Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1859-01-22

be made at once for building stone
wall around the Prison yard. The
prisoners should be, and must be, con-
stantly employed, and all the heavy la
Dor of building the prison wall could be
performed by them. The expense Of
the necessary guards for the prison in
its present exposed condition, with only
weak wooden fence around it, for five
years would pay the necessary outlay
for the erection Of the necessary Prison
walls. There is no economy to the
State in delaying improvements SO ne
cessary.
SURVEY OF SWAMP LANDS.
The Governor was authorized to
cause to be surveyed the islands In the
Mississippi and Wisconsin rivers, and
the unsurveyed lands adjacent thereto,
and the islands in any of the rivers,
lakes OF bays, and the swamps and
overfiowed lands adjacent thereto, not
before surveyed, within the jurisdic-
ton of and belonging to this State,
granted by an act of Congress, APPROX
ed 28th September, A. d. 1850. Such
surveys have been commenced and
prosecuted to some extent. But a
question arose between the Land De-
partment and the State about the right
OF the State to any swamp and over
flowed lands, except such as were de-
signed as swamp lands and entered on
the plats of the Land Office upon the
returns of the Government surveys
Governor Dewey selected the lands I'M
der the act Of 1850, from the plats and
surveys. All the swamp and overflow
ed lands in the State had not been re-
turned and plated, SO that by this pro-
cess OF selection a large amount OF
such lands might be lost to the State,
visited Y ashington during the past
season upon this and other business, and
IN an interview with the Secretary Of
the Interior, discussed fully the Dues
ton of the rights Of the State. / in
sisted that by the act of 1850, the State
was entitled to all the unsold swamp
and oVcriiowed lands III the State at
the time OF the passage Of the act, and
that the department could prescribe no
arbitrary rules for selecting those lands,
which would or could deprive the State
OF any portion Of them, and that the
fact that Governor Dewey had made
his selections from the plats, instead of
employing agents to examine and re-
port the amount Of such lands, to which
the State was entitled, could not con-
clude the State, as was suggested by
the Land Department The rights of
the State were, finally, virtually con-
coded as [ claimed, though the Secre-
tary desired carefully to consider the
subject. have no doubt but our claim
will be fully allowed, and | am satisfied
from the partial surveys and examina-
tons already made, that the State will
recover nearly one million acres of
land more than was selected from the
plats.
1t was necessary, however, if it is
intended that the necessary examina-
tons and surveys are to be further ex-
tended, to provide some means of pay
ing the expenses as they accrue. The
law might be amended to authorize the
payment out Of the General Fund,
~11en there is no money in the Treasury
belonging to the Swamp Land Fund.
to be reimbursed from the Swami
Land Fund as sales are made.
FIVE PER CENT. FUND.
The five per centum of the net pro-
ceeds of the sales of public lands in the
State, is still withheld by the General
Government, | employed the Secre-
tary Of State to visit Washington and
endeavor to secure the payment of the
amount due, and myself urged the
claim of the State upon the Secretary
of the Treasury. Through the efforts
of the Secretary, the amount due the
State was ascertained to be about 1910,
900. The necessary evidence Of
this fact was laid before the Secretary
of the Treasury, and strong hopes were
entertained that it would be promptly
paid. La my last interview with him.
however, in December last, he stated
that upon full examination and deliber-
alton, he may refuse to pay the amount
claimed, or settle with the State, with
out deducting the amount of pretend
cd claim against the State, growing out
of a diversion of portion of the lands
granted to the Territory of Wisconsin
to aid the building of the Milwaukee
and Rock River Canal, by the Terri
tory, and appropriating the proceeds of
the sales Of those lands to the use of
she Territory. Some further legislation
by Congress is necessary before the
State can realize anything from this
source. / recommend that the legisla-
ture distinctly call the attention of our
Senators and Representative in Con
gress to this subject, and authorize
them to prosecute the demands of the
State beth before Congress and the
DEPARTMENTS. There is no good rea-