The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1913-03-02
REPUTATION
WALES CLAIM
INJURIES STATE
CROMWELL cIsHoNs, SPEAKER
OF HOUSE or REPRESENTA-
TIvEs WHICH FIRST DEFEATED
JUST CLAIMS, TELLS OF FA-
NOUS CAUCUS AND coMMENDs
NEWSPAPERS FOR FIGHTING
FOR AGED MAN.
SPECIAL 10 THE JOURNAL.

SE60IAlx III OOOhNAI.
Jacksonville, March 1-"F1orida is
a great state and she has a magnifi-
cent future, but she has been woefully
reflected upon and discredite1 by the
year-after-year refusal to pay the
Wales claim. The claim of Sydney
Wales against the state of Florida
is just in every way, and were it not,
his opponents would long ago have
allowed the legislature to pass a bill
giving him the privilege of bringing
suit to prove the validity of his claim
iii either state or federal courts.
In commenting upon the editorial
demands of various Florida papers, In
GLIDING the Times Union, that the
next legislature do full justice to Col.
Sydney /. WALES by paying him a just
commission of 10 per scent of $685.
1886, which he collected for the state
from the national government on the
states Indian war claim, and for
which he was forced by poverty to
accept the legislative Offering of
$4,000, Hon. Cromwell Gibbons de-
clared that the above statement, in
substance, had been made to him by
men Of nation wide financial promi-
nence also by many bankers and pro-
fessional men in Florida. THE state
ment is absolutely correct" said Col
Gibbons emphatically, and 1 am glad
indeed to see that the editors of Flor
ida are again demanding that justice
yet be done the aged claimant, whose
Huit was recently thrown out of the
United States supreme court on a
smple technicality, the name of the
late Comptroller A. C. Groom, having
been used in mandamus proceedings
instead of the name Of Hon. VIII v.
Knott, the present comptroller. Once
that claim gets to any court on it's
merits it will be paid in full"
DEFEATED BY CAUCUS.
II am particularly interested in
seeing that Justice IS done Col.
WALES" continued Col. Gibbons, "be-
cause / was speaker of the house of
representatives in 1908, when the first
successful fight was made to prevent
Col WALES from securing his just
commission OF Is per cent of $1,0S9,-
1886. Why, even before CO... Wales
presented his claim to the house for
his just commission, caucus of leg
islators was held at Tallahassee on
this subject, AMI regret to state that
this caucus resulted in the defeat of
the Wales claim. Some of the 1egis-
lators who participated in this caucus
have expressed regret at their action.
] was urged to attend the caucus, but
] am thankful that I did not do So I
could not then see any reason why
Col. Wales should not be paid in full,
and 1 see no reason why Florida
should continue to rest under a charge
oe repudiation-placed there by few
men who hoped to be benefited po-
1itically."
WALES BORE ALL EXPENSE.
Col. Gibbons then launched briefly
into some interesting history regard
ing the famous claim. He said:
"In 1879, Florida was in such poor
condition financially that her scrip
was selling at 40 cents on the dollar
The state at that time was just recov-
ering from the carpet bag Invasion
Governor George Drew. upon his own
initiative and not at the request of
Col. WALES, contracted with Wales
to collect the Indian war claim from
the United States. He selected Col
WALES because of the latter's great
influence in Washington at the time,
and because he (WaiIes) had col
lecte7 similar claims for Maryland
and Delaware for 80 and % per cent, |
respectively, while Florida was to give