The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1860-01-19
SOLD SERIES, VOL. N, NO. 40
TERMS.-s1, 80, i'm Advance.

patents requested to be issued to the State
for the same, which is now in process of be-
ing done. 81 S12 43 acres Of the above
amount, embraced within the Fort Desmoins
and the old Iowa City Land District, have
recentlv been pagented to the State, and
which | have c1us 4 to be patented to the
counties in which thew are situated. 1t is
believed the above lands will all soon be cer-
tilted by patents TO the State, and they be-
long to that c'ass Of swamp lands abort
which there IS no controversy, the title be-
ing, as have before stated, confirmed to the
State by an act ns Congress- dated March Sd,
1857. B It in addition to these lands. there
has been listed tn the State J24. 332 76-1OO
acres falling within the Fort Des Moines and
Charlton Land Districts. which had been
wrongfuly permitted TO he entered bv cash
or with military land warrants, the title
whereof has been confirmed to the several
purchasers and locators, but indemnity for
which is to ba give, to States. provided it
shall he proved in the method prescribed,
that they were swamp and overt1owed lands
within the meaning and intent Of the act
granting the same at the date thereof or at
the time of their selection Forms of the
proof, with the requisite instruction, have
been forwarded to the Judges of those coun-
ties where these lands are situated, that the
work of establishing the swampy characters
of the same NAV be commenced
The General Land Office, at Washington.
is unwilling to adjust this grant with any
other party than the State authorities which
devolves upon the Executive greater duties
than it is possible for him to perform with
his other official lahors. The examination
and correction as they are forwarded. which
is only done by land Districts, the division
ofthesc lists into counties, and transmitting
to such counties, those which are to be pat
ented, and those which have been entered by
cash, and those which have been located
with land warrants, in separate lists.-.fl-.
TO their cbaracter.-.-..sr sopplving the cotin-
ties or otl-ra agents with all needfnl Informs
,.oI they my require concerning the man.
nor Of conducting the rroof-examining and
correcting these proofs, when taken -hefaa<--
they are transmitted tod Fashington for ap-
srruvA, will1Rauire more iaber TRAN onsGindi-
yidual en- [oW s ii55Uflt ne e;vcs hi5 @eS
sassasinn- 4 iellt .sy Il, ! !
pyey, ,f - IN, & = 7 ! = ss - ~ s<s;nsxga
spsclal acenk u assixt "a thsse laanrs. Ri I. d
1 am now satisfied, that although the Regis
ter of the State Land Office and his deputy
have already as heavy duties as thev can
well perform; this swamp land business
should be transacted in his office under the
general supervision of the Governor, and
that the REGISTER should be authorized to
employ one or more competent persons, as
the necessities of the case NAV REQUIRE.
whose time and labors should be given exclu-
sively to this branch of the public service
and W tatever amount the State should he
required to paw the agent or agents thus en-
ploved could and ought to be refunded to the
treasury out of the moneys obtained from the
General Government for Swamp Lands sold.
This wouli hasten the final close and settle
ment of this troublesome business, which is
vely much desiced by the counties interested
md the comsseucenient of which thus far
tarly made, has cost the Executive Depart-
ment of the State unrsmitting labor and at
tention. ,s
There is however another obstacle to the
early completion Of this service, which |
shosld not omit to mention The four land
grant railroads in this State claim the right
to impeach the Swamp Land selections so far
as they complied with their grant, notwith-
standing near three years ago, these selec-
tons, whether their real character were
swamp or dry, were bv special act of Con.
gresS confirmed to the State. This right
upon application was conceded to these COM
panies by the Commissioner of the General
Land office with the consent of the Secretary
OF the Interior, without giving the State .
hearing upon the question. Hence the
swamp Land selections found upon odd Sec
TONS falling within the description and linn
its of the railroad, (being fifteen miles on
either side of each lne) have not been. with
other swamp lands, certified to the State
On being informed of these facts proceeded
to Washington and made an urgent, persons
al appeal to the Secretary of the Interior for
a reversal of this decision, for reasons named,
but he declined to do so. vet expressed a
Willingness to require the railroad companies Z
to designate at once the tracts claimed to be
dry and to submit proof that should at least
be equivalent to the evidence furnished that
they have swamp lands, otherwise they
should he certified to the State, and to this
effect did he so instruct the Commissioner.
Still have heard of no such designations
the lands still remain uncertified to the State.
have been unable to learn from the Commits
sioner what course he designs to pursue in
reference to the instructions of the Secretary
OF the Interior. And the question recurs,
where Is the matter to end? II the contest
goes on it must necessarily be protacted
ard expensive to the people Of the counties,
whilst it will prove in the end detrimental t0
the railroad companies themselves. 1tsiss
obviously their interest to propitiatc the ~
vor rather than the hostility of the people
nnshing forward their several enterprise 81
The counties deeply feel the want ef railr
and many of them would be willing to
or subscribe their swamp lands to attaiu
desirable an object. but thev are not win
to be deprived of them, without their q
sent. or subjected to the other alternatives
proving them up second time at great col
and trouble. The railroad grants were mad
to the State in trust for certain railroad cons
panies. The State as read the act has al.
ready made declaration of this trust in ia
vor OF the companies in question, subject
however to the conditions and restrictions
contained in the act of Congress- granting
them. One of these conditi MS is that the
land shall only be sold as the construction
of the roads progress. that Is after one h,an-
dred and twenty sections have been sold an-
other like quantity shall not be sold until
the Governor of the State shall certify to the
Secretary of the Interior that twenty con-
tnuouS miles of any of said roads have been
completed. Now, in order to put an end to
this unhappy controversy which has hecR
! the source Of so much complaint in the State,
| cannot but feel that it is my duty to rec-
ommend the adoption of a Joint re soiutionby
vo'lr bodies instr icting the Governor to
sign no more certificates of the dissertation
smoker Of RI of said ,,,tSn