The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1912-02-07
WILSON WILL Be
INVESTIGATED
Department of Agriculture
Will Have Another
Probe.
EVERGLADE LAND THE CAUSE
Millions of Acres of Florida
Land Have Been
Sold.
Report on Condition Of
Lands Suppressed is
Charge.
EvEUGlAOE LAND THE CAUSE

WuSnlngton, fOD. t--AnOtncr III
vestigation of the department. OF agri
culture involving orders of Secretary
Wilson and Solicitor McCabe. similar
in many respects to the recently con-
cluded McCabe-Wilson controversy,
but which embraces charges of sup
pressed reports and influence Of land
spectators over government officials,
Is to be instituted by the house com
mittcc ca expenditures in the ngri-
cultural department.
Circumstances. smolderlng for months,
rcldting to exploitation of Florida
everglade lands millions of acres Of
which have been sold throughout the
country by syndl-ates in the past few
years. burst into a flame before the
comnittee Tuesday following the
summary dismissal from government
service ny Secretary wilson last Sat
urday OF G. G. Elliott, chief engiener
Of the drainage division of the depart
ment. and Assistant Engineer A. D.
Morehouse. and the suspension of T.
f.. Singleton. an accountant. on a tech
nioal charge of transference of public
funds. 1t is said one land company
has sold millions of acres of land that
are now under water.
Ohio Man Behind Probe.
Representative Frank Clark of Flor
ida and e. r.. Bathrick Of Ohio. who
have instigated the investigation.
charged before the congressional com
mittee today that officials of the de-
partment Of agriculture had been in
aucnccd by Florida everglade land pro
moters IN the suppression Of a report
on the condition OF the lands made by
the drainage department. that Chief
Engineer Elliott was threatened by
agents Of the land promoters unless
he would revise a circular letter to the
public which did not contain laudat-
ory references to the lands they were
selling, and that upon his refusal.
the circular and a subsequent fuller
report were suppressed by the order
of Secretary Wilson, and that later.
Engineer Elliott and Morehouse were
removed from office.
Says Funds Were NIisapplled.
Solicitor McCabe, who was called
before the house committee, OF which
Representative Moss of Indiana is
chairman. denied today that the dis
missal Of the department officials was
I'm any way caused by the Florida land
case, and declared that the action was
taken following charges that the dis
missed men misapplied funds All the
papers relating to this feature # the
case he turned over TO the deparbme
Of justice for possible prosecutions.
In this connection It Is charged by
I'll
assured that there would be no prose
cuion of the charge against him II he
would keep still about the actions in
the department on the Florida land
investigation. Representatives. Clark
and Bathrlck asserted today that they
would show before the committee that
the order dismlssins the men did NOT
come from Secre!nW Wilson until
| after II had become certain that the
house committee was Blaming to
make an inquiry and Representative
Bathrck had appeared before the com
mittee in executive session last Sat-
urday.
Enters the States Employ.
A few hours later the letters were
Issued, dismlssing the two drainage
""Nh"l' hlu huHltnulnB lolnBltlOn.
The charges involving the dismiss
ed men were reported to have been
made to Solicitor McCabe, recently by
]. o. Wright, a former Subordinate of
1 Elliott, but at present chief engineer
Of the board OF trustees Of the internal
improvement fund Of the state OF
! Florida. Wright made favorable
report upon the everglade lands and
soon afterward resigned from office
to enter the employ Of the state OF
Florida.
solicitor McCabe told the commit
tee that all reports and papers bear
ing on the everglades case had been
collected by the department and
would be turned over to the commit.
tee for it's investigation The depart.
ment he said. welcomed the investi.
cation. He declared further that the
reason Secretary Wilson had ordered
that the report on the everglades be
not printed was because the engineers
in the drainage department were SO al
variance In the matter When asked
why a new investigation was not In.
stituted In View Of this situation. and
n view Of the public demand for In.
formation, Mr.. McCaIbe told the com,
msttee that the state OF Florida b,