Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1857-09-25

s~ylvania avenue in broad daylight would es
cape detection as easily as this fraud, II any
fraud bad been committed.
But while it lie very preposterous to believe
such a charge against a wise, prudent and
high-principled man like Gov. Fioyt, il is not
At ali improbable that Black Republican pa
pers would make it. That is natural enough.
Their mendaeity was trained to such a pitch
IN the Presidential canvass that they cannot
quit heir trade all at once. Il rs their voca-
ton to bear false witness against their neigh
bors, and inVeterate habit has made il, to them,
the most agreeable Of all employments.
But We do not base our defense Of the Seere-
taTy merely upon arguments q pTtOri, though
these. We think. would be sufficient. The case
is so perfectly clear and free from doubt, that
If the charge had been made By the most hon
orsbls man in the country against tne sllliest
knaVe that ever ran, it would not be believed
BY any sane person.
The duty OF ordering the sale in question,
and making the conveyance to the purchaser,
was deVolved by law on the Secretary Of War.
How It should be made, and by which agents,
were left entirely to his discretion. He APP
pointed Mr.. Hsiskell and Major Eastman to
perform this service. He could not have Sc
iscted two persons Of more unexeeptisnable
character; a more upright citizen than the
former, OF an officer more faithful to bis duties
than the latter, is not to be found in this Union
They took with them the instructions Of the
WaT Department to get the best price they
could for the land, but in no event to accept
less than 81 90 per acre. The quantity was
between seven and eight thousand acres. Mr..
Franklin Steele, who has some improvements
upon it, offered them $4,000, but they refused
to sell for less than $50. OO0, being about SD
per acre. Mr.. Steele fnally came up 10 the
price demanded, and the contract was closed.
There were no other offers of anything like an
equal price, and the ctmmissioHsrs had not the
least reason to believe that more money could
possibly be got for the land By any means
which they or the Department could adopt.
The inference Of fraud and corruption in the
sale is drawn entirely from the insdequscy Of
the price. Not 4 title of evidence impesching
the conduct Of any public officer connected
with the affair has been or can be produced.
The whole slanderOus superstructuTe rests upon
this foundation alone that the value Of the
land was i've, eight, or ten times as great az
the pr e. OF this fact there is no proof that
We have seen or heard. except the unsupported
assertion Of the Times and rs abolition echoes.
backed by a few KnoW-Nothing sheets of
about equal reputation for truth. We know
not why any statement coming from such a
quarter should be believed, even if it stood un-
cOHtradicted. But we DO contradict it most en-
phatically- We pronounce II false, and we
can prove It 50. We DO not avail ourselves Of
the advantage 10 which our offensive attitude
entities US Of calling on the other side for the
proof, for Ne know the other side has none to
give We will furnish the evidence ourselves.
What We mean BY the value of government
land Il that price which the government can
reasonably exnect TO get for II, not the price
which a settler would take after he has bought
and improved it still less he price which a
Spectator would ask after be has laid out a
city upon 1t aud Prfss it in III. Eastern pa
prs for two or three years The arts which
JObbeTs use to raise their own lands in The
market are always employed 20 depress those
Of the government The Spectator is bear
before be buys, and a bali afterwards. Com
binatious to keep town the price Of public
lands are 80 universal and SO Irresistible that
he richest and most desirable Of them are
continually, and every day, sold at the mini
mum price,
TIE influence Of these combinations is felt.
perhaps, more sensibly on the sale Of reserva-
tons than II Is IN other cases. They have
never been met and managed with as much skill
and vision, or so completely defeated, as they
we're IN this very case Of Fort S%uelling; and
that accounts for q good deal Of the cutlery.
The slanderers Of Gov. Flovd say that be
ought to have set I'D he land at public auction
and given all a chance Of free composition. Do
they not know that a public sale is the very
place where no competition is likely tn exist?
NJ nv. ~ ~ NA0A-l NV ~ eEE mat NAAF
would rendered a fair sale altogether hopeless2
What re assert is, that a public auction Of
hes lands, either In small separate lots or all
t1getheT,w0uld have caused thea TO be sold at
q mere nominal price 10 combinations Of spec
~ulstOrs. A vas, therefore, wise and proper in
the Var Department TO appoint special agents
10 cell them at private sale if a reasonable
price could be got for them in that way. L.
consequence Of this being done, the department.
g9ected the best sale that eueT uas made Of public
lands EndT simf'Gr eiroumsfaEGss, and sGUsd to
the government at least eighty ikOusdnd dollars.
The proof Of this Is to be found in the record
Of every previous sale.
In 1850 a portion Of the reserve (534 acres)
at Fort Jessup, in Louisiana, was sold. Though
il was a smaller body Of better land. IN an
older eosntry than Fort Smelling, il sold for
Onty three dollars and forty ssUen cents per acre.
In 1853 Fort Winnebago was put up for sale.
The number Of acres was 4 034, aud The whole
sum realized was S2l275, a fraction beyond
fire dollars per acre. This land was worm ten
times as much as it brought. Il was believed
10 be 50 at the department, and the combination
which had been made to get it at an under
value was kaown, but there was no help for It.
The spectators were satisfied, and the Adolf
ton press was silent.
Soon afterwards Fort EIward was offered.
Secretary Davis, determined to prevent a re-
enactment Of the scene at Fort Winnebago,
took measures to resist the combination. Bot
The buyers on the ground 50 efectuslly check
m=tsd him that be did not gf a singls bid.
In 1884 thirty-one thousand acres was sold
Of from this same reserve at Fort Smelling. II
vas far more valuable than the portion re-
Gently sold. II was not only much better, for
agricultural purposes, but il included the pres
eut side Of Minneapolis, al the water power Of
The falls Of St. Anthony, and the falls Of Mine
haha, the government mill houses, and other
improvements Of large value. Gentle reader
Of The Back Republican papers, would y0u be-
iieve g.? This vast and magnificent estate
sole FOR a little more than thirty-ains thousand
dollsrs-iust exactly one dollar and twenty
FIVE cents per acre! And all If Il went alike.
A dollar and . quarter was the price that ran
horizontally ovsr town site and farm lands.
mills and prairiss, water-POwer aud dry
ground.
Il is a little remarkable that this water
power. which was sold three years ago for
81 Is, is the very sane water-power which
Gov. FioFd rs accused Of selling this summer
It SD. Il was necessary to put the falls into
he last sale since NOBODY could otherwise be
made to believe the eXTavsgant tale about
Wild land in Minnesota being worth a hundred
AID twenty or thirty dollars an acre Seeing
this necessity for a cataract, the Black Re
publicsns did not hesitate 10 move St. Anthony
down the river.
The Instructions given BY Governor Floyd
TO the sgsn's Of the department are, 70 our
mind, altogether creditsble to his head and
heart. lie directs them ta proceed to The place
Ehere their duties are 70 be perforDed-to
make the sale Of the lands in fOrty-acre lois at
public auction if there be any prospect Of get
ting a fair price 10 that wsy-and, If the usual
combinations n cheat the government be
then 20 defeat them By a private sale,
provided a purchaser can be obtained who will
give what the commissioners may consider
right. These instructions were carried out
Il was well seen that the combinations would
be made but they were defeated, and the land
vas well sold. Tue spectators rsved like
hungry wolves from whose Jaws the prey has
been Suddenly sastehed. They aceuss Cover
nor FLOYD. whose agents sold il at ninety thou
sand dollars, Of a fraud, merely because he
vas shrewd and honest enough 10 prevent them
from getting II for nothing.
We dismiss this idle accusation TO the winds.
Il wss not worth the attention we have given
t-WashiagfOn UaiOH.
TRANSFORMATIONS OF LETTERS BY Rail-
CoMPASIEs OUrsIDE or THE MALL
10 reply TO a letter Of a Postmaster incuiring
To the right Of railroad companies 20 send
letters over their respective times outside OF
ihe mails, toe Postmaster General has decided
that letters, not enclosed IN stamped envelopes,
nor exclusively relating 10 the business OF the
road over which they pass, cannot be thus car
ried, EXCEPT IN violation OF law and directs the
proseeaiiou Of al PERSONS offending in this
particular.
HoNoR TO An ANERIcAE.-We hear that
the Emperor Louis NAPOLEON not long since
caused an inquiry to be made Of Minister Ma
Foa Aheshsr this government would permit
Lieut. Maury, U S N, to receive from him
the cross Of the Legion Of Honor, and that,
having referred the question TO Washington,
snswer has been returned that under our law
no one in L. NJ position in the public service
can receive a testimonial from ; foreign gov
srnment.-Stay.