Southern sentinel. [volume] (Plaquemine, Parish of Iberville [La.]) 1848-1858, 1849-09-19
TO THE ELECTORS OF THE
Third Congressional District.
ISLAND, Sept. 10, 1919.
NO. II.

ISLAND, SePt. ~, 1919.
In stating in my last what Mr.. Harmansor
had done to entitle him to your confidence ano
support, I stopped abruptly when | came te
consider his "Swamp Bill"
Inow propose to give this famous sswamI
Bill statute" some consideration. Mr.. Hartman
son claims the "Swamp Bill as a production
peculiarly his own. The offspring is perhaps
worthy of its origin. But the b~antling is his
for Mr.. La Sere modestly disclaims any OF
the credit due to the Hon. John Ii. llarmanson
for the passage of the "Swapp Land BILL
Perhaps 4 chiv,lrous motive actuated La Sere
in this disclaimer; perhaps he felt that Har-
manson needed thunder, CALAIS! what 4 miscEa-
bic bantam gu1men he conceded to hlm).
1t is a law ccdins to the State OF Louisiana
all the swamp land within the State, pFottdcd
the State will pay ali the expenses Of survey,
plotting, &c. &c, and prorided, that the State
will further crpendM The monies jor mhich she sells
the land in draining and lereeing the land thus
so7lv This is John Fl. Harmanson's celebra-
ted swamp land law!" This is the thunder
with which he expects to hHmbHg you, indie
pendent electors Of the Third Congressional
District! What is it? Let us examine it in
its most favorable light, and what is it? 1t is
nothing more nor less than granting to the
State of Louisiana the privilege Of taxing all
her citizens five millions of dollars for the BEN
eft of Mr.. Harmanson and his co~speeuiators
in these swamp lands. We are to be taxed
five millions OF dollars, without Il remote pos
sibility of the sum ever again being reimbursed
to the state treasury for r~ecollect, the money
tnr which the Sran1p lands are sold is to be ap-
piled to draining and lereeing the lands thus sod'
For instance, | sell you Il piece of land, (say
one thousand. acres, as this is exactly the
speculation under his oan biU.) for ten thousand
dollars, you pay me the money, but with the
distinct understanding that | am to expend the
ten thousand dollars by you paid, in draining
and lcveeing the land by me sold to you. Does
not this appear to be a peculiarly one sided
Do you ever say turkey" to me
once? Yet, this is the rey position in which
Mr.. Harmanson endeayors to place the state of
Louisiana by his celebrated 'swamp bill" The
state pays for erery thing and gets nothing.-
The state pays for locating, for surveys, for
patents; in one word, the state pays, by Mr..
Harmans0n's nm snoring, some five millions of
dollars (money taken from the pockets of the
peOpk) which can never again be reimbursed to
her, for the purpose of draining and improving
the land of Mr.. Harmanson and his co-specula-
tors! for, remember, that the money for which
the land is sold, can neuer reach the state treasu-
ry, for it is bound to be invested and expended
for the benefit of the land thus sold, in leyee-
ing and draining the land! Who is benefited?
The state! Clearly not; she looses beyond
all recovery five millions of dollars! for the
payment of which you, electors, are taxed you
who, with the exception Of a few parishes, have
not a square acre of legitimate swamp land
within your domain. But who is benefited p
The General Government! To a certain ex-
tent, yes; for she rids herself of a worthless
extent of swamp land, the guardianship of
which has long been to her a source of trouble,
annoyance and expense. But who is benefited?
| will tell you who is benefited. The $pecu-
lator under this swamp land law is benefited.
John H. Harmanson is benefited! for he is
such speculator! He has already purchased
one thousand acres of this swamp land! This
legislating for ones self with a vengeance.
What! the ink hardly dry upon the "Approyed,
James K. Polk" and we find Mr.. Harmanson in
the market buying up, under his pecuzuim, one
thousand acres of his swamp land, mow render
cd valuable by the passage of his law.
Was there ever a more monstrous and infa-
nous bob malker monopoly than this swamp
and law? Look at it calmly, and c%onstrue it
fairly, electors. Is it not infamous? Is it pos
sessed Of a single redeeming feature? AEw,
for its only tendency "to make the rich
richer, and the poor poorer" A law calculated
to make John Fl. Harmanson and others, who
purchase swamp lands, richer at the expense of
the state-m your expense, electors of the
Third Congressional District!
And in the face of this, the only fair construc-
ton that can be put upon this law, Mr.. Har-
has the impudence to make public boast
of his being the author and the father of the
progenitor. Some of it's worst fea-
remain to be exposed. These. with a
continued review of Mr.. Harmanson's claims
upon you, must be reserved for a future num-
Der. TO arrive at truth we must investigate
The motives of men are learned from their acts.
us judge Mr.. Harmanson by his; and let
us judge him fairly. We will not be precipi-
tate; but we will, at least, be judges for our