The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1917-01-03

duty as officials of the state to con-
serve and save to the people of Flor
ida or as far as possible the one and
one-half million acres of land belong
ing to the state which is located in the
Everglades. Under the pretext of
Fastening the drainage few owners
Of private lands who bought their
lands very cheap, at undrained prices
and have sold considerable quantities
of them on installments at fabulous
prices, have criticised the governor
and the other state officials who con-
stitute the members of the drainage
board because we have insisted upon
the privately owned lands paying
their proportionate part of the drain
age tax and have resisted the efforts
on the part of these few private own
ers to have the state lands sold from
time to time and the proceeds used
for the purpose of defraying the ex-
penses of the drainage not only of
the state lands bun the privately
owned lands. We have vigorously OPP
posed any such plan to shift as a
burden to the state all of the ex-
pense for retaining the entire four
million acres of land when the
states ownership within the territory
was only one and one-half million
acres.
We have not been astonished that
our fidelity to the public interest in
this matter has provoked the criti-
cism of these special interests. Be 1T
said, however, to the credit of a
large majority of the land owners in
the Everglades that they have not
| Joined in such criticisms or such de-
mands, and have shown a willingness
to bear their proportionate part of
the cost of draining the Everglades.
The hard fought battles of the late
Governor Broward to whom the
Everglades project stands as a mon
ument to recover these lands from the
railroads and save them for all the
people of Florida would have been
fought in vain if we should have per
mitted them to be squandered and
apportioned for the purpose of drain
ne privately owned lands.
| am proud that this administration
has been able to save for all of the
people against the greed of the few
the states one and one-half million
acres of land which represents a pub
licasset of many millions of dollars
Summary of Administration.
Mr.. Trammell's speech was a gen.
eral summary of his administration
He declared that he had done all he
could to bring about ''the gradual
abolition of the convict lease system
and described how the state farm
had been developed, so that now some
800 acres of land are in cultivation
{ operated by convicts.
The abolition of the. county treas
urer throughout the state is saving
| of $4,000 year.
r Governor Trammell secured thu
: adoption of the law requiring inter
D est on the public funds of the coun
2 ties, and reduced the state tax mil
4 lage in 1914 and 1915; school fund
: are now invested in Florida insteat
= of outside the state; the railroad Ian,
$ grant law was repealed; purifying
: influence on politics was had; high
way development and fish and oy
e ster conservation were also encour
: aged.
Governor Trammell declared h
: had always been actuated by feel
ing for the farmers interests an
t MENTIONED how he had tried to de
2 velop the public schools. Regarding
$ the pardon power. he said: 'To dra'
+ the proper dividing line between in
!; exorable justice and justice properl
r tempered with. mercy is no easy bur