The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1864-01-16

P0Un " ZIG INV requiring sucn 10
FIXTURES and re-ssles to Be reported to an
: State officer, and the result is that it ,
nov impossible 10 ascertain, from any r.
cofa q the Capitol, the number Of acre
OF the particular description Of the sew
sold. 1 -
This condition Of affairs should not b
permitted to continue, and recommen,
the enactment of such laws as viii 70
J move the difficulty.
The saline lands and funds are now q
part of the Permanent Fond of tn
State University. / call your attention
| to that part of the Report Of the Registe
OF the State Land Office, which shows tn.
necessity for further legislation in regard
TO the issuance of certificates of full paw.
ment for the portion of these lands al
ready sold, and recommend that the Treas
ursr of the University be authorized to
issue such certificates, and tina. the pow.
er to sell the unsold portion of the lands
be vested in the Trustees.
In many cases school lands were sold
prior 10 1857, at such high prices that
alter that date, they were not worth the
amount due on them. The purchasers
have ceased to pay either principal or in
terest. | sugges! the inquiry, whether
1t would not be well TO provide for the
surrender OF these lands to the State, the
purchaser being removed from further
liability, By forfeiting payments already
made, without resort to legal proceedings.
| call your particular attention to the
full and able Report of the Register of the
State Land Office. 1t contains much
valuable information touching the various
land grants made TO the State, and sug-
gest several points upon which further
legislation is needed.
THE $780, 600 ACRES GRANT.
AS | have elsewhere stated. it is not.
possible to ascertain, in any Office here,
The amount or the description of the va
rious parcels of this land yet unsold BY
the State. The records Of the Register
show the amount that has been patented
to purchasers, but do not show how much
OF the balance has been sold or 9 held
under contract of sale, and how much is
unsold. This ia also true of the sixteenth
section lands. The Ninth General As
sembly provided by law, for the purchase,
Tor the use Of the school fund, of lands
in0Ttgaged by borrowers of that fund, as
security, but the law does not provide for
the making OF a return to the Register.
oi the lands thus purchased and of sales
mace thereof by the officers authorized TO
sell. Information on all these points can
be had, only, 10 the various counties.
Under these circumstances it is clearly
impossible for the State to exercise, over
these laads aud their proceeds, that vigil
liant superintendent it should exercise.
These lands we're granted to the State, in
trust. for educational purposes. and good
faith to the grantor, as veil as the hes,
interest OF the State, Involved in the edu.
cation Of our youth. require the utmos.
care and vigilance 10 the execution of the
trust
| therefore recommend the passage of
law making it obligatory upon the prop
er county officers to make return 10 the
Register of all the lands of the Sixteenth
Section and tie 100000 Acres Grant,
sold IN their respective counties, the dates
OF sales. the names Of the persons TO
whom sold, the terms Of sale, and the
extent TO which these terms have been
complied with, the forfeiture to the State
for non-payment. and the re-sales of the
lands thus forfeited, with full particulars,
and like full information concerning the
lands mortgaged by borrowers OF The
School Fund, and purchased by the State
for the use Of the said fund. To secure
uniformity, it would be well to require
thc Register to furnish forms 10 the eoun-
t. officers, and, to secure the making of
the returns, it would also be we'll TO pro-
vide for the punishment OF any officer
failing to make them.
The University Grant Lands are now
under the control OF tue Trustees OF the
University, and the Saline Lands now
belonging to the University, should, |
think, be under the same control [
recommend. however, that the Register
be required to call for, and the Trustees
to furnish. information in regard to these
lands, similar to that above mentioned in
regard to the School Lands, that the Reg
lister may have, in his office full and par
ticular evidence of their situation.
THE DIES MONIES RIVER GRANT.
Portions Of these lands, above the City
of Des Moines, have been sold to indi,
viduals, whose titles are now contested
by certain Railroad Companies. | repeat
a portion of my communication TO the
Ninth General Assembly on this subject,
as follows:
"The State having only conveyed what
title it had to these lands, may not be,
legally liable % make good any loss re-
sulting to others from failure of that
title; bat, certainly, is morally bound, al
least, TO do what may be reasonably and
fairly done to protect the rights and in
| terests of those threatened with such
loss. When the State granted to the
Railroad Companies the lands granted tc
the State by Congress for Railroad pur
poses. it was not contemplated BY thu
parties, certainly it was not contemplated
BY the State. that it was granting to those
/ Companies lands previously conveyed b.
the State to others; and if, since the
making of these grants, the Companie