Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1860-01-28
LoaAL LRaisLAr1oX.

Ia excessive loc'l legislation. Ii had snb-
iJected the State g great expense, without
giving back in return the corresponding
benefits. ! deem II my duty again Is in
vite your consideration Of It's evils. While
liz 4 true that during the last two sessions
of tie Legislature, the amount Of such
legislation has been far less than in prcyl-
tous years, and q large sum saved to The
State in consequence, it is also true that
the reform has not been complete. lf
there u IN The judgment Of Tie legislature,
a class Of cases where the objects of cor
! porations cannot be attained under gener.
al laws, that class can Be specially designa-
ted in some practicable manner, and every
Iother class preciuled from consideration.
! A determination by the Legislature at thu
Commencement Of the session 10 discour-
age special legislation, will save much
time and expense
SWAMP LANDS.
In 1850, an act Of Congress gave to tho
States all the uusold swamp and overfowed
lands that lay within them, tespeciitelH
for certain purposes named in the law.
I To determine the amount OF land t6
which each State was entitled, the Com.
missioners Of tho Land Office submit
tied TO the Governors of the several States
two modes, one, by taking the field notes
and surveys Of tic Government Surveyors,
and adopting their returns of swamp and
overlooked lands; the other by The appcint-
ment Of agents who should make examiua.
ton Of the lands, aid make proof Of their
character TO the satisfaction Of the Land
i Department. Governor Dewey chose to
take the lands as they were designated in
the returns Of the Government Surveyors.
4 BY this mode the State acquired about L.
4 100000 acres. Ia most Of the States,
these swamp lands were selected by agents
appointed for that purpose. As early sA
1852 or 1858, il was ascertainea that by
the mode Of selection adopted BY Gov.
J De~ey,th State would lose from ono to
two millions of acres IF valuate swaiap
and overlooked lands. and an act vas pass.4
ed authorizing an examination and survey
Of those lands. Nothing, however, was
ldoue under that act. 10 857 anolheraet
was passed for the same purpose, under
which some examinations ana sury eys were
made; but the act provided no adequate
means Of paying the expense In my
naessaga 10 TIA Iegislat,ra ~ tie Loci aos-
sion, | urged an amendment to the law,
authorizing the expense of those surveys 10
z be paid oGt cf The General FInd to BeteiE-
Z bursed from the Swamp Land Fund When
z sales Of swamp lands were made. The
i amendment passed. In pursuance Of the
law, caused those seweys to be vigorous
y prosecuted. The report Of the Superiii-
!, tendant Of those surveys, Which Will be laid
before you, showsl, 1851 ,ls7, 20 100 acres Of
land surveyed, in a potion Of tho State only
ans shows also over six hund.od, thousand
! lacres OF lands 20 which the State is enti.
tied, in the few counties surveyed, over
and above the amount received by the
4 State Under tile process adopted by Cow
i Dewey. From The surveys already made,
ii Is safe 10 calculate that the State is emit
4 lied to at least z million and half acres
Of land more than h,s been received. -
! The price agreed 10 be paid to the princi-
pal experimenting surveyors, after consul.
tation with tho Secretary Of State, was five
dollars per day, and necessary actual ex-
penses. Ftf the are,labeT, and response
bility required, the price was low. No
man, whose services arc not worth chat
mo inf, in such an employment, ought not
be engaged 10 ii. The whole expense OF
the survey Of these lands, inehliDg the
survey Of Islands ID tie Mississippi and
Wisconsin rivers, is $35,773,71, or less
THAI two and one half cents per acre
The lands, at the lowest estimate, are
worth over q. n!illioil cf dollars. The only
mode by which fbey cap ever be obtailed
is BY the suyeys, pointing out the errors
committed, upon whichto base our claim
upon the Land Department
The commissioned Of the Land Oflcc ID
disposed 70 withhold these lands from the
State until an net Of Congress can give US
the relief, on the ground that Gov. Dewey
chose 70 determine the amount belonging
10 lie State in an unfortunate way. The
evidences OF these Surveys arc in the hands
Of our Senalors al Washington, and the
delegation from this State there will press
the claims Of tie State both upon the
Land Department, aul upon Congress-
The School Fund needs the aysils Of q
portion Of these lands. That Fund viii
not increase as rapidly as heretofore,
while the number OF school children is
mora rapidl7 increasing in the State, and
the amount per scholar will every year de-
crease, while the aggregate AMOUNT Of the
fund may remain the same. Of the ac-
counts audited for expenses by the Secre-
tary Of State, ! have no knowledge except
that from The aggregate expense, il ap.
pears that these surveys have costlsss Lhar
any other government survey ever made
in the State. A rigid investigation into
these audited accounts, as well as into the
transactions Of all the departments Is rec
commended.
RAILRc ADS
Since the last session Of the Legislature
nothing has been done by the La Crosse
and Milwaukee railroad company, or BY
any other cornnanv fepreseutlnV il toward