Columbus Democrat. [volume] (Columbus, Miss.) 18??-18??, 1849-03-17
NO. IS.
Mississippi Land Policy.

The short sighted policy Of our Legislature IN
regard to the public domain, has done net a ,I,
tie in -etasdug the prosperity Of tie State. lin.
igtauGa has been checked TO our borders, ana
tens @, thousands who would have settled among
us. have passed through our State, and are now
domciiatej in Arkansas and Texas,
Our attention has been Immediately directed
to this subject, by a companion which an Ar
kansas paper Institutes between tho policy o
Mississippi, and our neighboiing State
The ln,eHigencer, published at Van Buren,
Arkansas, contains the following paragraphs, to
which We would dilcc, the attention OF the pubic
in Mississippi:
Lad Policy n ArkdaIaJ,-Our poor Sia.e Ia
abused as the "wors, State IN the Union. Lei
Us compare some @, our public acts with those oi
Mississippi, for instance
Arkansas donates her forfeited lands to actual
settlers, and, by lhis policy alone, ouI PoPaa,
lion has greatly increased.
Mississippi donates nothing, but sells ali her
TAX lands TO tho hlshcs, bidder and emlsgaa,s
pass through hat STATE to enter upon the rich
lands IN oars, which they get by settling upon
them and paying few ices.
Arkansas has reduced the price Of her public
lands, aud sells them On credit thus inviting
The industrious poor to car State, where, by
Jhsir industry lacy eau make their lands pay ior
themselves.
The last Legislature Of Mississippi passed an
act to sell her lu,eina! improvement lands ior
Bank bonds, Al 50 per offering, at once,
TO place her lands in the hands oi spectators
and non residents. The scheme proved u lah
ure, the act raised the value o.. the bonds, and
few could be procured cheap enough to bay lands
al such hign price. The consequence was,
bul few sales Wera made, and those 10 non.ras,-
dents.
When we compare the land policy OF Arkan.
sas 10 tina, Of otheg States, We can cHcIaim that
this is not tho worst governed STATE IN the Ua.
ion. Our land policy especially has attracted
the marked ateutl0n OF The pubic men in other
States.
We viii not permit ourselves to doubt that the
experience orlhc last twelve months vii be pro.
ductye OF sa.u,ary monl.loua 10 law gyers IN lu'
ture. We may indeed, learn wisdom on this
subject from Arkansas.
By the term. the grant Of 100000 acres OF
land by Congress 10 this Sste, for purposes OF In
lernal Improvement we are iWbldden to sell II
tor less than one dollar aud II quarter per acre
We believe IL Woa,I readily command that price,
and we can but express tbs hope that the Legs
iatuIc Of cur State will, at 3 next session, offer
1t to the actual settler At the minimum fixed BY
Congress.
During the past year. those 100000 acres
were offered for sac at the minimum OF 80 per
acre, payable in the deprecated Planters Bank
bonds tic Chickasaw School Lands were also
offered for Cas, 08 years, at the Same mini.
mum valuation The result was that not more
than 1000 acres Of both parcels were sold. This
fact, alone, is conclusive that tho policy Of the
State is erroneous, AMI should BIO abandoned
without delay. Let us by . liberal policy invite
immigration to the State, and thereby de'cIopc
the untold resources oflho richest mines in Tie
wor.d--Mssi.siPpian.