Arkansas intelligencer., 1848-10-07
EFEBylL IMPROVEMENT OF ARKANSAS,
Iaj. BOrlald'g lettorto Dr.J. B. Croft

w WASHINGTON CITY, July 10, 1913,
DEAR SIR: Your favor Of May 18th was re-
ceiyed, and acknowledged cn the 9TH ofJune.
then said would write again. on the subject OF
your communication, as soon as some indispensa-
! ble engagements would low me time TO do 50.
This promise | now comply with.
By occasional notices III The newspapers, yod
viii have seen thar my attention was given to tho
very subject Of your letter, and in somewhat sLr-
king accordance with your own views, almost inn
mediately on my arrival here. Indeed, the 0lu-
sion in my Circular Address. to which you refer,
was to plan Of Improvement substantially SINH
lar to the one you suggest.
Since the session of.our State Legislature, Of
L6EE-'5, when the moporiai 90 Congress- for ro-
2lFis.u5 oaTrsvsr4 5lrct ia451 7-E5 i1tg-l-eo 3
Col. p. @. Eivea, uad adopted, she subject has
occupied much Of my attention alike in comtonl-
plating the magnitude and Importance Of the
work, and considering OF some proper and prac.i-
cao.o plan for its accomplishments
10 Col. Riyos. the originator Of tho project
OF roclojmjug our ovordowod lands by a system
OF emuanEmcnts, l accorded great credit at the
'mo, as was s!rong manifested through the Ban
Ler newspaper, then, In part, under my control.
Iuty agreed with our friend, Judge English, who
men soid, that "thouId this project be accom-
PsAed lis author will deserve q statute in his hon
orr still entertain the same opinion. | still
regard the work rs great and vuIaable-av, the
greatest auu most valuable that has ever been pro.
posed for Arkansas Its importance is obviously
great, even at the first glance, TO every intelligent
mind.s It Is no, one Of those schcmes Of which
our country has been cursed with 50 menv, (aud
Of which State and Real Estate .Bzaks were such
magnificent and disastrous cZamples.) attractive
and dazzling ut first sight or, ".ike ships at sen.
looming large al uls.Guce,' but which lose their
glare unler sober examination and diuiusih in val
ne as you subject them to .h5 test OF experiment.
Iuls work, and its proposed execution, are sub
9,anijaHy valuable, aud entirely practicable. Its
importance grows upon the mind the longer and
more thoroughly it is examined. Considered by
itself, its value is InmOuge: in all its connexions,
It is incaIcuIabe.
These remarks are based upon the general idea,
itself, or recIajmng the oycrdowed lands, and the
p-ucticabity Of the work. But, to the particular
plan proposed by our legislative memorial for its
accomplishment, / have long entertained several
serious objections. ! propose. now, to point out
those objections; and, in doing SO, 10 indicate
another plan, which / consider more comprolen.
siye. more practicable, and far moro useful.
By reference to the legislative memorial, you
will find that Il embraced only the lands on tho
Mississippi and Arkansas rivers, These lands,
uslho memorial sugp0z-s. and rs tho records Of the
land Once snow, amount 10 ABOUT o.yVJ,U
acres; Wheros thore are, on the other rivers in the
STATE, about ., 100000 acres; making an aggre-
gate of 100000 acres. The memorial, lhon
provgment some 1900 600 acres Of land, equally
requiring them, and equally valuable if reclaim
ed. Whether, therefore, We regard the proproty
and purpose Of tho work In lis general effect upon
the C0nditCQ OF the State, or upon tue interests Of
individuals residing near the particular rivers, and
IN the vicinity OF the ovorl0ws-tho exclusion Of
an amount of land SO vast as this, and so vau-
able it would be if reclaimed, constitutes most
material objection to iho plon-shows it TO be too
limited in its scope, and proves the necessity for
charging II. This | propose to accomplish,
by embracing The lands on ' all the watercourses
within and touching the States" aud, thus, extern
ding the same measure Of Improvement and bane-
fit, as far may be applicable, to every portion
Of the State. and all our people.
The legislative memorial proposes thai that tho
work Of rocIoiming the overlowed lands shall be
executed directly by the General Govt. To
this il has been odiactod that the General Govern
ment cannot, Constjlutonaly, engage, directly in
such works. This objection, though entertained
by some persons, DO not consider Of any serious
weight. Indeed for the reason You suggest, the
Government surely has the power, o land pro-
Priotor. to dispose Of the public ands-evon to
give part Of th'n away, by doIugso the remain
dor may become more valuable than the whole
had been before. But, besides this reason, the
precsioG.5 Of our legislation seem TO have settled
the question, so far as procodoals can determine
the powers Of the Government. With ono in
stance 10 p0lut,sWo are but too tamIiar mean
The Memphis and Little Rock road ; which, after
being recognized by several successive sessions Of
Congress as a.wofIs proper to be made, alike as
great military highway and means of reclai-
ming q large amount of public land and having
expended upon il more than $500 600. has been
left unfinished, worthless, and even a nuisance to
the country. But, as 4 measure of prOpriety, this
direct Ugcacy ofthe General Government in works
of improvement within State, where the
constitutional power is undjsputod, has many OPP
ponents-myseIf among them and for the follow
ing reasons
With all statesmen who set any value upon the
rights and independence of the several States, and
desire to restrict the General Government within
The safe aud salutary bounds designed for it at the
time of its creation, it is very important and de-
sirablo to avoid, as much as possible, any mma-
date contact between the General Government
and the individual citizen and. as far as practi-
cable, let the people know and feel their relations
TO the General Government only through the me-
dunn Of the State governments. This has ever
been held to bo the true doctrine Of rcpubicansm.
The extension of our territory, and the progress
of our institutions. give daily increase to the value
of this doctrine-prove, indeed, the necessity of
maintaining it. Except, therefore, in cases where
individual entpFpTise or State authority. or n