Lexington union. (Lexington, Miss.) 1838-18??, 1841-11-27

uOn VII, ana lhe report upon II by t0e
chairman, MIR SmiilD at this session, you
will perceive that succeeded in incorpo-
rating upon the bill, provision repeating
$50 much Of The provso Of the act of The
22l June, 1913, or any order OF the pres.
ident of the U. 5, as directs certain re.
servarionS TO be made in favor OF certain
claims, under The treaty Of Dancing Rab.
bit Creek" The history OF that proyiso
is this: Ga the 9TH Dec. 1887, iutrodu-
ced into the Senate pre-, empDlon bill, |
which passed that body on the Both Jan.
1888; See Jour. pages 81, l9l. When
that bill was pending in tie House, this
provIso, in substance, in most injurious
form, was introduced as an amendment to
my pre.emption bill, by the Hon. John
Bell. on the l4h June, 1888. See ii.
Jour. page 1887. Under the construct
! i've operation OF this amendment, as mod-
fed, not only all the lands within the cou.
tingent Choctaw locations, bat also all the
! lands within the Choctaw cessIon of 1880
whether heretofore offered for sale or not,
were withheld, not only from the pIe-emp-
| ton privilege, but also from sale or entry,
10 await the hnal settlement, however
remote, Of all the choctaw claims, now
held. not by the Indians, but chiefly BY
nonresident companies. The amend
meut was most srenuo1sly resisted by
our Repre- en,alives IN lle House, but was
;hus placed on my pre- emp'lon bill durng
my absence aud sickness, as was then
Supposed, beyond all hope of recovery.
Under this amendment, all the unsod
lands IN the ChoCtaw cessi0n OF 1880,
wheIher heretofore offered for sale or not,
embracing lwrnty.siX counties aud parts
# counties in Mississippi, were wi'hhelt
indefinitely from entry, sale, or settlement
Tor The contingent benefit OF these claims.
The lands rhns reserved, appeared, on
call made by ne on HE proper department
to embrace upwards of five million Of
acres of which l,7l9, $50 acres have never
been offered for sale (Sse Sen. doc No.
60, vol. Dad, date Jan 8, 1897 Now
is It jast that these millions OF acres, Of
these lands, should be Withheld indefinite.
! ~ from entry, sale or settlement, to cover
contingent claims Tor Two or three hun.
bred thousand acres, owned by non-resI.
dent companies?
Now, however unjust may have been
the warfare DOW and heretofore made upon
me, by some OF the members OF these
wealthy and powerful companies, in and
out Of the State, for the performance Of
nv duty OIL this occasion, 1t is due to rs.
ttca to say, that there IS not a single dem.
ocrat among the holders of these claims,
who, so Tar as my knowledge extends, does
not fully approve my couTsr, as demanded
by just regard to the rights and inter
esis oI the State, and the instructions OF
The Legislature. La regard 10 all these
claims, so far as any OF them are Just and
cguitab!e, ! have aIways been, and sill
am wiling that the most liberal allowance
should be made to the holders, but not to
the prgudIce Of the settlers, an upon con.
dltlon mat the indians will leave the Bate
Armed with the facts contained in docu.
> meni 60, | eDdavored, heretofore, unili
this session, but IN vain, to have this pro.
viso repealed, bui when the prescription
bill was pending, on the 10Th Of April
1910, the following amendment, on my
molion, was added to that bill, namely
; And nothing in the last provlso Of the
22d June, 1898, shall be so construed as
to defeat an" right OF pre- empion accru-
ing under said act, or under any preceding
. act of Congress, nor shall said pre.emp.
y ton claims be defeated by any contln.
gent Choctaw location" (See Sen. Jour
: aud bill, page SIG, April Is, lS40). Had
y, the bill passed without this amendment
! would have extended no pre-emption tc
Mississippi, but still this proyiso, retard-
i lng the sale and settlement twenty SIX
; counties and parts of counties in our state
. remained in force in every other respect
, and therefore II was important at this time
wholly to repeal this proviso, for the fol.
= loving among other reasons lst Be.
e cause if unrcpealed the permanent pros
peciive .emptIon law moved by me a,
u this session and adopted, would have had
$ no operation in Mississippi. 81, fun.
: repealed the State would have been com
T PEELED to select the five hundred thousand
y acres granted 10 our state Wy this bill, ou'
+ of the refuse lands 10 old districts, moi
. worth an average Of twenty five cents per
. acre, whereas by this repeal, the State
+ can now select the best lands, never yet
: offered for sale, and many Of them upon
v the river or adjacent lakes and bayous
!. worth perhaps, in few years, ten dollars
: an acre; thus making difference to the
IS State 10 this graft alone, Of near FIVE mil
! lions Of dollars. I'd. Ifunrepealed TWEEN.
. ,y.six counties in our Stute, would have
u been withheld from entry, or presumption