The daily Gate City., 1912-02-11
Florida Land Scandal Over Engineers
Reports and Influence of
the Real Estate
Sharks.
ANOTHER BOMB HURLED
Congressman Clark Makes Public
Some Letters Regarding the
Crooked Work Which
Went on.

WASHINGTON. Feb. Represen-
tative Clark (dem. Fla) tonight
threw another bomb into the depart
ment of agriculture in connection with
the Florida everglades land scandal.
After Solicitor McCabe's defense, be-
fore the house committee on expendi-
lures in the department of agriculture
today, Clark made public letters di-
rectly contradictory. The solicitor
flatly denied the charge that Chief
Drainage Engineer Elliott and Assist
ant Moorehouse. were dismissed be-
cause they opposed the land specula
tors of Florida and that reports ad
verse to the land agent business had
been suppressed. He asserted that
juggling of the funds of the drainage
bureau led to the dismissal
Clark gave out letters purporting to
show that month ago McCabe, pre-
| pairing for an investigation took pos
session of all documents in the case
and that Elliott at that time feared
that McCabe would make him the
"scapegoat for his superiors' This
! information was in letter to the
congressman from Arthur E. Morgan,
a department drainage engineer Nor
gan quoted from a letter he received
| from Elliott dated January 9.
The original report was carefully
4 guarded, and it would be breach Of
order that would be followed by dis
missa1 to give out a copy. McCabe Il
4 acting In very mean way so that
i have much more to fear than from
the committee or outside enemies.
About the only way tnat he can JUS
/ tify the secretary is to discredit me
and my work, and l think that will be
his plan of defense | think / shall be
! obliged to defend myself from his at
4 tacks The agents of the Florida land
companies are keeping remarkably
quiet just now. They know that If
the matter is given greater publicity
the bottom will fall out of the land
market"
Quoting a letter from another friend
in the department whose name he did
not give, Morgan wrote:
i Elliott is in an unusual place as
! he cannot defend himself without in
terminating the secretary through
whose orders after complaints were
received from real estate men that
. the Wright report was corrected by
Mr. Elliott would hurt their business
the report was suppressed / an
afraid that the secretary will unload
on Elliott if possible in order to save
his own neck. The worst of it is Ell
lott is in no condition of health te
! face the ordeal"
In conclusion Morgan wrote:
ut has been a matter of common
!, knowledge among drainage officials
that the suppression of the everglades
report by Wright, as revised by Elliot
has been an embarrassment to the de
t partment's higher officials.
81 would not presume to write il
this manner concerning the head o
: the department in which am an off
cial, did it not seem so unjust to dis
miss Elliot presumably on othe
charges, when the real cause of hi
dismissal is to cover the embarrass
{ ment of his superiors.
: Engineering deductions on whicl
the Florida everglades project i
based, are so incorrect and incompe
;, tent that there can be no middl
: ground taken as to whether the re
: writing by Elliott of the fayorabl
Wright report was necessary"