Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1841-1853, 1851-04-10

lands, ne sets down their value at admitting ina
the State in any event must lose $4,000
In 1S43 Mr.. Bright again reports, after speaking of
membranes on the title taxes, &c, he says: Otis
almost be regretted that have such security for
is much to be feared that it will look
after and protect it than shall ever realize from it"
In 1s45 after Mr. Bright had sent Mr.. Pitcher, his
agent to examine these lands in his annual report he
says.
The debt against the Bank OF Western New York,
at Rochester, regard utterly worthless This debt
it will be remembered, is secured by mortgage
lands in Georgia, made by the Georgia Lumber Com
pany. By the agent whom sent there last winter
am advised that these lands in general poor,
DIV and barren, and only valuable account Of their
timber. The Georgia Lumber Company went to very
great expense in the erection of mills and tried the
experiment OF making profit by manufacturing lumber
but it total failure and since that time, these
lands esteemed Of less-much less value,
account Of mbers. The titles to these lands too,
in many defective being derived in cases,
from administrators without any authority SELL and
in Others from purchasers for taxes. Many OF them
obtained from the State by simply paying the fees
of entry deem them of very little value and would
suggest, the readiest mode OF getting rid of
them, the course have proposed in reference to
the Beaver Meadow Railroad stock, and other
curtes that they he advertised and sold at public auc
ton, within the city oil New York, or at the mills upon
the premises the latter perhaps would the best The
taxes the premises heavy. Those of last year.
regret were paid by the State this year, they remain
unpaid.
In 1916 Mr. Bright again reported that the sale of
the State Bonds to this swndlng bank entire loss
to the State except what be made of these lands
He estimated the value Of them at from five to ten
dollars tract of 2O2 acres He recommended the ap
poinment of agent take charge of the lands with
full authority sen, allowing the agent 25 per cent
for his commission the State mourning expense
whatever for the reason, he says, tha the prospect
of realizing much from this is remote, as
hardly justify further expenditures" Under this
commentator some arrangement made with Hon.
Edward ]. Black of Georgia. who endeavored to sell
the lands first whole and then by separate tracts
but without any success. He unable to sell sin
gle tract OF the 1900 although he lived in the i'm
mediate vicinity. He has repeatedly told the writer of
this article that there single tract worth the
taxes then due it. The mills had entirely gone to
decay, and from their location would be vaueless if
in repair
In 1917 Mr.. Bright recommended that these lands and
the remaining be sold at auction The Legisla-
concurrng in his recommendation by authori-
zed him sell them to the highest bidder for the pur-
pose of closing up his agency.
At the next session Mr.. Bright reported, that he had
sold and disposed OF all the assets and property arising
Of the suspended debt, except the Georgia lands
and realized for the State about sixty thousand dollars
OF these Georgia lands he says 'They duly ad-
vertsed and offered public aucton the time
with the Others but the best bid could get for them
Give hundred doars) very insignificant that 1
felt constrained decline their SALE Iregard them as
overy little value and think it very doubtful whether
nythng will ever be realized from them" With this
port closed Mr.. Brght's official connexion with the
State agent. That he used every reasonable exer-
ton to dispose of these lands doubts. This
brings us to the administration Of Mr. Collins. In his
first annual report he says tThe Georgia lands
They remain unseld and | am not now informed that
any thing be obtained for them
The Legislature seeing that every effort dispose of
these lands had failed Mr. Black had been unable to sell
single tract Mr.. Bright had offered them public
auction, and five hundred dollars only had been bid for
them Mr.. Collins had reported ''tha nothing could
obtained for them passed the following joint resolution
Joint Resolution. That the Governor or agent of
State, be and the same are hereby to make
sale and dispose OF all the right title or claim or interest
which the State may hold possess any real estate
situated in the State of Georgia. and the said Governor
agent of State the may be- and is hereby
thOrZed to convey the of the State of Indiana
to the purchaser or purchasers All the interest or title
which the State may hold possess in such lands Pro-
vided that neither the Governor the agent of State
shabe authorized to sell said lands for less sum than
thousand dollars
From this resolution it very evident that the Leg
islature did set much value on the property The
Resolution passed the Legislature without objection no
wing oblccting to the limitation. The minimum was
fixed at one thousand dollars The resolution is care
lessly drawn and authorizes the Governor agent
State to sell the lands without defining the mode, or
requiring these officers jointly Under this res
oution Paris C. Dunnng the acting Governor sold the
/ nj. to onIo ii
but went of office without paying the money
the Treasurer The sale he reported to the Legislature
in his ANIMAL message Gov. Wright when he came into
Office, finding that money had been paid offered to
sell the lands under the authority of the above reced
resolution But Mr.. Green claiming the legal title to
the property, no sale made. In the meantime Gov
Dunnng rendered the money to the Treasurer At the
next and last session of the Legislature Governor
Wright brought the matter to its notice and re-
commended that judicial proceedings be instituted to
test the validity of the SALE The subject was referred
to the judiciary committee composed of Messrs Chap
man, Franklin Williamson, Pratt, Edwards, Coburn
and Bradley, four Democrats and three wings all legal
gentlemen. This committee reported unanimously in
favor of confirming the sale 1t was on the introduction
of this report and the accompanying bill that Mr. Usher
made his celebrated speech, which has furnished the
wing press and wing politicians with the astounding
evidence of this stupendous swindle. In this speech
Mr.. Usher alledges that the land had been sold, in
May 1919 w K Rochester for five thousand dollars,
by Mr.. Collins the agent of State, and produces the
statement of Mr. Rochester to that effect and also the
statement of Gen. Drake that Mr.. Collins requested
him state Gov. Dunnng that he had sold the lands
Rochester for So OOO About this transaction there
to be some mystery, for Mr.. Collins afterwards
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