The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1870-08-16
THE LAND RING.
Another Queer Land Purchase-Ques-
tions for the Governor and Attorney
General.
FROM OUR owS CORRESPONDENT ]

wa
COLUMBIA, August "A.
The land commission still lives, and it's o2er-
s;ions have lost none Of their interest. In the
absence Of all official reports, facts are report
ing themselves. They come forth in spite of
every ef,rt to veil, disguise, or to distort them
They come in figures and IL form. We are
getting them from the mountains and the sea-
board.
As to the msuntain regions, several lively
rumors have heon afoat recently CT lands sold
to the State, through the agency OF one Mr.
Cochran. The reply of the anti-Rsformsrs was,
Why not? Why should Mr.. Cochran sell lands
to the Stats ?--apd the answer was sufficient.
But others went farther, and asserted that
Governor Scott and General Harrison had sold
some Of these lands to Mr.. Cochran for him to
sell to the State. The reply OF the anti-Rs-
formers was the usual one-Democrasic in
situations! !-fabrica:lons of the RsFormers -
all bosh
But 1t won't do.
From Anderson, Oeones and Pickens, there
oone ds6ni.e voices. Figures and facts in
form come pouring in like sunshine upon the
veiled proceedings.
We are told that MIR. John Cochran sold to
the land commission four tracts OF land in An
derson County, measuring respectively 1S5
acres 223 acres, 103 acres, eOd 261 acres
which make 772 acrss-for IS an acre; that he
sold in Ocsaee five tracts OF 1045. 1913. 357 154,
and 2S1-in all 2O10 acres-at Sc an acre; and
that he sold in P,ckens six tracts Of 42S, S27,
1853, 40, 185, and 210-in all 1903 acres-at So 90
an acre. These fifteen tracts aggregate 1895
acres of land in those three counties sold to the
State for 81 1s) so. The purchases we're COM
pleted on Fridly, (un!uciy day y the 10th Of
May, 1870; and about that same date three
drafts were drawn in favor Of John Cochran
three drafts OF nearly equal size. Why we're
there three drafts Why were these drafts
80 nearly equal2 They are sad to be STOOD.
$1,000, aud s6252. There is balance still; but
that is not Of interest. Now, We have all heard
and these gentlemen do not deny, because
they have explained lt-.hat large portion of
these lands, ii not all, was sold to Mr.. Cochran
by Governor Scott and General Harrison. The
connection Of the latter gentleman appears to
have been regular; that is to say, it appears
that he made regular sale Of his portion to
Mr.. Cochran in the first Instance. He, Of
course, had right to do 80. His Excellency,
however, appears to have first offered his por-
ton directly to the land commission. Will
Treasurer Parker tell us what Comptroller
General Neagle said when his E1cellency m,de
this offer of sale TO the advisory board? Didn't
he say it wouldn't do ? And was moi the same
lands then sold to the land commission in the
name Of John Cochran ?
But Governor Scott is the friend Of the ne.
gro, and no wants to bsuefS that race By SELL
ing lands to the land commission. Then, isn't
it little remarkable that his Excellency's
lands lie near the mountains, where there are
very few negroes to buy lands
In the figures above it will be observed that
the Oconee landslide largest number Of acres,
that is 2O1O acres--are sold for tho largest
price, to wit, Sc an acre.
Will Attorney General Chamberlain deny the
fact that Governor Scott urged the purchase OF
these Cochran lands in the advisory board
We ask the editor of the Keowee Courier to
tell us whether these lands, in tho market,
would average 81 an acre, or 50 an acre.
If We subtract $4,000 from s21, ,180, We shall
have s71sO, which would be little over 81 80
al acre.
Laboremus. CoRsAm.