The daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1848-1851, 1850-08-22

The ,mucs, ranc Of the timber stolen from the United
ss,s ys sy b saEsd q BY the fact that shs Dis
OF Tho ffcsslr that be had authorized the Marshal to
uneis Sasn's snds = ''''s''''''
This appears 70 be very large amount, to be
sure; but when this matter is examined, it will be
found to be no great affair In this State, there
are many millions Of timber cut upon the public
lands II is cus during the Summer and Fall, and
is floated out in the Winter, when the swamps
overlooked. The lands are absolutely worthless,
and the timber is sold to the mills wood yards,
at prices which give only good wages to the men
who engage in this severe and exposed labor. The
Overlooked lands are not worth entering at the
government price. Often times acres Of the land
do not contain single good tee-in other local.
ties are valuable cypress breaks they are called
We will venture to say that half Of the TIMBER
which reaches New Orleans, is cut on the puoilc
lands There is no concealment nor disgrace IN the
business. A small planter on Black river or
Catahoula after he has laid by his little crop 'akes
his boys with him into the swamp, ana by hard
blows and camp life for few weeks, cuts down
ash trees enough to make respectable raft lie
goes home. gathers his crop, and when the swamps
are filled he collects his trees forms his raft, and
aoa,s dawn 10 New Orleans, sells it, buys his gro
csries and fnery for the old woman and daughters
and Uncle Sam is none the poorer. The wealthy
planters, who consider the swamps as an appendags
to their plantations, look askance at all this for
| they anticipate the time, when under the graduation
law, they may enter up the entire swamp lands.
Let the Government protect the live oak, but for
the rest Of the forest trees, they not worth any
thing in the swamp. They are like the granite
IL 6,ba bait
value solely from the labor bestowed on them
What takes place in the swamps of Louisiana
occurs in all those places, where the land is mo-
valuable for agricultural purposes.
The Northern farmer fits out his boat, and
spends the leisure of the Summer in drawing
| from the abundance of the ocean; the Western
farmer employs the same vacation in drawing
| from the abundance Of the forest. They both ado
to the national wealth, much more than the CAPT
talist, who buys vast quantities of land, which
he keeps from settlement and cultivation, unit
he can by the improvement of the country, through
the labors of Others obtain his own price. Thougl
mewed up now, within the wires Of editor
cage, there was time when we were familia
with the swamps, and many happy hours hav
we passed in the log cabins Of the frontier squat
ters and timber cutter. The tree in the swamp
where the overflow mark is higher than maj
can reach on horseback, is worth nothing.
may reach its long life of centuries, and at las
fall and decay, without adding one cent to tn
wealth of the country The cutter by his labc
gives it value he absolutely creates wealth. Tha
tree, when it reaches New Orleans, is worth tie
! dollars Now is that cutter thief? Does he tax
away from, or add to the national capital? The Gov
eminent has tried to sell the for 81 %, which
perhaps, contains hundred trees-no ono wi
give it. Yet he, who by his labor, converts thi
tree into an article required by society, is to b
+ punished as violator Of the law. The statute
at war with the first principles of political econom!
If the graduation law is not passed, at least thel
should be some modification of the present Law
| There might be a classification of the swan
lands, and the owners of the front sections migl
be allowed to enter by presumption certain quar-
tity necessary for plantation uses, and the re,
should remain for the use Of the public. We ca
the attention Of delegation to the subjec
| Messrs. Downs and Harmanson understand thi
subject thoroughly, and when the exciting ques
tons Of the day are settled, we hope they will b.
able to catch the eye of Congress, and press through
some amendment of the land laws, by which har
handed industry shall no longer be branded as
elon.