Washington telegraph., 1852-12-08
HINGTON, ARKANSAS WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 1852
the General Assembly, at its next session,
could act Understandings.

~O~-N ~SS
IF the bill which passed the House of
Representatives, at the last session of Con-
gress, should become a law, granting lands
to aid in constructing railroad from a
point in Missouri, opposite the mouth of the
Ohio river, by Little Rock, to Fulton on
Red river, in this State; and to aid in con.
structing branches, one from Little Rock to
Fort Smith, and the other from Little Rock
to some point on the Mississippi river, be.
fore the route could be surveyed, and the
lands selected on this branch of the road, it
would be necessary to know the terminus
on the Mississippi river. l. therefore, re-
commend law be passed, designating the
route and the terminus as nearly as shall
be deemed practicable.
To protect the interests of the State. a
law should be passed, reserving from sale
or location, and from the operations of Sec
tion Ii of the act approved 9th January,
1851, in relation to the swamp and over
flowed lands, all lands owned, or which
shall be owned, by the State, within six
miles of each and every route for railroad
from the date of the approval of the act of
Congress, granting lands to aid in construct
ing such railroad, and declaring every loca-
tion, Or sale of any land, so reserved to be
void, if made after the date Indicated
The General Assembly could, at its next
session, determine, by law, in what manner,
and upon what terms, such reserved lands
shall be disposed Of Were such a law
passed, the State, and not spectators would
be benefited by the enhanced value of the
lands.
l recommend that our laws, upon the
subject Of roads and highways, be amend
ed, and that the sheriff of each county be
er-o6fcio inspector of all the public roads
in his county, and that he be required to
report, in writing, to the county court, at
the commencement of each regular term
thereof, the true condition of each road,
and the name of the overseer, showing the
condition of the road under charge of
each overseer; and that, in addition to
such reports, made to the county court, the
sheriff be also required to make report to
the clerk of the county, whenever he shall
be informed of any distractions in road,
or that it needs any repairs; and that, upon
such report being made, the clerk be re-
quired forthwith to issue notice to the
proper overseer, directing him to cause such
distractions to be removed and the road, in
all respects, to be placed in good repair, and
to make report, of his compliance, to the
county court at the first term after such
notice shall have been served on him; that
the sheriff have power and be required to
supervise toll-bridges, toll-gates and ferries
in his county, and in case it shall come to
his knowledge that illegal toll or ferrage
shall have been exacted, to be required to
report the same to the county court. 1t
is believed that such a policy. if adopted by
law, with all additional provisions necessary
to carry it into effect, would have a saluta
ry influence.
| deem it my duty to call Jour attention
to the swamp lands, and to recommend that
the laws in relation to them be amended,
and such system adopted, as will not only
hasten their selection and reclamation, but
at the same time. guard the interests of the
State, and hold to strict accountability all
officers and agents. who may be concerned
in their management.
The subject is one of vital importance,
/ submit the outlines of system for your
consideration and adoption, if approved
suggest that the State be divided into
five districts, and Commissioner from each
of undoubted qualifications and energetic
business habits, be elected by the General
Assembly. | consider that the salary of
each Commissioner should not be less than
fifteen hundred dollars year. Such SAL
ary, it is presumed, would be sufficient to
secure the services of competent officers
and enable them to devote themselves,
exclusively, to the business entrusted to
them.
recommend that the power to dispose
of lands and to issue land scrip, be taken
from the swamp land Commissioners; that
all expenses of every kind and nature, rel
ative to swamp and overfowed lands, be
paid through the State Treasury, upon war;
rants of the Auditor out of the swamp land
fund, or in swamp land scrip; that the State
Treasurer sign, and the State Land Agent
countersign, all swamp land scrip, which
shall be issued in payment of the Auditors
warrants and each keep register thereof !;
that such scrip be issued in 40, 80 and 160
acre denominations in such manner as to
authorize the bearer, to locate the same in
his own name. / recommend that the pre-
sent swamp land Commissioners be requir-
ed within given time, to prepare an accu-
rate list and description by numbers and
areas of all swamp lands, which may have
been disposed of during their term of SER
vice, showing to whom, for what and when,
each tract may have been disposed of, to
which class each tract belongs, the names
of the individuals who may have signed the
certificate of purchase or location, and the
date and also the number, if numbered, of
each certificate SO granted, and at the end