Arkansas true Democrat., 1857-07-28
The Contrast.

Ash Grove, July g, 1857.
 DEAR JUN1oR-The whole number of acres of land confirmed to the State under the act of September 26, 1850, was, in round numbers, six millions. The number of acres sold by the State, up to the time when the new land agents went into office, and to satisfy the old scrip outstanding was 3,3Oo,OO, leaving about g. 100000 of the poorest of these lands. During that time about fifty thousand acres are said to have been reclaimed.
 By referring to the reports of the Auditor and Treasurer it will be seen that during the two fiscal years of 1855 and 1856, there was paid out $5l3,075 31. Of course, this was expended in building levees. No, indeed! Only S17O,0O0 was paid for levee work, and the remainder of the half million went in the shape of fees, salaries and contingent expenses"
 We had thought we would dissect the old system, and show how it was that an officer whose salary was S2,0OO a year. could manage by "extras," "suudres' and contingent ex- penses,' to draw S23,0O0! to show that within three days the board of commssones acted upon and allowed claims to over quarter of million for our purpose to draw a contrast between the expenditures under the late and present sys- tems.
 In the second quarter of 1856, the amount salaries of commissioners, sub-commissoners, agents, sub-agents, engineers, sub-engincers, and other officers and sub-oflicers took goodly part while in the corresponding quarter of 1851 under the new system, the amount of scrip issued to pay agents, engineer, secretary and to cover all incidental expenses, will not exceed $2,2O0. "Think of that, master Traveler."- And in the meantime, levees are being made, old contracts completed, surveys made and measures taken to fill up the gaps.
 Admitting. the high estimate of the engineers to be correct, about 0,0OO acres were reclaimed under the old system. How much of this was ing and other labor done on the land by the owners, we need not stop to enquire. But this was done at cost of 3 30OOO0 acres, or in other words 1t took the proceeds of the sale of sixty six acres to reclaim one acre. While the editor of the Traveller is resting let him take shingle and piece of chalk and work out this sum: If it takes 66 acres of the best land to reclaim one, how much will it tako to reclaim an acre after the lands have been picked and culled for years by spectators?
 Over three millions of acres of the best lands in the world are irretrievably gone, and all we have to show for them is now and then, levee in front of pl1ntation. Some of these lands have since sold for ten twenty and up to as high as sixty dollars an acre. Great bodies of theso lands are owned by nonresident spe- cuIators, so that immigrants desiring to purchase farms or plantations instead of leaving their money in this State find that it has to be paid 10 some company or person in Memphis, New Orleans or in Mississippi Does the editor of the Traveller believe that these lands could be bought now for an average of ten dollars an acre, or that, setting aside the value of the i'm proyements that may have been made upon ihem that thirty y-three millions of dollars could repurchase them?
 We are safe in asserting that had the present system been adopted at the outset, even at the low prices for which the lands were sold, t1e same amount of leveeing could have been mado, and there would now have been in the treasury at least a million of doll ars to the credit of the swamp land fund.
 While in your city last week I was informed that the land agent there had received during the few weeks of the current quarter, over five thousand dollars in specie, and if other agents have received like proportion of cash, the cash sales during the present quarter will amount to thirty thousand dollars. Very little scrip is being issued, the outstanding scrip is daily redeemed and the result will be, in a short time, that all the entries will be cash
 The editor of the Traveller whines about his being threatened with being tread out" of the democratic party for his opposition to the swamp land law. This is simply nonsenscal, for de- mocracy, we take it, is matter of principle, something nobler and more elevated than to depend upon an opinion concerning local law But we will say this: that it argues badly for a man to call himself a democrat, vet to oppose system that adopts a cash principle asits basis, and that is endorsed and sustained by ninety nine out of every huudred of the people,
 But enough of the subject Let us hope that friend Scott will mend his ways, confess his error and turn over now and better leaf. So may his shadow grow greater, he shall at tend and make speeches at other railroad iubi. lees, shall be elected Senator, and the next time he sets out upon his travels, go pot only to Gin cnnati, but perhaps to the great city of New York. But if ho will get in the swamps, if he persist in hiding his candle under the byshel of the swamp land acts, if, instead of giving his readers pleasing account of his great journey and the incidents therein he spends his time ink, paper aud talents in abusing good thing, then fear his star will begin to pale, his sha- dow will grow less, his prospects of the sena- torship grow dark and his travels end with that memorable trip to Porkoplis.
 B. GAR.
 Mail to Antoine Fails Again.
 Antoine Pike Co., ,Julv 23d 1S57