Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-02-07
EVERGLADES LANDS
House Committee to Probe
Question.
MCCABE MAKES Statement
Why the Departments Circular Was
Suppressed.
INQUIRY is TO BE THOROUGH
Representatives Clark of Florida and
Bathrick of Ohio to Take
Initiative for Investigation.
INQUIRY IS TO BE THOROUGH

Wilson suppress circular letter prepared
in his department which was intended as
d warning against investment in the sub
merged lands of the Florida everglades?
why did Secretary Wilson suppress
an engineering report on the drainage
and soil of the everglades, prepared at
an expense of S11,090 to the government,
and which was unfavorable to the ever
Glades project?
why did Secretary Wilson discharge
two officials of his department and sus-
pend a third on technical charges nearly
three years old. brought to the attention
OF the department by J. .. Wright, Tor
merry n government eEIploye and now
chief engineer of the everglades project!
This is the way Representative Clark
of Florida and Representative Bathr1ck
of Ohio who yesterday laid before the
House committee OH expenditures In the
Agricultural Department OF which Rep
resentative Moss of Indiana is chairman.
serious and sensational charges involving
Secretary of Agriculture Wilson and So
Hcitor McCabe in connection with the ex-
quotations by real estate companies of
the submerged Florida lands, sum up the
main points of the inquiry which they
demand and which the Moss committee
will begin in the near future.
For several months criticism in regard
to the alleged friendly attitude of the de-
lartment toward various companies
which have been exploiting underwater
land i'm the Florida everglades has been
heard in Washington. These companies
have advertised extensively throughout
the United States. and it is commended
have collected millions of dollars for
lands obtained at 40 cents an acre and
sold as high as $50 an acre.
The situation did not come to a head
until yesterday, however, when Messrs
Clark and Bathrick, calling attention to
The dismissal last Saturday OF &. q.
Elliott, chief of drainage Investigations
and y. ID. Morehouse, Office engineer. and
the suspension of r. E. Singleton, an ac-
countant in the office, charged that the
circular and report unfavorable to the
everglades had been suppressed by order
of Secretary Wilson, nd that Solicitor
McCabe had threatened to inject some
thing detrimental to Representative Clark
into any Congress investigation upon
which the latter might INSIST.
Mr.. Clark went further than this, in
testifying before the committee. He said
Florida he went to the Department of
Agriculture to find out, if possible, why
the everglades report had been suppress
ed. He inquired of the Secretary why he
had ordered the report held up.
HE told me- Mr.. Clark said yester-
day, that he had suppressed it at the
request of the people who were selling
the everglades lands.
Mot Running Office for Fools"
In support of this statement, Mr.. Clark
has letter from w. r.. Hardee of Jen-
sen. Fla. one of the men who was with
him on the occasion when Secretary VIII
son is alleged to have explained the sup
preston of the report. Mr.. Hardee says
in his letter that Secretary Wilson, being
pressed for more complete explanation
of Why he had not permitted the report
unfayorable To the everglades project to
become public, replied:
Il am not running this Office for tho
protection of fools who do not know any
better than to buy something they never
saw and do not know anything about.
In connection with the charge that
Secretary Wilson also ordered the sup
preston of the circular prepared for dis
tribution to those contemplating invest
nIent in the everglades submerged lands
and who wrote to the department. for in
formation, I, portion of letter written
by Chief Engineer Elliott to Secretary
Wilson is quoted.
In this letter Mr.. Elliott tells how two
representatives. of the Florida Everglades
Land Company called on him and threat
ened him with exposure" if lie did not
Immediately discontinue the distribution
of the circulars. lie refused to do this
aud the two men threatened to go high
er up. Soon thereafter the Secretary
ORDERED that no more circulars be sent
out and that all information be refused
10 persons inquiring about the everglades
as an Investment proposition. Since that
time, Mr. Clark says, persons writing to
underwater lands have received no reply
from the department., but later have re-
ceived the glowing prospectus of the
Florida Everglades Land Company.
That portion of Mr.. Ellotts letter to
Secretary Wilson telling of the alleged
attempt To intimidate him on the part
of the two representatives of the ever
Slades project follows:
Threatened by Land Promoters.
Some time. in January. 1910, if / re-
member correctly. f. c. Howe and Thorn
as III. Will agents for the Florida Ever
slades Land Company, called on Director
True and protested against our sending
out these circulars. | was called into the
directors office. and in the directors
presence they demanded OF me that the
circular be discontinued and threatened
me personally with public exposure if any
further information concerning the ever
glades should be furnished TO correspond
ents
a few days later they called at my Of
flee, and in the presence of the office en-
gineer continued their demands that not
only the circular letters be discontinued
but that we send to all to whom we had
sent circulars a retraction of certain
statements which were especially dis
pleasing. Upon my refusal to entertain
such d proposition Mr.. Howe informed
me in somewhat strong language that
unless | acceded To their wishes they
would take the matter up higher and
compel me TO suppress all information re-
gardng the everglades. Both Director
True and my self refused to discuss the
matter further with them.
MIR. Howe called once again during
my absence. and ] am Informed talked
with Mr.. Wright. who disclaimed all re
sponsibility for any statements In th'
circular. though some of those to which
the real estate men strenuously objected
were taken from letters Mr.. Wright hat
previously written in reply to inquiries
which letters are now i'm our files. In
stead he agreed with Mr.. Howe as to thu
incorrectness and injustice of the state
ments and listened to his abuse OF m
and the department
This was the last appearance of thes
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