The Daytona daily news. [volume] (Daytona, Fla.) 1903-1926, 1915-05-13

The foalowins e1l T. =
recently addressed ~ Z
legislature BY clair n valleeee'
..The Everglades ought q slcNf g
be drained and reclaimed md thefso
made At for settlement and ceIesvar
ton.
"The swamp and overlooked lands
;nc,uded in the Everglades were
granted by the United States to tne
state of Florida to enable the state
to drain and reclaim the granted
lands and for no other purpose. The
state of Florida accepted the grant
under these terms and conditions.
.The act of congress approven
September %, 1850. granted the lands
and provided for the construction OF
drainage works. by the use of the pro-
ceeds of the sale of the lands and py
the appropriation in kind (paying for
,, drainage with land instead OF money!.
The state of Florida by the acts OF
the legislature approved January -.
1853. agreed to these conditions.
.The Everglades are not drained.
The drainage taxes alone are not
sufficient to construct the great sys-
tenn of drainage works necessary. The
drainage taxes for probably years TO
come are pledged to pay for the pres
ent limited works. And so without
| further relief and aid no drainage
/ works con be constructed which VIII
enable the owners of any consider
able portion of the district to occupy
and cultivate their lands.
1.-The act approved June 6. 1913
was passed by the legislature to en-
able the state to drain and reclaim
the Everglades by means OF taxes tt
be raised from all the lands whether
public lands or privately-owned lands
The act allowed bonds to be ISSUED
and sold. But the bonds did not sell
for reasons stated in the brief of thu
]
very carefully examine the securit,
! of the bonds and the means provides
for payment, just as men examin
! land and the mortgage when the,
: loan money on it. That they decides
t that the mortgage was not good an
the security insufficient is shown b
the fact that no bonds have been sol
: by the state officials. Good bond
were sold at the time Everglade
bonds were offered.
1.-The Everglades have paid i
taxes since 1907 to the state for stat
purposes alone, over s150,000.00.
undrained, uncultivated lands at lo'
/ valuation pay s150,000o0 in that tim
. what would the four million acres {
i land pay in taxes when drained, Sc
n tied and cultivated, and taxed on thu
, vastly greater valuation? And whe
e the lands are drained and reclaime
II what wealth will be added to the pc
a pie of the state who constitute til
state from the products of the SO
$ and the trade in supplying the neet
v of the people who settle and cultiva
n the lands? This will run into mi
IS lions of dollars every year.
n THE good faith of the state
Florida, and of the people who CO
stitute the state is pledged to dra
y and reclaim these lands and therel
J., make them fit for cultivation. TIL
he the people are willing and able to
10 their part was shown by the electi,
H. of Governor Broward on that issu
X 1t remains for the representatives
r. the people to carry out the will of 4
" people and enact valid and practic
laws to enable this to be done. SUI
laws are herewith respectfully 81
mitted.
e THE Everglades is the create
ed drainage and reclamation project
e the world. 1t demands the exclusi
ne attention of men to plan and ce
NJ. struct the drainage works, just as t
IN Panama canal and the Sanitary car
lie of Chicago did. The English COVE
III, ment paid out millions of dollars
build the Assouan dam in the vail
of the Nile in Egypt. The Dutch e,
eminent paid out millions of dolls
=. TO Grain and reclaim portions of /
~ Zuyder Zee. The state of Florida
% asked to grant lands in aid of dra
Ike age which cost it nothing and W,
granted to the state for that W
purpose. The Everglades of Flor
VIII pay bigger dividends in ia,
ana trade than any of these other .
RI jects and the money will vastly
IN rich the people of the state