The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1912-04-12

actertzed by Major Wright under oath
as misleading, full of half truths and
unfair TO the 'glades) would have saved
10000 investors the loss of money they
now mourn
The foregoing quotations are sam
pies OF Mr.. Clarks newspaper talk
about the Everglades, which have gone
over the United States every few days
Tor the last three months. I have
here a partial list which shows ths
the Everglades scandal has caused
comment (alnost uniformly unfavor-
able) in $50 newspapers in 43 states
1t appears from the foregoing that
one man has a partial list of $50 news
papers in 43 states, which have been
hitting the Everglades. II Mr.. Clark
is successful in preventing the compile
ton of the drainage Of the Everglades
and thereby preventing the completion
Of the drainage of the Everglades,
submit that he will not be doing much
good to the people who have bought
these lands, which, according TO him.
Is land eight, ten and twelve feet un-
der water; land that ought to have
been sold by the quart instead of by
SECOND ONLY TO PANAMA.
The drainage of the Everglades, an
area greater than the states of Con-
necticut and Rhode Island, is of much
importance to the United States-sec-
ond only to the completion Of the
Panama canal.
Mr.. VIII, of Washington, before the
committee then investigating the Ever
glades, stated on oath, that in Febru-
airy, 1910, he called upon Mr.. Clark
TN the conversation (his, Clark's) he
made the point, not in his exact Ian
guage. jotted 1t down shortly after
wards and preserved it and have the
point here" That the whole project
was a gigantic swindle on the invest
ing public: that the work was done in
defiance of law" What. work? ?" THE
EVergla des." That the war depart
ment had forbidden the tapping of the
lake or the reducing Of its level: that
such would have prevented the drain
age of the Everglades. That made such
an impression on my mind that made
a special trip to the war department to
ascertain what might be behind that
declaration. That sixteen of the eign-
teen counties in the Everglades district
district No. (which Mr.. Clark rep
resents, were divided about the recla-
nation project. or was opposed to It.
That the men who were in charge of
the reclamation were making no ac-
counting for the funds used in the
drainage. That the work done by
State Chemist Rose years ago at Kis-
simmee and St Cloud, refer now to
sugar cane growing, which is histort-
cal matter, has been failure, and that
Mr.. Diston, who had been drawn into
muck lands in that part of the state
under his contract Of 1881 with the
state of Florida, had attempted to
raise sugar and had failed in his at
tempt-'gone broke as the memoran-
dunn has it,
On cross examination by Clark, Will
stated, II will say you abused the
Everglades proposition roundly." You
gave me to understand the lands were
worthless" etc.
Mr. Clark's speech and conversation
evidently discredit the drainage of the
Everglades. If he succeeds in pre-
venting people from buying the land,
he necessarily succeeds in preventing
the drainage Of the same. If he sue
ceeds in preventing the drainage of
the same, he damages every man who
has bought any land in the Everglades.