The true Democrat., 1854-07-19
Letter from R. w. Johnson.
U. $. Sen0te, J une 25. l

C. 5. Senate June 20, 1854 MR. EDIToR-Unde ordinary circumstan. ces l have uniformly disregarded the petty misrepresentations which have fallen to my share, knowing we'll that every public man must and will be to some extent misunderstood and mlsrepresented by those who disagree with him. Accordingly have appeared butseldom before the public to correct those inevitable er- TOTS, but have left 1t to time and the uniform consclentlOusness which has guided me m the discharge of all public duties, and the total absence Of any selfish orpecunlary consideration which has accompanied and actuated me, tc vindlcate myself. With the motives of those who may msrepresent me, 1 have nothing to do. misrepresentation may be the result of an inno- cent mlsapprehension, as we'll as of intention ma llclously to do wrong, and often is so in this case venture to hope 1t Is so, and if it is, the author of the wrong in justice to his own honor will not fail to set me right in every instance where his own words may have created false impression.
 My name is before the people of the State of Arkansas for the United States Senate, and as the elections shortly to occur must deter mine the complexion of our Legislature with whom that election rests under the constitution, l will correct this misrepresentation at once through your columns, knowing that if as has been my usual custom leave to time and the facts to vindcate me, it will be too late, and a serious wrong and injury may in the mean time have been consummated upon me.
 1 am charged with procuring legislation for the benefit of relation of mine at the expense of another citizen of Arkansas This cha,qe is untrue, and 1 will show it. To do such a thing would be to prostitute the honors and the nffi tol I Al- people of Arkansas.
 It Is not only untrue ill fact, and without qualification, ill this instance, but 1t Is absolutely strange how any intelligent mind could be so far misled, and that too so strongly, in its con- viction, to risk making the charge without first calling upon me for the facts, or at least making some other adequate investigation.
 My good name value, and throughout my life, all of which has been spent in Arkansas, and every part of which has been exposed to comment, in the midst of much bitterness, from January 1846, when first nominated for Con- gress, up to the present time, 1 have the conso- lation to believe, it stands untarnished with a mercenary or dishonorable act.
 Congress will not adjourn, in my opinion, be- fore the lst of August, when our elections will occur and of course, 1 shall be confined here at my post. What opprobrious charges, if any, may be made to my injury before the election, I do not know. l only know if any ere made, l will have no opportunity to reply and Imust rely upon my friends and my past character for my defense until my return home If the pre- sent misapprehension and instrumentation had been made later, 1 should have known it too Mte to have replied, and it might have been the means of doing me unmerited and serious injury in the county whence it comes to me, if not in other counties, and l can not believe that the author of it, whose reputation is that of an honorable man, would willingly be party to any action of the kind. I therefore rely with confidence upon 1t, that he will take the pains to absolve me from the wrong in his county.
 It is alledged that 1 have procured the pas sage of a law by which he, the locator of par eel of lands under the swamp land law, can be and will be deprived of his lands, which were claimed by relation of mine, who had previ- ously entered them in the United States land office, that relative being ignorant of the fact that they would be held as swamp lands as the property of the State of Arkansas under the swamp land act. Of this conflict of entry I had heard long ago, and had totally forgotten about it up to the moment that the charge of which l complain, had reached my ears. With the controversy about the land have nothing to do. But l know full we'll that if the land was swamp and overhowed land, and was not entered in the U. s. land office prior to the 18th of September, 1850, it became the proper ty of the State of Arkansas, under the act of that date, and no sale of it by the United States after the 18th of September, 185O could be va- lid; know also that if the same parcel of lands were afterwards sold by the State of Arkansas, through her swamp land officers, the title vests in equity in the purchaser from her, and can be enforced in court against any one who purchas- es after the 18th of September, 1850, from the United States, though such purchase might have been made previous even to the date of the pur- chase of the same land as swamp land from the State of Arkansas. l know too that 10 after legislatton can divest or change the title