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Show INVOLVE WILSON! 10 1'CABE IN 1HE EVERGLADE'S GASE WASHINGTON. Feb. C -f -- Another Investigation of the department of agriculture, In- volving orders' of Secretary -- Wilson and Solicitor McCabe -f- and embracing charges of sup- pressed reports and Influence -f of land speculators over gov-' -f ernment officials, Is to be instl- 4- tuted by the house committtee on expenditures In the agrlcul- department. -f Troublo relating to exploitation of Florida everglade lands, millions of acres of which have been sold throughout the country by syndicates, broke out before the committee today to-day as a result of the summary dismissal dis-missal from the government service by Secretary Wilson laHt Saturday of C. G. Elliott, chief engineer of the drainage division of the department, and Assistant Engineer A. G. Morehouse, More-house, and the suspension of F. E. Singleton, an accountant, on a technical techni-cal charge of transference of public lands. Instigate an Investigation. Representatives Frank Clark of Florida and E. R. Rathrick of Ohio, who have instigated the investigation, investiga-tion, charged that officials of tho department de-partment of agriculture had been influenced in-fluenced by Florida everglade land promoters In tho suppression of a report re-port on the condition of the land made by the drainage department; that Chief Engineer Elliott was threatened by agents of tho land promoters pro-moters that unless he would revise a circular letter lb the public which did not contain laudatory references to the lands they wero selling; that upon hlB refusal tho circular and a subsequent and fuller report were suppressed by the order of Secretary Wilson, and that later Engineers Elliott El-liott and Morehouse were removed from office. Solicitor McCabe, before the house committee, denied that the dismissal of tho department officials was in nny way caused by the Florida land case and assorted1-that the action was taken following charges that tho dismissed dis-missed men had misapplied funds. It was charged by Representative Clark that Elliott was assured that thero would bo no prosecution of the charges against him If he would 'keep still" about the actions of the department depart-ment on the Florida land Investigation. Investiga-tion. McCabe Says He Has the Papers. Solicitor McCabe told the committee commit-tee that all reports and papers bearing bear-ing on tho everglade case would be turned over to J,he committee. Ho said that tho reason Secretary Wilson Wil-son had ordered that the report on the evorglades be not printed was because tho engineers in the drainage department depart-ment were so at variance In the matter mat-ter A part of the evidence submitted to the house committee is a copy of a letter wrltton by Mr. Elliott to Secretary Sec-retary Wilson, last, November. "Some time in January, 1910," Mr. Elliott said in his letter to Secretary Wilson, '"E. O. Howe and Thomas H. Will, agents for tho Florida Everglades Ever-glades Land company, called upon Director True of the offlco of permanent perma-nent Htations and protested against our sending out these circulars (in the everglades). I was called into thn dlrector'6 office, and In tho direct or's presence thoy demanded that tho circular be discontinued, and threatened threat-ened mo personally with public exposure ex-posure if anv further information concerning con-cerning the "overglades should be furnished fur-nished tho correspondent. Take Up Minor Charge. "A few days lator they called at my office and in the presence of tho chief engineer continued their demands not only that my report bo discontinued, but that we send to all to whom we had sent cirsular letters a retraction of certain statements In them, which were especially displeasing "Doon m refusal to consider such action, Mr. Klc declared that unless I acceded to their wishes thoy would take the matter up higher and compel me to suppress all information concerning con-cerning the everglades." Tho cbargo agalnBt tho discharged officials is that several years ago thoy ran short In the appropriation for the drainage division because funds had been Irregularly loaned to the Irrigation Irriga-tion division of the department. The total was about ?900. but no financial gain accrued to any of tbo officials in tho transaction, it is said. |