The true Democrat., 1856-12-23
Swamo Land Hill Passed.

tie operations cf the present la,os upon tue sub jet cf the swan,p anu oUegao,oea lands" SEc. l. Be It enacted by tue General Assembly of the State of -Arkansas, That the office of swamp land commissioner, and all other offices specially or incidentally created for carrying into effect the present laws, in relation to the swamp and overflowed lands in this State, ex- cept that of Land Agent" be and the same are hereby abolished.
 SEC ?. That the several land agents respec- lively, shall continue to have and exercise the power, as under existing laws, to sell such lands have been, CT shall hereafter be con- hrmed to the State, swamp and cvertiowed lands, either for money or for scrip, heretofore issued aud still unredeemed, or for scrip which may be hereafter issued in payment for services or on contracts now existing.
 SEC 3. That all scrip issued prior to the first day of January, A. D. 1857, shall be To- cated and cancelled within twelve months thereafter; that is to say, by the 1st day of January, A. D. 1858, and all scrip issued after the lst day of January, A, D. 1857, shall be located and cancelled within twelve months from and after the date of said scrip; and all scrip which shall not be located and cancelled as required by this section, is hereby declared to be void, and the holder forever barred from locating the same; ProUided, That all certif- cates for work or services heretofore performed shall be presented to the Auditor within three months alter the passage of this act, and all certificates to be issued hereafter on account of contracts now existing, shall be presented to the Auditor within three months after the ex- plration of such contract, otherwise such ac- counts or certificates shall be void, and barred provided in this section.
 SEC. 4. Be it further enacted, That for all work now contracted for, and in the course of construction, whether levee work or ditchng, or draining, upon the application and repre- sentatlon of the contractor to the Governor, that the same Is completed in accordance with the written contract heretofore entered into with the commissioner of swamp and over- flowed ands-the Governor shall appoint a competent engineer to examine and measure such levee, ditch, or drain, and to report all facts touching the work, whether the same has been executed in accordance with the contract, and the number of cubic yards in said levee, ditch, or drain, and if the Governor shall be satisfied that said contractor has fully complied with all the stipulati)ns of his contract, he shall certify the same to the Auditor, and the Auditor shall draw his warrant for the amount due, upon the Treasurer, for such amount in swamp land scrip. Said engineer shall receive as compensation for every day that he may be engaged in making the necessary examina- ton and measurements, the sum of four dollars, in swamp land scrip, and shall. before entering upon the discharge of his duties, as such en. glneeT, take an oath IS now prescribed by law
 SEC. 3. There shall be appointed by the Go- vernor one selecting agent in each county in tins State where there may be any unselected swamp and overflowed lands, whose duty it shall be to select all the unreported lands ly- ing within his county and falling within the terms of the act of Congress conveying the swamp and overtiowed lands to this State, and 10 report to the Governor a complete and per feet list of such selected lands verified by afi daylt, and the Governor shall cause to be for warded to the proper department at Washing ton city, list of all such lands so reported for conhrmatlon, and after such reported list shall | have been acted upon, the said selecting agent shall be entitled to demand and receive, upon the certificate of the Governor the sum of 75 ! cents for each tract of forty acres which shall haue. been confirmed to the State of the lands so selected by him.
 SEC. 6. hat So much of existing laws as fixes the salaries of Land Agents at $500 per dHnusa, be So amended that the several Land | Agents to be elected under the provisions of this act shall each receive as a compensation 1 m tuil for their services the sum of S4OO Der aanuh3, and fee of one dollar for each certif- ] cate of purchase which he may issue and which : fec shall be paid by the purchaser provided that tue said salaries shall be paid in just pro- portions out of the swamp lands internal i'm | provement lands, saline lands and seminary fund; and provided further, that all tracts of swamp lands which may be in the same town shlp and may be entered by the same person at one time shall be embraced in one certificate.
 SEC. [. That so much of the law as estab. fishes the five existing swamp land offices in this State, be and the same is hereby repealed. ! SEC. 5. That there shall be established for the sale and entry of the lands of this State, seven land offices, o-wit: one at Fayetteville, in l the county of Washiagton; one at Batesville. in the county of Independence; one at Clarks- vile, In the county of Johnson; one at Little Rock, in the county of Pulaski; one at Helena, in the county of Phillips; one at Champagnolle, in the county of Union, and one at Washington.
 in the county of Hempstead
 SEC. 9. That the five land districts estab- lished in this State under existing laws be apd the same are hereby abolished, and that seven State land districts be and the same are hereby created and established to embrace the land oiceS created by section 8, which districts shall contain the same territory each as is now con- talned ln the seven United States land districts 1 i'll this State respectively
 ! .S SEC. 10. It is hereby made the duty of the land agents now in office to return to the office o: the State Auditor on or before the 1st day of April, A. D. 1857 all the books, plats, documents and papers belonging to their respective offices, and to make final settlement 0 their accounts and the Auditor shall cause such books, plats. documents and pqpers to be distributed to such of the offices created and established by the eighth section of this act, as they shall appro- ! lrlately and respectively belong, and the ex penses of such return settlement and dis:ribu ton shall be paid out of the swamp land fund or in scrip; Provided, That the land agents now lncumbents of the offices at Helena and at
 Washington, in Hempstead county, shall only return to the Auditor such books, plats, doc,t- '"ehts and papers as do notappropriately pertain to the said Helena and Washington districts respectively, according to the provisions of this act, and they shall turn over to their successors m office all others as provided for under exist | ing laws.
 SEC. II. The General Assembly shall. dur ing the present session, and every two years thereafter elect one land agent for each of the districts created and established by the Sth sec- ton of this act, who shall hold their offices re- Spectvely for two years, and until their success sors are elected and qualified, and said land agents shall take the oath and enter into bond as now required by law
 SEC. F. All laws and parts of laws relating to the sale or entry of the public lands of this State, and to the duties of land agents, not in conic with the provisions of this act are here by declared to remain in full force and effect.
 SEC. l3. If any vacancy occur in the office of land agent or selecting agent by refusa. to accept, death, resignation or otherwise. the Go- vernor shall have the power to fill such vacaD- cy by appointment, and such appointee shall be governed by the laws heretofore provided for the government of such officers.
 SEC. l4 All laws and parts of laws conflict
 ing with the provisions of this act, be and the same are hereby repealed
 This bill, as it now reads, is intended by its