The Arkansas advocate., 1833-11-27

public building at Little Rock, and by an
 act of Congress, approved tie 4ttiil 4ttiil day of
 July, 1882, the power originally given to
 the Legislature Of the Territory was trans
 iened to the Governor thereof; under, and
 by virtue Of which latter act, the Governor
 of the Territory has proceeded to sell and
 locate a large portion of said ten sections,
 as stated ln his message to your memon- aists, of the eighth inst. 1 he sales of the
 lands have been principally made to capital lsts and speculators, in large quantities. and the locations have been made by the Gov ernor, according to their wishes and descrip- tons of the land. As by the acts of Con- gress relating to this donation, no improve
 ment or possessions of actual settlers were exempted from their locations, the purcha- sers have, in many instances, located these claims on the improvements and plantations of settlers, which being rendered valuable from the labor bestowed on them, presented stronger inducements to speculation, and i in some instances, very valuable and exten- sive plantations have been located, belong ing to individuals, bono .fde entitled to the Ol lilC IdIilo tllG price, under the act of Congress, approved the 18th of May, 1880, granting pre-emp- tions to settlers on public lands. Your me- morialists would fartherr represent, that most Of tic locations aforesaid, have been made on such lands as have not been surveyed, CT the surveys of which have not been ap- proved of, which placed it entirely out of q, .c4 X,a the land, under the last mentioned act, or the act supplementary thereto, approved the 4th July, 1882, The result has been, to check and retard emigration to, and settle ment on, the lands, and greatly to harass those entitled to pre-emptlons, who are now threatened to be turned out of their posses sions, which they have improved, relying on the pledge of the General Government, given in said act of 1880, that they should be secured in the pre-emption of the land on which they resided. Confidence Is im- paired in those acts of the General Govern ment, originally intended to encourage emi- grafton to our frontier, and to protect the hardy settler in possession of his property, which he has rendered valuable by has o,u't labor Spectators are, indeed, rendering the act of I93C, void, by the latitude allow ed them in locating those claims. It tshould be remembered that from the great delays in completing the surveys of the public lands in the Territory, many of our most eatefprjs5as, aeealthg and rGiuo6te citizens, have been under the necessity of residing OH the public lands, IS the government has not yet enabled them to acquire title to 1t; and, also, that they have not settled thereon for the purpose of committing depfedations upon the public domain. II has ever been the policy and interest of the General Gov ernment, 10 encourage and protect such set- tiers as dissipate the native gloom of the uildeness-induce emigration, and render the public property valuable. This policy of the government Is directly eountefacted by the latitude permitted in the pretended location of the 1 en Section Claims.
 Inasmuch as inc locations of these claims are not perfected, until the lands are legally surveyed, and the surveys approved of, your memorialists would respectfully ask, that an act of Congress be passed, pro- hibiting the location of any part of the ten section grant upon any lands upon which there may be bona .t5de pre-emption right, and declaring all such locations void; and prohibiting the location. by virtue of such claims, on any lands improved, cultivated and occupied, by an actacI settler, prior to the passage of the act, approved 4th July, 1892, That all locations on lands survey cd, be declared void, and that no patent be allowed to issue, under or by virtue of the location of such clalnls, until one year after certified plat of the survey of the land shall be deposited in the proper Land-office of the district in which the land IS situated, so that claimants under the acts aforesaid, of 1880 and '32, may be secured in their rights under said acts.