglade lands and
o afterward resigned from office to
enter the employ of the state of Flor
ida.
Representative Clark said that Sec
rotary Wilson would be summoned as
a witness and that he would be
asked concerning an interview he had
with the Florida representative some
time ago, in which the secretary
is said to have admitted that he had
suppressed the report on the Ever
glade lands. Mr.. Clark charges this
was done at the request of the land
companies. He said that together
with four Florida citizens he called
on Secretary Wilson to ask why the
report was suppressed.
One of these men was w. r. Har-
dess OF Jensen, Fla, who recently
made a statement that Secretary VIII
son said:
Il am not running this office for
the protection of fools who do not
know any better than to buy some
thing that they never saw and do not
know anything about"
Before the house committee Repre-
sentative Clark outlined the charges,
that in 1907 the department of
was flooded with requests
people throughout the country
regarding the condition OF the Florida
lands which syndicates
were exploiting.
j. o. Wright and a corps OF engi-
neers of the drainage department were
sent to Florida by Chief Engineer FL
lott to make a survey and to compile
a complete report Here, according
to Representative Clark. began the
trouble that has led up to the present
controversy.
The circular sal dto have been sup
pressed by Secretary Wilson. also will
be in evidence before the committee.
Purposes Of Circular.
This circular was made up on ac-
count Of a public demand for infor-