Southern sentinel. [volume] (Plaquemine, Parish of Iberville [La.]) 1848-1858, 1849-08-15
Substance of a Speech,

SuUStdHCt VI q SptcCHs
DeHireredb by COL. r.. A. s7EUAR:
at Clinton, on the 9th August-so ia
as the Land Bill is concerned, avhic
Mr.. Harmanson claims as his progen,
FELLOW CITlzENs:-Mr. Harmanso
having taken exceptions, PARTICULARLY, t
that part of my speech delivered at BatoI
Rouge, relative to his bill, known as tn
Swamp Bill, renders it expedient for me
al this time, to take that bill into specia
consideration. | therein intimate yer,
plainly my opinion, that the idea of tn,
bill originated with the spectators in tht
public lands of the State of Louisiana
and that it was, therefore, "conceived il
sin, and brought forth in iniquity." Mr.
Harmanson says that in this | have done
him great injustice; and calls plaintiveIy
upon the democracy, for the sake of the
reputation of their representative, and 70,
the sake of his wife and children, to pro-
tect him from this foul caIumny. Now it
will be seen from my printed speech, de-
|ivered at Baton Rouge, that | have
made no charge against the honorable
gentleman; but his extreme s~ensitiveness
upon the subject, upon the old fashioned
principle, "that a CALLED horse will VINCE"
caused me to suspect that there was
something in the said bill, and in his con-
nection with it, that had not yet.discov-
cred, and consequently to examine it more
closely than | had hitherto done; and now
L give you the result of that examina-
ton.
First: I find that I did not estimate the
cost of selecting those lands too high. 1t
will be seen by the bill that the Saryeyor
General o the State (by faithful deputies,)
is the officer designated to make the
necessary surveys, and select the land; no
other officer can be employed, even if
another can be found who will work
cheaper. The Surveyor General and his
deputies, and they alone, can do the
work. Il will be seen further, from the
bill, that if more than one-half of any
legal sub division, forty acres,) when
examined, shall be found subject to over
flow and unfit Cor cultivation, it shall be
coded to the State, but if the greater part
of that subdivision shall no: be subject to
overflow and fit for cultivation, why, then
it continues to belong to the United
AS therefore, the bill itself spe.
what is to be done, and who is to do
t, the officer designated--and the pay for
whose work the law of Congress Specifies
s the proper person, and the only proper
person to estimate the expenses thereof
Now have the estimate of expenses be-
ore me as made by the Surveyor Gener-
al, and they amount to about sixty-one
1ollars a section, or in the aggregate,
upon calculation, to four hundred and
hirty-nine thousand, two hundred dol
ars. My honorable competitor reads all
extract of a letter from Mr.. Young, Com
missioner of the Land Office of the U.
saying in substance, that he thinks
urveyors may be found who will work
or five or six dollars a day, and that
probably all the public land in the State
leed not be surveyed to make the selec-
ion; but how can a surveyor certify that
wenty-one out of every forty, or forty-one
ut of every eighty acres of land, are
to overflow, and unfit for c%ultiva-
ion, unless he examines them by survey,
nd as to the other, il remains to be
'roven-ifa surveyor could be employed
y the day, under the bill-whether when
is per diem, and that of his chain car
iers, markers, &C., and cost of their
PROVISIONS, &C., were paid, it would
mount to less than the estimate of the
General; at any rate the opinion
} g%ratuitous, and calculations unnecess-
ry. because the law has selected the
ficer, and another law has fixed his pay
Or difficult surveying at eight dollars per
nile. 1t is therefore certain that the
Expense of selecting these lands will be
bout four hundred and thirty nine thou
and, two hundred dollars. Now, how is
lis to be raised? My competitor says
it from the fund for internal i'm
rovement. Now if this could be done,
would as effectively be taken from the
ockets and hard earnings of the people
8 if it were raised by taxation, so nothing
'ould be gained by it. But could this be
one2 there is m evidence tbot tlor, =.