Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1912-02-07
FLORIDA EVERGLADE LANDS
SUBJECT OF INVESTIGATION.
House Committee on Expenditures in Agri
cultural Department Will Take Up Mat
ter OF Exploitation of Millions of
Acres in That Section.

rectors' office and in the directors
presence they demanded of me that
| the circular should be discontinued
| and threatened me personally with
public exposure of any further infor-
| nation concerning the Everglades
should be furnished to correspond
entS."
| The letter continues that few days
| later these men called at Elliott's Of
| flee and continued their former de-
mands and also a demand that Elliott
send a retraetion of certain statements
in the circular to all persons to whom
it had been mailed. On refusing Ell
lott says Howe informed him that he
would take the matter up higher and
| compel me to suppress all information
regarding the Everglades
Soon after, | received instructions
from your office, through the director
Elliott's letter continues, to send ne
further copies of the circular no fur
nish information of any kind to in
quiries concerning the Everglades.
"Jhe direction from you to furnish
no further information concerning
the Everglades was emphasized in the
following May when l was called by
YOU into your office and emphatically
cautioned to give no information what
ever to anyone about the Everglades,
As | remember, you remarked that the
state and the real estate dealers were
engag ing in promotion scheme which
the department should have nothing
to do with"
The circular said to have been sup
pressed by Secretary Wilson will also
be in evidence before the committee.
This circular was made up on account
OF public demand for information ana
in the main recited the government re-
clamation and drainage plans for the
Everglades and included some unfa-
vorable and many favorable refer
enees to the prospects.
In his statement to Secretary Hilles,
Elliott said he directed Wright in April,
1908, to make a complete report of the
Everglades investigation.
Elliott went to Europe in June and
when he returned in September, he saws
he found the preparation of the report
had been dropped Wright, he says, IN
explaining this, said Gov. Broward OF
Florida undoubtedly would be defeated in
the approaching election and that the
succeeding administration probably would
have no interest in the Florida project,
and therefore he did not think it worth
while to complete the report. Elliott says
he than requested Wright to proceed at
once with the report, which was complet-
ed in May, 1909. 1t was changed in many
particulars by Elliott and Morehouse aft
er consultation with outside expert en-
gineer. Copies of the revised report he
said We're sent with Secretary Wilson'S
permission to Henry Clay Hall, secretary
of one of the Florida land syndicates i'll
Colorado. 1t was June H. 49,, Elliott
reported that Secretary Wilson decided
not to have the report published at all.
Nothing more was heard of the matter
until last summer, when the Senate conf
mittee on printing called for all docu-
ments in the department relating to the
Everglades case.
1--WE want the committee to find at
whose instigation this report was nept
from publication" said Rep Clark. to-
day. land we want also to know at whose
instance the circular on the Everglades
lands was suppressed after Elliott refus-
ed to alter IT, We think the committee
upon investigation will find that the dis
to the land promoters"
The charge against the discharged ofii-
Gals is that several years ago they ran
short in the appropriation for drainage
division because funds had been ,irregu-
larly loaned to the irrigation division of
the war department. Drainage work WAS
in progress in North Carolina and a pri-
vate contractor was engaged who finish
ed the work and was compensated in the
next years appropriation, being carried
on the payroll as an employee. Single
ton,~ who is suspended, is declared 20
have suggested this means of carrying ON
the uncompleted work. The total was
about $500, but no financial gain accrued
to any of the officials in the transaction,
1t is declared.
Neither DR. A. c. True, director of the
bureau of experiment stations, under
which the drainage work comes, Secreta-
ny Wilson nor Solicitor McCabe would
talk of the today.