Arkansas true Democrat., 1858-11-24
Swamp Lands and Railroads.

Swamp Lands and Railroads.
 The recommendation of the executive to ln- vest portion of the swamp lands in the stock of different roads tor the beneft cf the sa0an'd tand funds of the districts in which the granted lands may lie, has met with favor from the press generally. The Gazette thinks the re- commentators objectionable and gives some reasons. The first objection is that the swamp lands being granted for their own reclamation to divert them from that would be an act of bad faith. Nobody disputes this Nor would selling the lands for stock be so diverting them. Lands are now sold for cash and that cash ap- propriated to build levees. If they are sold for ra aroad stock and the proceeds of that stock applied to reclamation purposes, will not the end be the same?
 The second objection is that the stock of these roads may be under par. Now the Gov ernor proposes to take stock for these lands at one dollar per acre. They now sell for fifty and seventy-fve cents an acre;-say for fifty cents on an average, after deducting expenses. AUlniJ lneu ludb Iue SlOCh Ol tucSe TdllTOdIS should be at 25 or even 50 per cent. discount, the district fund would lose nothing. But we opine that contractors in the absence of specie in district fund, would take railroad stock at its par value. in payment for levee work.
 The third objection is that the proposed roads will not be completed, as but two, he says, are making any progress. It is not supposed that this purchase of stock would complete any road, and the very fact that the roads arc mak- ing but little progress is the strongest argument that could be used in favor of helping them.- If they were able to progress rapidly, they would not take the lands at one dollar an acre. Whether the General Assembly will or will not adopt the recommendation is for them to de- termine, hut we venture to assert that if 1t should be done the swamp land funds would lose nothing. Suppose, for instance, that, 400, OO0 acres of lhe unsold lands in the Batesville district are taken by the Memphis and Little Rock railroad company, at one dollar an acre. This road will be built, and we venture to pre- cit that its stock will be at par. But admit ting that it has to be sold at seventy five cents on the dollar this will put three hundred thou sand dollars, in sleoie, at once, in the fund of the Batesville district and be equal to seventy five cents for the land. These same 400 GOO acres will not otherwise be sold for years; the price therefor may be lowered or graduated after being uusold for a certain number of years, and no reasonable man will venture to assert that they can be made to bring $3OO,OOO in any other way. They will Le gradually sold, the proceeds paid out for small levees, and the whole done piece-meal, whereas, with S3O0,- GOO or $4OO,OOO on hand, at one time, large and long levees could be built, at once produc- tive of immense good and etfectually carrying out the purposes for which the lands were granted.
 We have been falsely accused of being op- posed to railroads and Governor Conway repre- sented as preferring dirt roads.' The truth is, that no person in the State was more anxious for these roads than the present executive, and in every way has he sought to encourage them. For ourselves, we have, from the first, approv- ed of every feasible project that has been pre- sented for building railroads, and to encourage those in progress. When the wind and gas work was to be done; when capital was to be made and buncombe to be carried by storm, the Gazette was very loud and red -faced;--n N, when plan is proposed whereby none can be injured and all may be benefited it hesitates,- has its doubts.--intmates that it would be an act of bad faith and finally ends by opposing it.. As to its slur on Governor Conway, we can tell it, that the Governor is prepared and will ing to give all proper aid and encouragement to these enterprises both in his official and pri- vate capacity, and to that end, if he thinks pro per, will purchase railroad stock.
 If these roads are not built now, we need never ask Congress for another grant of lands to aid us in the construction of railroads. If we let this opportunity pass it will not occur again in generation. We believe that these roads will be built, and so believing we have every confidence that the present General Assembly will do all in their power to encourage them.
 We are not vain enough to suppose that any, thing we may write would influence legislation on this subject, but we deem these remarks necessary to refute the positions taken by the Gazette;- positions which, even it has not the hardihood to call arguments