The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1912-01-01
AN OFFICIAL EXPLANATION
OF the Employment of J. O. Wright as
Chief Drainage Engineer of the
/. 1. Board

Tallahassee, Dec. 30.-The trustees
of the l. l. fund of the state of Flor
ida, composed of Albert W. Gilchrist.
governor: a. c. Groom, comptroller:
W. V. Knott, treasurer; Park Tram
nell, attorney general. and 3. E. Nc
Lin, commissioner of agriculture, have
recently had their attention called to
a false and slanderous report that Is
being circulated through certain news
papers concerning the employment Of
J. O. Wright as chief engineer In
charge of the reclamation of the Ev-
erglades
These reports state or imply. that
the trustees conspired with Wright,
while he was employed by the L. s.
department Of agriculture, to investi-
gate and make report on the drain
age OF the Everglades; that If he,
Wright, would make a favorable re-
port, that the trustees would give him
position as their drainage engineer
at greater salary than he was re-
ceiving from the government.
This. statement. or any statement
suggesting that there was any under
standing with Wright, as to the char
acter of the report he would make is
a absolutely false and without any foun-
dation whatever.
| The circumstances leading to Mr.
| Wright's employment are these:
When the drainage district was Gre
ated, certain land companies owning
| large tracts OF land in the drainage
district, brought a suit in the federal
| court to prevent the collection Of the
| drainage tax.
| On January 81, 1910, VIM. S. Harvey
| of Philadelphia, Pearl Wright of New
Orleans, W. F. Coachman of Jackson
Vile, and J. E. Ingraham of st. Au-
guStine, representing the 1itigant land
companies, met with the trustees In
Tallahassee for the purpose Of compro-
sing the pending suits and provld-
ing funds for carrying on the drainage
work.
At this conference compromise
tagreement was executed, providing for
the dismissal of the pending suit and
the payment of the drainage tax. tSee
minutes of the trustees, vol. 8, pages
l301 to BID.
Clause of this agreement reads as
follows:
THE drainage commissioners and
trustees shall employ j. o. Wright
Esq. now supervising drainage en-
Iage work, under the direction, super
vision and control OF the drainage
commissioners and trustees and in case
of inability to secure his services ol
of his resi- ignatiOn or removal, the
drainage commissioners and trustees
Ishall employ in such capacity a compe-
tent drainage engineer of known skill
land experience"
1t was unanimously agreed al thi!
conference that Mr.. Wright, becaus.
Iof his knowledge of the Everglades
his experience as a drainage enginee
and his reputation throughout tn
lcountry was the best fitted for this re
sponsible position of anyone available
The position was rendered to Nj
= Wright and he accepted it. This trans
action occurred eleven months afte
Mr.. Wright had completed his repor
for the government.
Prior to this conference, not a sng1
word had been spoken or written b
trustees or anyone of them, in refer
Ience to employing Mr.. Wright, and h
at no time made application to tn
. trustees for a position of any kind.
Albert w. Gilchrist, Governor.
A. G. Groom, Comptroller.
Park Trammell, Atty.-GeneraL
B. r. McLin, Com. of Agriculture.