The true Democrat., 1854-11-08

T vernon may furnish organized companies of mi. , litia with such arms. There is public necessity for such laws
 Under the provisions of the act of Congress, approved September 18th, 1850, it appears that the Surveyor General has recommended for con- trmation to this State, SAGA, ,943l5 acres as swamp and overhowed lands; and that in addi tion to this amount 577, ,975GO acres. reported to him by the commissioners, as swamp a.d overf1owed lands were rejected by him. and ad- dlhonal proof required to establish to hi, satis- faction that the lands should be confirmed to the State. As the Surveyor General has no account ln his office of the lands sold or other wise disposed of by the United States, before the passage of the swamp land act, many lands of ths character are embraced in the s, 9,464 943 lo acres recommended by him for confirmation 10 the State, and must be deducted, and only the remainder confirmed to the State by the Secre- tary of the Interior
 Before the 1st of October 1854, the Secretary o1 the Interior confirmed to the State of Arkan- saS, and caused to de certified to the Governor o,56i ,O5l.ol acres of swamp and over1lowed lands, which had been selected iii nine hun- dfed and elghty-slX townships, as will be seen by statement No. If the Auditors report.
 From statements numbered 2 and : in the Auditors report It appears that the total number of acres ot swamp and ovcrlowed lands reported to his office as sold by the Id and the new Boards ol Swamp Land Commissioners and Dy tIe land agents, amounts to l 5U4 225 34 acres. By the report ot the State Treasurer. it appears that the whole amount of swamp land SGT, lsS1ea oy nm, Letore the 1st of October, 1854, was S9l4, 191 10. troD, ha bo.t been aole to obtaln, although 1t is not vet off, clally authenticated, the whole amount of swamp land scrip issued by the old Board of swamp Lana Commlssloners, was S37O, 76O.
 This amount added to that issued by the Treasurer, shows the entire amount of swamn land scnplssued before the 1st of October, 1854, to be Sl ,263, ,951 1O
 by the lreaSurer's report, it appears that the whoIe amount ot swamp land scrip paid into the State Treasury, before the lst day of De- tober, 1854, and 50 redeemed was !s4203 $50 93. By statement No. 2, iu the Auditors report, 1t will be seen that the old Board of Swamp Land Commissioners reported that they had re- celved swamp land scrip, for lands sold by them, amounting to 166.892 40 and also 525 28 in cash, but no part of which scrip or cash has been paid into the State Treasury.
 
 l by the old board ot swamp land commissioners, still remain where the commissioners left the same, in the swamp land office, at Helena; but the Executive has no official information of that fact. A law ought to be enacted, as was I recommended Ill my message of 27th NOven- Der, 1052, that would cause the payment of i tnlS scrp and money lAtO the SJate Ir4a5llrv ] The amount ot Swamp land scrip received by 1 the old Board ot Commissioners, added to that pald into the SCate Treasury, shows that the en- i tire amount redeemed before the lst of October 1851, was S6O7 243, ,33. This amount sub- tracted from che S1,2o3, ,9o1 1O issued, would leave swamp land scrip unredeemed on the lst of October, 1854 amounting to S676,707 77
 To satisfy this amount oi scrip would require l 1858, 3,415.54 acres of swamp lands of the se- cond class Cat the established price of fifty cents an acre,) which number of acres added i to the ], ,5O4 .225.34 acres sold, would show the aggregate ot the sold, an what may be termed appropriated swamp iands to 5e ; 857. .64I6S acres; which, deducted from the ,. 5.567 .O5l.8l acres confirmed to the State by the Secretary of the In erior, and certified to the Governor, before the 1sC ol October, 1851, will leave 2,7O9, 4OO93 acres of land more than will he re- quired to satisfy all of the unredeemel swamp land scrip issued before the 1stof October 1854
 The Executive deems 1t safe to esUmA5e Int the State Is entitled to, and will obtain in al at least eight millions of acres of land under this act of Congress.
 It appears that for 3,940, ,327.26, cubic yards of levee received by the Swamp Land Con- missioners during the last two vears they grant. ed certificates upon the Auditor for payment, amounting ill all to $783, l56 13; and for 123,- Ol3,26 cubic yards of ditching and draining . L, ,-+l,,
 ment for the work upon the Auditor amount ing to S29, ,468 90; and that to pay iot officers salaries locating swamp and overtl0Wot lands, services of sub commissioners and office expen- ses. granted certificates for payment upon the Auditor amounting in the ag5re 5a.c to S32, ,547 39; and also that for allowances male but not paid by the old board ol comm m,ss,oners, and for balances found to be due to individuals on examination of their accounts, and 10 enable persons to get scrip in lieu Of that paid bv them ill excess on entries of swamp and o. o.eiioweI lands or paid OF illegal entries, including those where two entries were found to conflict, the new board of Swamp Land Commissioners granted certificates upon the Auditor for pay ment ntamountlng in the aggre gate to S99, 39O 78.
 This information of the action of the new board of Swamp Land Commissioners has been gathered from papers not officially autheuticat- ed, but which were 10 doubt intended to be parts of the report of the Commissioners. Lambert J. Rc9rdOn was one of the Swamp Land Com missioners and the other two seem ed to have conhded in him to makr the report; but be- fore completing it, unfortunately for the Stat, on the 24th of October, 1854, he expired To | ill the vacancy that so happened during tie recess of the general assembly, the Governor appointed john Hut, Swamp Land Commis- sioner The other two commissioners, not be- ing at the seat of government, the newly ap- pointed one will have to await their arrival to enable them to act with him in making a report. When made, the Executive will commun.- cate 1t to you.
 It is stated that the board of commission CTS have caused to be levied and secured from overflow almost the entire portion of the State fronting on the Mississippi river, and large portion of the Arkansas river and considerable portions elsewhere in the Sate."
 There is no doubt but much good has been effected by the leyees constructed and whilst it is public duty to have suitable laws to pre- vent the fund from being wasted and s1uander-