Demoine courier., 1854-11-30
Swamp Lands.

ted TO the States in which respectively
lie. The general policy of the StaIes
thus benefited has been 10 cede all such
lands 20 the counties in which they are
situated. The legislature Of this State,
following the example Of Illinois and
other States, made this usual disposition
OF such lauds at the session Of so g.
The survey ing and reporting these lands
to the Surveyor Genera! was assigned to
county surveyors, and it was Of course
optional with them to report "swamp or
ov~erfowed" lands to "any gircn qnan-
u.y.' We have heard Of pretty extern
siso tracts OF 'swamp lands" in Illinois
in counties hitherto counted particularly
high, dry and healthy, :" but as ye, we
have not been Informed tina. any Of the
counties Of this State are very "swampy,"
excepting Dubuque, which returns some
10000 acres-just twice as much as
was reported by government, surveyors.
some years since. for the whole Terri
tory! But lie, that pass. The Express
and Herald, of cuBuque. in referring to
this swamp land business, makes some
important suggestions. Ii says:
1.-The lists as made out bv direction
OF ,he State authorities, embrace ia the
Dubuque land disiric, alone abou, 60, 600
acres. and j. IS estimated that The amount
OF lands in this State embraced by the
provisions oil the actof Congress donating
The lands will be about 200, 900 acres,
one third or more of which has been
sold by !he local Land Offices, subse.
quens TO the passage of the act of 1850
and prior to the filing of The lis, of such
lands in the local Land Offices. OF
course the State has a claim on the gen
erai Government for The purchase money
received o rsuch portion of those as have
been sold, and the question then arises
what will the State do with this money?
Shallit be given to the counties in which
the swamp and overlowed lands are
situated in accordance with the act of
Assembly of 1853, or wound il MOI, be
better to appropriate il in The endowmen,
OF Asylums now begun to be needed IN
this State for the Deaf, Dumb, Blind and
Insane? b.
1t occurred 10 US at the time of the
passage of The act Of Assembly of 1853,
tina, the policy of giving those lands OF
The proceeds of them TO the counties in
which they were situated, was MOI, the
best hal could have been adopted
From an examination of The act last
referred to we are inclined to think
that without further legislation the, pro-
ceeds of the swamp lands which have
been sold and which Of course will be
paid back TO the State, will 90 to the
counties in which the lands were siiuat.
ed, the same as il The lands had been sold
under the provisions of the act of Assem-
bly,. II the money be thus disposed of.
though il may be OF temporary advantage
to some counties no substantial or per.
manent advantage will result to this
Stale from the donation by the General
Government of the 800 1000 acres of land
estimated to be embraced by the terms OF
the act Of 1850 within this State. One
of the gentlemen elected to the Legisla-
ture from this Senatorial District, Judge
Hamilton, intends to move for a ne y
disposition Of HE fund arising from the
sale of those lands. He intends to pro.
pose that those funds be appropriated
Tor the endowment, Of such Asylums as
we have referred to above. and so far as
we can we shall second his endeavors
to have the funds SO appropriated"
We commend the above 10 the consid.
Grafton OF such members Of the legislature
elect as may happen to see this paper
As at present advised. we think the plan
proposed a good one, though as a per.
mahen, fund for such purposes i. would
no, do to depend upon. In any event,
we trust. Tor the good name of humanity,
that OIL next legislature will do some
thing for those unfortunates of our race
who are now confined IN our prisons or
but half cared for at our poor houses
burlington Telegraph.