The Cass County Republican. [volume] (Dowagiac, Mich.) 18??-1880, 1858-05-20

Safe LAND OFFICE,

CIATE LAND OFFlCE,
dAvSgly q fe !, ll5 Impulses Where
tie Swamp Lands woald be sold, r
dem itmy dqty to state, that willie I
haze been makina every effort to meet
the wishes of those interested, to over
come if possible The many serious, if
notinsarimountable obstacles aside from
the additional expense of from SIS, 900
K, 500, OOO) to offering all the Swamp
Land at different points over the State
without the Books and Plats belonging
to theaLand Office, and indispensable
here to transact the current business of
this Department, Che Attorney General
has published his opinion that the time
for ..sAtqining Owners and Occupants
to enter Swamp Land adjacent to them
is not limited to SO days, as have un-
derstood it to be, while making the
safes i,iindero the q Law. Though this
opinion still differs from own, yet In
the possible event that it Should be sus-
tained,f While the sales were appointed
to be held in more than one place, such
appoinp nents would Of course impose
the Obligation to sell accordingly, and
thus Involve the, in5prdctica6itity of
making the sales correctly Of. any Of
the advertised Lands. llst'' AZ" S'iies
For this reason alone, aside from
other weighty ones, I have felt obliged
under the circumstances, from necessi-
ty, and have therefore appointed all the
sales of the Swamp Lands this year, to
be held at Lansing. The time for these
sales, and the arrangement Of the diff
ferent counties in which they will be
offered. VIII soon be fixed and extern
sixely published ais <yez .sred ~
The Press being obliged on account
of the great amount of these Lands
1.-THE description filing 8 extra sheets)
to advertise them by supplements or
extra papers, it is impossible to fix the
time for the sale so far in qdcdnce as it
could otherwise be'done.,
The. advertising of the Lands by
subdivisions will also commence in a
few weeks, to be continued according to
Law, four successive weeks prior to the
sale, in one paper in each county in the
State in which a paper was published
at the time of the passage of the Act
providing for the sales, accompanied
with other information important to
purchasers. tgdi isHE .'ii3H IS @ s-iT
-1sif8e SEYMOUR b. TTEADwELL, 'si's
otai Tsd wsrdl X Commissioner.
We hate been aware as the Commits
sioner of the Land Office states, that
he has, for some time been making every
reasonable effort to remove, if possible,
I'LL, difficulties to selling the Swamp
Lands to accommodate the people at
different localities about the State. We
have heard him state at different times,
that on his part, if it could be made at
all practicable, he should cheerfully
make any personal sacrifice to accom-
plish this end. We think all must see
that many weiehty, if not riminovable
objections stood in the way of carrying
this out, even before the Attorner Gen
eral on the 10th of April published his
opinion that the time for adjoining
owners, and occupants is not limited to
GO days. % In looking carefully at the
INV itseff, and wtIfaf would seem an Oh
vious Inconsistency of giving adjoining
owners and occupants a longer time
than the settlers on Swamp Lands TO
prove up their claiitis and secure their
rights under the law, we cannot but
think the opinion upon which the Com
missioner has based his action in selling
more than SO, 600 acres of these lands,
and which was published so extensive.
" in the State through the press and
in circulars for two months, without
opposition from any quarter, is the one
nianifestly intended by the Legislature
that is, that The time for these two
classes. of settlers to prove up theil
claims IS limited to so days. The Leg
islature doubtless expected, 50 far as its
own action was concerned, that it had
made it i6rdeticdblee for. the Commits
sioner2 to sell these lands. at different
localities. 1T therefore looks reasona
BILE tosiis that they meant to have al
the claims Of each 'class of settlers dis
posed Of and out of the way Of the
public. sales, within the time Of the sc
days fixed in the act. Tt seems evident
that the Legislature inistook the great
MAGNITUDE Of preparing so great a body
ofland for sale III all the counties where
papers were then Published, and there
forefixed lifetime accordingly at 60days
when thesrishts of the different classe.
oflsettlers twas supposed would be on
Of the way of the public sales. Had they
intended that the adjoining owner coul5
make his application at any fine before
the land was sold, IT seems 10 us obvi
Gus that they would on account Of it.
inaprdctica5fhtg, have at once aban
doned the idea of having these land.
sold at any other place than the Lant
Office. AWHILE we, Also, with the Com
missioner, haye'been very DESTROYS tlla
these la1ds, should, if practicable, BIZ
sold about the State, yet We cannot bu
believe that the people will see tha
with hist,sual caution, the Commission
en- has acted wisely IN his decision, tx
make sure of Che sales by appointing
them at Lansing, instead drumming thu
hazard of their failure in appointing
them About the State, based upon hi:
ote'a opinion against the opinion oftht
Attorney General which might be sus
tiued, ind'in such'ah event render tht
sales mpfacticable by being obliged tt
sell the same lands at the land Office
and elsewhere, at the same time. Tn,
large sales and the manner in which thu