The daily union., 1854-12-13

Tosni....".... 1906, ,7e 1877 ,s4s.o0 sassse 81
Subject TO resdjusmen' owing mperfeeon of
Under decision of Attorney General, July a. 1850
This grant may be regarded closed in all these States
except Louisiana and it is presumed that it will soon be
disposed of by that State also
The grant for the central railroad from Chicago to Mo-
bile with branch to Galena has been adjusted aud final
y closed that in Missouri from Hannibal to St Josephs
is also closed except few tracts claimed by the railroad
which have been selected by the agents of the State
swamp lands under the act of 1885, and which in
OF adjustment The grant for the southwestern road
from St Louis Missouri is in process of adjustment and
will be completed practicable Nothing has yet
been done with the grants for roads in Arkansas for the
that by the terms Of the grant, the legislature of the
State authorized to have the routes of the road esaE
lshed and that body did not since the grant was
made till this fall 1t is presumed that the routes of these
roads will be established from surveys already made and
when established, the grant will be adjusted as speedily as
practicable.
The grant for the sau Ste Marie canal it is expected
will be finally adjusted by the of the
sion of Congress
At the instance of many members of Congress and Others
about hirtone millions of in several of the land
States had been withdrawn from market in anticipation of
grants for railroad and other internal improvements
such grants not made it deemed expedcnt to
these of lands market especially in view
the passage of the bill graduating the price of the public
and and this has been except where the reservation
for fixed period or grants have already been made
The adjustment of these grants, and the prompt dis
charge of the current duties of this office have been
lands
When the act of 2sth of September, 1850 was passed.
granting the swamp and overowed lands to the several
States the surveyors general We're charged with the elec
on of those lands in the States where that Office still
sted and where not that duty devoved the regis
ers and receivers of the land offices.
The instructions required that the selections should be
made from the field descriptive notes of survey where
the States were willing to accept that basis but where
shown by the field descriptive notes to be embraced by
tb ,et sa iaofy avaed, ,shaqld also be certified
character alleged
More four years have elapsed and the selections
not yet completed In the time entries and
locations made of lands subsequently claimed by the
States and in of this kind where these claims
have been contested it has been found that the lands
not embraced by the swamp law and consequently the
sales or locations confirmed the claim the part of
the States having originated in the ignorance careless
of some of their agents. As the stands
however is impossible issue patents for sales and loca
tons with any safety till the final of the swamp
lecions have been made and posted. The parties who
claim these patents complainant with good reasonof this
Withholding of the evidences of their titles and the
of the evil may be judged of from the fact that by careful
estimates appears there are now in this Office about
hundred and twenyfou thousand patents written and not
transmitted.
To remedy this evil respectfully recommend that a
thory given for the issue of these patents andhat
vision be made by law that the purchase money for any
such lands be paid the States and that they be
thozed to select Others in lien of those located with scrip
land warrants &C. due proof by the authorized agents
Of the States that such lands of the character
braced by the swamp-land act of 1850.
Further experience in examining the Virginia revoa-
tonaIy bountylan claims filed for scrip. under the
August 1852 has fully eyinced the difficulties in arriving
at satisfactory conclusion in many of those In
view however of the liberal construction given to the
Of 3lst August 1852 by your decision and the opinion of
the Attorney General rendered since the recommendation
in my report of last year. clearly of opinion that every
claim can be satisfied that should be allowed and hence
that further legislation this SUBJECTS unnecessary if
inexpedient
None entertain higher estimate than is held by
this office Of the value of the services for which bounty
h, uinio tho
struggle and hence the liberal construction consist
ent with the law has been applied to claims Of this char
acter.
The attention of Congress is again respectfully called to
the imperfect condition of part of the records of this dvis
ion These records the only evidence of title
bodies fand in Ohio patented prior to 1894 and is
highly important that measures should be promptly adopted
for perecng them every delay increases the diff
fculty in accomplishing that object.
In connexion with this subject it is suggested that
number of "entries they termed of Virginia
utonay warrants made in the military district in
Ohio for which have been executed patents
issued owing to the neglect of the owners many Of whom
their heirs assigns occupy those lands The
of goth February 1850, expired the lst of january
1852 and since that time survey could be executed of
any of these entries however merorous To close this
whole matter it respectfully recommended that author
ty be given conslmmate all cases of this character
and that the balance of the public land amounting il is
estimated to about 10000 acres be donated to the State
for school purposes. This recommendation is made in
view of the fact that these lands ntersttia slips
of irregular shapes generally excluded from the adjoining
surveys 1t is believed, because they considered Of
little value and further that it would in all proba-
by cost the government to hunt up surveys sell
and issue patents for them than would be realized from
the lands 1t is Important however in finally dsposng
of these tracts either by the federal State government
that provision be made giving preference in the purchase
of them to adjacent proprieors at given price and for
fixed time This suggestion is made prevent conflict of
boundaries and the litigation that will necessarily grow
OF surveying these lands It will be necessary for this
purpose old boundaries of irregular figures the
marks and monuments of many of which it is probable
have been entirely eaced by time accident In fact
would seem TO be necessary in this case to introduce
something Of the old Maryland system of surveys take
up vacancies, resurveys to include vacancies.
In view of the increase of business consequent the
operations of the law graduating the price of the public
lands and the decrease in the compensation of the land
officers caused by that reduction would be just
that some provision be made to ecompense them for their
labor The measure Of compensation heretofore allowed
should therefore, be contnued-that is per cent
where fees allowed estimating all the lands at dol
lar and twenty-five cents per acre. with the restriction that
they should not exceed six hundred aud twenty-five dol
lars for any quarter twenty-five hundred dollars
for the whole of official year. except where the sales
ceed that amonntsay to extent that would make the
per centage equal to hundred dollars where proper
tonste per centage should be allowed to compensate