The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1870-01-24
FROM QUE OWN CORRESPONDENT
COLUMBIA, January
THE LAND COMMISSION.

onnroprated for use of the land commissioner, Ill
the purchase OF lands, pursuant to the provisions
of an act entitled IAN act to provide for the ap'
pointment OF land commissioner anu 10 uehhe
his mowers and duties,'' ratified on the 9Th oil Sep
| tember, 1865 was taken up for consideration.
swails moved to fill Gle blank with the words
=. five hundred thousand Arnim moved to I'LL IL
with the words five million" The motion createo
considerable laughter, whereupon Arhlm saia: II
| were n Democrat l would vote for The appfo'
priation of i've hundred thousand dollars because
believe il will he the death of the Republican
marty. Five hundred thousand dollars in bonds
are about four hundred thousand dollars In cash.
After all expenses are paid there Will ne aoou'
three hundred and fifty thousand dolarS'leis u
buy lands Well, this amount divided between
the thirty.two counties would give almost ten
thousand dollars to each. Well, what VIII thls
amount do 1t will buy enough land for ABOUT one
hundred men. In my county (Edeeheid) there
are abeut six thousand voters who want lana,
and we will only be able with Ihis small amount
TO supply one hundred, leaving five thousand nine
hundred men dissatisfied. To these dissatisfied
men the Democrats will go and say to them,
..DIdn'twe tell you how 1t would be? here your
Republican friends have gtvea land to lew Ia
yortes and left the rest OF you destitute" All
OF these things will be told these dissatisfied men,
and tell you this land commission will do us more
harm than good unless it be able to give land 10
more than it will be ablc to do with the proposed
appropriation.
Rainey. chairman of the Committee on Finance,
stated that before reporting the bill lie had con-
suited financial men, to ascertain whether the Is
| for ha commission
to inure the credit OF the State, and he was In
formed that it would not; in fact he was NO"
convinced that the issuing OF bonds to the amount
OF five hundred thousand dollars wouiu oe oeii'
e1t rather than otherwise.
YOU TICKLE NE AND I'LL TICKLE YOU.
Taycs desired to know what had become OF the
Two hundred thousand dollars already approprl-
oted for the land commissions; If any land had
been purchased in his county Lexington with H.
il was more than he knew. This question brought
| Leslie to his feet. He said that nine hundred
acres had been purchased in Lexington County
These had been surveyed, divided Oh anu disposed
| of to worthy men. have been called upon, sald
he, to make report Of the operations OF the lanu
commission, and would have done SO ere this had
been able, but have not been. My assistants,
|
They have faithfully attended to the work en-
trusted to them, but there have been many diill-
culties in their way. Some Of them have not
been able to have surveyed and divided OIL the
lands purchased by them, and, OF course, nave
been unable to report to me anything more tnan
the number OF acres purchased by them. What
good would report Of that Kind be; none at ALL
can tell you now that the commission has pur'
chased about sixty thousand acres; but l do not
intend to make report until can make one
that will be satisfactory to the people; until
can show how many people have been placed on
these farms, and that one years interest on the
purchase money has been paid, and also one
fifth OF the purchase money.
Leslies invitation to his assistants to tell what
they had done was responded to. Hayne, OF
Marion, stated that five thousand one hundred
and forty.eisht acres had been purchased in his
county; but he had been unable to have them sur
veyed or divided oil. He had had applications
from parties to go upon them, who were abe and
willing to pay one-fourth OF the purchase money
and the interest. If the commission had done as
well in all counties as ia Marion, there would be
no fault found with 1t.
Nash, of Rlch!and, said that in his county two
tracts, one OF five thousand and another OF eight
hundred acres had been purchased, and about
one hundred and fifty families provided with
land. Last week 4 party who were settled on
one track came and paid him the interest.
| Swails of Williamsburg, stated that twenty
| one hundred acres had been purchased in his
county lat cost OF S3O0o,) but they had not yet
been divided; he had forty.two families applying
for lands who were ready TO pay the interest ana
one.thrd OF the purchase money.
Barber of Winnsboro, said that four thousand
two hundred aud fifty acres had been purchas-
cd in his county, on which at present were
five families who were ready to pay the interest
and onc.fourih OF the purchase money.
Ralney, OF Georgetown. stated that six hundred
and thirteen acres had been purchased in his
county.
Hayes desired to know how long, at this rate,
would it take TO supply all of the landless with
lands: No one answering this question, he re-
marked, one thousand years. After these state
ments, Swails moved TO amend section second by
adding, land the faith and credit OF the State
and all lands purchased by virtue OF this act, Sc
long as the title thereto shall remain in the land
| commissioner or in the State, are hereby pledged
for the payment of the principal and interest ol
said bonds" This motion was adopted, as was
also Lcsc's motion to add another section, pro
wiling that '.thc land commissioner be hereby au
thorized to allow parties whose lands, or the use
thereof, have been sold for taxes and purchased
for the State under and by virtue Of General Or
ders No. l39, paragraph l. section p promulgated
10y E. Il. S. Caubr, Breret Major.Gcncral, com
manding tae Second Military r.strict, dated
Charleston, S. c., December 8, 1857, and under
and by virtue of Special Order No. CO, promulgat
ell by the same authority, dated Charleston
South Carolina. Aprii s, 1865, to redeem tho
same on payment OF the taxes, costs and eNpcn
ses which were incident TO the sale; and upon
such payment the land commissioner is author
Ized to certify full release OF all interest of the
State in such lands by virtue Of the sale fol
taxes" The bill was then read the second time
To-day the bill was taken up for its third read
ing, and the ayes and nays being called for, /
was ascertaiIed that there was not quorum
present. Leslie, Swails, aud lIayne, who ha'
gone out just before the bill was called up, cam
in, making quorum but before another vot
could be taken, Leslie moved to postpone the fur
ther consideration of the bill Indefinitely, stating
it was useless to read it, as it would he valuccss
all bills OF the kind would have to originate in th
House; if this bill passed the Senate, then through
the House, the bonds issued under it would b