The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1855-10-18

AIM IA, NO, OePt. %, O00.
On the 2sth of September, 1850, the
Congress of the Uniicd States approved
an act entitled IAN Act to enable the State
Of Arkansas and other States to reclaim
the swamp lands within their limits
The State of Missouri, BY an act of her
Legislature on the I'd Of March, 1851,
gave to the counties respectively all the
lands lying within their limits to which
the State had acquired title by virtue
Of the act of 1850. The county courts of
each county throughout the State ap-
pointed agents to select the lands under
the Act of September %, 1886, and as a
consideration for their ser7ices contracted
to give each agent twelve and half cents
per acre for all the lands they might Sc
leet-thus making it to the interest of the
agent to take all she lands he could find
within his county, under the act afore-
said
In accordance with this arrangement,
the agents for the State of Missouri Sc
lected the enormous amount of As. .969.
10 acres. (Sce report of Suryeyor-Gen-
eral for Illinois and Missouri to Comnis-
sioncr of the General Land Office, Oct. 81.
l554.) In the Palmyra land district a.
lone there has been more than one hun
dred and fifty thousand acres taken under
the act of 1850, not more than one for
tieth part Of which is swamp land within
the meaning Of the act of 1850 Thus
fraud of tremendous magnitude has
been perpetrated upon the government,
which, in its liberal policy and gencrosi-
ty, had donated ali the swamp lands to
the States in which said description of
lands might lie The act, which was Just
and equitable in its character, has been
prostituted by the agents appointed to car
ry it out. So great was the fraud in some
of the counties, and it swells or diminishes
in all in proportion to the possession or
destitution of conscience on the part of
the agent employed, that the citizens of
this land district, several hundred in num-
Der, have made afidasits setting forth the
fact that lands specified by them, and
which were taken under tue act Of 1850,
are and always were high and dry, aad
ft for cultivation at all seasons of tho
year, without artificial drainage OF en-
oankment. These afidayits were fled
With the Commissioner of the General
Land Office Department, and many of tho
Eases are undergoing the process of le-
gal investigation.
The Department at Washington has
been fully apprised of the fraud commit
ed upon the government siuce the spring
# 1S53-from the contest gotten up by
he Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad
company, individuals, and the report of
he Surveyor of Lands for the State of L.
inois and Missouri. The department
we're so well satisfied Of the extent and
magnitude of the fraud that the issuing
f pateuts to the State of Missouri, for the
ands selected under the act of 1850, had
cen suspended as to all the lands. The
onstituted authorities Of the State we're
qually in possession of the fact that q
raud had been perpetrated upon the gov
rnment in the selection of lands con-
smplated by the act of 1850. And so
neasy and solicitous were they upon the
ubject, they exhausted all their powers
t sophistry and cunning by correspon-
enoe to induce the department. to issue
be patents to these lands. But all their
nworthy efforts proved unavailing.
Finally the plan was conceived of send
ng Gov. Price in ferS0aam to Washing
On to have personal interview with the
resident, and induce him, if possible, to
irect the department to issue patents to
he State for the lands claimed under the
ct of SO. Gov. Price visited the Pres
lent, and after negotiation of several
'eeks, Notwithstanding the information
nder the nose of the President, succeed
in getting him to order the Land Office
department. to commence issuing the pat
nts to these lands which had been selec-
I'd fraudulently. And we are boldly
I'D by Gov. Price, on his return to. Mis-
,uri, that extra clerks were to be called
ITO requisition to expedite this villanous