The daily Gate City., 1912-02-08
WORTHLESS LAND
IN EVERGLADES
Florida Real Estate Hunco Game is
to be Investigated by One
Of the Congressional
Committees.
--asH@a..
SURPRISING REPORTS
Senator'S and High State Officials
VIII be Called Upon to Tes-
tify Before the lnvesti-
CATION.
SURPRISING REPORTS

United Press Leased Wire Service.l
WASHINGTON, Feb. S.-United
States Senators Fletcher and Bryan
and high state officials Of Florida will
be called during the investigation in
to charges that Florida land COM
panies suppressed adverse reports of
engineers Of the department of agri-
culture The investigation will be
made by the house committee on ex-
penditures. The committee met today
for preliminary investigation which
will involve the departments drain
age investigation by Solicitor McCabe.
1t was denied that either Fletcher or
Bryan had any interest in the land
scheme.
Representative Clark of Florida
charges that companies selling lands
in the Florida everglades, were influ-
ential in preventing the publication OF
the engineers reports, which would
have prevented the sale OF the land.
4 He charges further that the engineers
were dismissed on technical cnarxN.
i Secretary Wilson and Solicitor NC
Cabe say Engineers Elliott and More
house w.s dismissed for Juggling
their accounts" The engineers admit
that when the governments appro-
priation was expended, they permitted
men interested in the drainage worK
to supply the money for continuing
the bureaus activities. This none,
was repaid by placing the men on the
! governments payrolls.
Clark charges that the engineers
reports will show that worthless lane
mas been sold for millions of dollars
Rising to a question of persona
privilege, Representative Clark (dem
+ ocrat, Florida) in the house today
scat thingly denounced land sharks
booming the Florida everglades
charged suppression of reports by the
secretary of agriculture at the insti
cation of the land agents and demand
, ed an investigation.
!. Chairman Moss of the house com
: ment OF agriculture today announced
: that he had called upon the depart
: ment for complete statement HI
said the committee had voted to max,
thorough Investigation
The Florida senator's" said Moss
, told me that the air of mystery tina
has overshadowed the everglades de
velopments have cost the state NOR
than million dollars"
; Clark attacked the department.
statement that his charges were "pre
> JUDGED and untrue" Il appeared be
: fore committee reluctantly" h
. said, because l know that person
Florida would Immediately cry that
was retarding progress of my state
Il am prepared to prove by swor
testimony that the secretary of agr
l. culture told me that he suppresse
r e circular referred to at the IL
a. stance of persons engaged in sellin
everglades land in Florida. war
n to know and the country ought t
n know who those persons were.
t. THE department was being floode
b. with requests as to those lands,'' COZ
ID tinued Clark. ut was thought nece
sary to issue circular letter Th
h agents of these land sharks threa
I'd ened the chief drainage engineer b,
he did not withdraw that letter. l
few days he received letter frol
the secretary telling him that h
b must circulate no more of these lie
sc ters and he must not answer ar
b. Questions relative to the everglade
as Il want to know what connectio
lie the department of agriculture ht
ed with these land sharks. / am not wi
lg ing that the people should be hur
1T bugged by co-partnership between
government department and the,
IN land sharks
er
st. 400 Times No.