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Show II 'CABE ISSUES 1 SWEIiT ON If EVERGLADE CASE BflV ' B H WASHINGTON, Fob. 7. BBS - Thorough investigation of tho flfl charge that government re- BBfl : j ports on Florida everglado fl ' 4- lands were suppressed by ofli- flj cials of tho department of ag- Hl I -t- riculture at the instance of 1-f land speculators and that de- ' - partment engineers wore dis- miesed because of controvers- 1 4- les in this connection was de- 4- hmm j i 4- tcrmined upon today by tho 4- BBW I 4- Democratic membors of the BBS t 4- committee Investigating ex. 4- Bflflj 1 I 4- pendltures lu tho agricultural 4- H 5 4- department. H .1 . H J A statement issued tonight by In- Bflflt J spector McCabe. of the department, Bflflf J! -with tho approval of Secretary Wil- BBBM i son, declares that charges against tho Bflflf department aro untrue, and that "the HtN i efforts to besmirch the secretary of H ; i agriculture will fall." H y McCabc's Statement. H Inspector McCabo's statement, ap- BBVft I t proved by Secretary Wilson, In part B I t follows Bflflf j ! "In a prejudiced, ono-aided state- H t ment, given out by RopreRentatlvo Hl (-Frank Clark of Florida on the evor- BBVJ i" glades charging that tho secretary of Hl I agriculture suppressed n circular on BBV J Information which had been prepared H "by the officers of the drainage- lnves- BBVJI i ' tigations and declined to print a com- BBBJ ' plete 'report of the drainago work Bflflfl which the department had done in tho fl everglades, was because the secre- H ' tary did not regard the circular and BBV Iroports as sufficiently favorablo to Bflfljl please tho land promoters who were H operating in the glades In Mr H Clark's statement it is further sought Bflfln to show that the recent dismissal of H Messrs. Elliott and Morehouse, draln- BBflJ age engineers, was for failuro to shew H sufficient favors to the land promot- Bvfl Bflfljl "Both of these statements aro un. H true and Mr. Clark's effort to boBmirch Hl the secretary of agriculture will fail Bflflfl Tho secretary refused to print tho H . report of tho 'work done in the gladns Bflflfl because not only were his engineers, n Mr. Writ-lit and Mr. Elliott In dls- H ' station of tho city of Manchuria, pflflfl tation of tho work but Mr. Elliott, H without further investigation, radical- H ly changed his position and the ox- H perts of the bureau of plant industry BflVJ. familiar with Florida conditions dls- BflflV, agreed with both Mr. Yv right and Mr. BflflJ Elliott BflflF Presented False Account. H ' "Elliott and Morehouse wero dis- pflflfl missed by the secrotarj of agriculture Bflfljl because they had certified and pre- pflflfl sentcd false accounts, lxiowing them BBsJk to bo false, on which the government BflflJ ' had paid out moneys. pflflfl "Not only did they know the ac- BflVn j counts were lalse, but thoy procured Bflfljl : tho persons to make tho falso ac- Bflflfl counts, telling these persons that they BBflk, would receive money for thoir trou-mr trou-mr Tjjjar-'-b.ey admit they did this; thoy Bflflf j concealed their unlawful acts from BBS their chief, Or. A. C. True, and when BflflJ , Dr. True discovered the facts, he Bflfljl recommended thoir dismissal. Tho BBBI secretary dismissed them and as thero H was a violation of tho law Involved, BBBJI K sent all the facts and papers in his BBBf investigation to the attorney general BBBf for certification to the district attor- BBVJi ney for prosecution and for such other H action as the district attorney might BBBf deem proper. H ' Misapplied an Appropriation. BBBJI "The charge against the dismissed BBBJI men is that they misapplied an appro. BBBJ priation. In 1909 the drainage" dlvi- H elon lent to the Irrigation division BBBJ some of its unexpended appropriation BBBJ and Engineer Elliott discovered soon BBBJ afterward that he was some $900 BBBI ( short for completion of work. BBBM "Rather than have the work stopped Hf citizens in these states, interested in BBBJ the completion of the projects, ad- Hl vanced tho money and later wero car- H K ried on the payroll as emploves until BBBfl - --. tho appropriation for next year. With BBB the raonej thus secured the men who BBBJ : advanced the monoy wero reim- BpJ , bursed." Bfffl ' M ) Says Elliott "Knocked" the Work. BBS JACKSONnLLE, Fla., Feb. 7. J. H , O. Wright, chief drainage engineer in H'j charge of reclamation of tho Florida BBBJ everglades, has Issued a reply to a BBS letter by G. G. Elliott, in which ho H gives wbnt ho sayB is a completo his- m tory of the alleged suppression of BBBJ j the report on Florida everglades BBV ! drainage. H i Wright says that Elliott was oppos- BBS 5 ed to. the investigation and when BpJ " Wright was assigned to tho work ho BBBJ - ( continued to "knock" tho project, t In the summer of 1907 Elliott bo- 1 ; camc chief of the drainage investiga- V: tlon8- Iu tho fall of that year El- BBVj t Hott gavo his consent for Wright to BBw continue the work In Florida. Wright BBT returned to Washington in May, 190S, BB nnd at once began writing his report, BBB which waB delivered to Elliott on H : July 25, 1908. In his statement, BBBJ Wright says: H "In the spring of 1909 Harry Clay BV Hall of Colorado came to Washington H. and asked to seo tho report I have BBV given. Elliott gave him the report to BBBJ rend and ho asked permission to copy BBBJ it. This privilege was denied him. A BBBJ day or two later he appeared with an BH- order from Socretary Wilson, diroct- BBBJ lng Elliott to give him a copy of that BBBJ I portion of the report dealing with the BBBJ drainage problem. This was done." BBB Mr. Hall was attorney for a Arm BBB which had purchased a large tract of BBB I everglades land. Hf Mr. Wright then goes into dotails BBBJ of how the report was held up and BBBJ claims that Elliott wanted him to BBBJ Btultify himself by changing the re- H port, which he refused to do. |