The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1855-10-13
A GROSS oALuMsY ON rnE PRESIDENT EXPOSED.

A GROSS CALUMNY ON THE PRESIDENT EXPOSED.
In an editorial article OF the New York Tribune Of the
Sd instant the attention Of the reader is directed 70
letter Of very striking character from citizen OF Pal
myra Missouri charging gross fraud upon the officers OF
that State In the selection of swamp lands under the act
of September 1850 granting such lands TO Arkansas and
other States. According TO the writer, continues the
Tribune when this fraud had been arrested IN the Iand
Office at Washington, Governor Price succeeded IN en-
listing the President in behalf of the speculation and by
his order the consummaon Of the swinde was resumed
and now going forward Although the Tribune char
acterzes them as grave accusations and does not pre-
tend any knowledge Of the character Of the c
zenD who makes them to have any of verify
ing their details yet they allowed place IN his col
umns accompanied by special editorial notice, with
fegned hope that they may be entirely rebutted though
with fears that they not without foundation in
facn If the editor of the Tribune had really desired to
see the accusations of his correspondent entirely efued
he would have had difficulty in being gratifed by
making application to the Land Office where oil the facts
be supposed to exist He chose, however to throw
the responsibility of the beous attack upon his cores
pendent and himself by the hypocrcal express
sion of his hope that the charges not true As
friend Of President Pierce have complaints to make
on account of such unmanly and malignant assaults We
know that he stands ready to meet all such assaans
whether they be the hired volunteer brood of caumn
ators who work for the Tribune the Herald, with
open official record which he defes scrutiny and will
conound and put to shame any such caumnator. The
letter in the Tribune purports to be written by VIM
H. Taylorwe understand there is lawyer of that
in Palmyra Missouri but will not far underrate any
gentleman Of the legal profession to him capable
of writing such letter. Without caring to inquire whet
er the letter be genuine or not have applied the
proper department and obtained the information necessary
to stamp the accusations utterly false and slanderous
The allegations that the State in selecting the lands
granted by the of 2sth September $780, has laid claim
to large bodies of high dry land and that the President
in collision with Gov Price, has recognised the States
claim to these lands thus defrauding the
of the amount of money that would otherwise have arisen
from their disposal
the following facts:
The of September 2s 1850 entitled an act 10
Die The State Of Arkansas and other State: TO reclaim the
soamp lands chin their limits" granted to the States "all
those swamp and overowed lands rendered thereby
unfit for cultivation and the 2lst of November follow
ing the Commissioner of the General Land Office issued
circular of instructions under the law addressed to the
surveyors general of public lands in the several States
benefited by the grant, from which make the following
extracts
Ths clearly and unequivocay grants to the several
States those lands which, from being swampy subject to
overflow unfit for cultivation In this class included
also all lands which, though dry part of the year, sub
to nundation at the planting growing harvesting
season. destroy the CROP and therefore unfit for
cultivation taking the average of the for
hla mn of rs he rule off
"The only reliable data in your possession from which
these lists be made the field Of the
file in your Office and if the authorities of the State
willing adopt these the basis Of those lists you will
regard them. If not and those authorities furnish you
actory evidence that lands of the character
braced by the grant, you will SO report them"
where the eldnotes basis and the intersections
of the lines of swamp overflow with those of the public
surveys alone given those intersections may be
ed by straight lines, and all legal subdivisions the greater
part which shown by these lines be within the
swamp overflow will be certified to tho State the balance
will remain the property of the government
"Where the State authorities may conclude to have the
surveys made to determine the boundaries of tn, swamp
overowed and those boundaries alone should be surveyed
taking connexions with the nearest section township
ers or
Where the swamp or overhowed lands the bor-
ders Of stream lake. the stream lake could be
dered and ordnate surveyed at suitable intervals from the
borders of the stream lake to the margin Of the
oveowed lands and by connecting the ends of those ord
mates next to the margin by straight lines the boundaries
the swamp overhowed lands be
cen accuracy In however, should any such bound
aries ordnates be marked in the field they pro-
duce difficulty in determining the lines and of the
public surveys hereafter and thus lead to litigation The
selections in all these will be made before directed
Where satisfactory evidence produced that the whole of
township any particular and specified part of township
the whole tract of country bounded by specified
ed natural boundaries of the character embraced by
grant, you will report it the adjacent subdivisions
however, to be subject to the regulations above given and
every under each rule principle herein prescribed
ortyacre lots quarter will be regarded
the legal subdivisions contemplated by the law.
The adavits of the county surveyors other respect
able persons that they understand and have examined
nes and that the lands bounded by lines thus
particularly designated in the affidavit of the character
embraced by the law, should be sufficient.
The line boundary of the overflow that renders the
land unfit for regular cultivation may be adopted that
which regulates the grant"
Under these instructions the State of Missouri having
the privilege to elect whether she would adopt the field
notes of survey file in the surveyor generals Office
the basis upon which to accept the lands select the same
through sworn agents in the field, adopted the latter
course and her selections amounting 324952 80 acres
duly verified reported to the surveyor general of pub
lie lands at St Louis by him carefully examined and re-
ported to the Commissioner of the General Land Office in
certain lists certified about the 18th October 1853
and the I'd November 1854 OF those first reported all re-
naming vacant approved by the Secretary of the In
tartnr In fhna rlr rtrf