New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1871-04-28
MISSISSIPPI VALLEY NAVIGATION
COMPANY. ~

COMPANY. 5-...L .
An Act Of Incorperation-veto Of Cover.
nor Powers.
We present to our readers the message of
Lieutenant Governor Powers to the Hissis-
sippi Senate, returning with his objections
the bill to incorporate the Mississippi Valley
Navigation Company:
GENTLEMEN-I herewith return to the
house in which it originated Senate bill 28l
fold series), an act to incorporate the Mis-
sissippi Valley Navigation Company Of the
South and West, to dispose of certain lands
Of the State, and to provide for the settle
ment of the same. Ny objections to the bill
are that it provides for the disposal of four
hundred thousand acres of land granted by
the government of the United States to the
State Of Mississippi, in entire disregard of
were granted to the State. The lands be-
longing to the State Of Mississippi, and,
therefore, subject to the disposal of the
Legislature, may be divided \into three
classes, viz: Lands granted by the general
government for the purposes of internal
improvements, lands appropriated for the
use of schools, and lands that have re-
verted to the State on account of nOR-pay
ment of taxes. An act of Congress- passed
September 4, l84l, and donating to Missis-
sippi five hundred thousand acres of land,
provides "that said lands shall not be dis
posed of at price less than one dollar and
i twenty five cents per acre, until otherwise
authorized by law of the United States;
and the net proceeds of the sales of said
lands shall be faithfully applied to objects
Of internal improvements within the States
aforesaid, namely: roads, railways, bridges,
canals and Improvements Of water courses
and draining Of swamps," and further pre-
, vides that the government shall have free
use of said improvements for the trans.
portation Of mail, troops and munitions Of
var.
The act of September %, 1856, granting to
| tae State all the swamp lands within her
boundaries, provides ''that the proceeds of
sad lands shall be applied exclusively, as
| ingsaid lands"
Ii an act providing for the sale of lands
| Appropriated for the use of schools, ap-
| prOv,d May 19, 1852, it. is stipulated that
s'said lands or any part thereof shall in no
case " sold or leased without the consent
| of theinhabitants of the several townships
and Districts of county for which they were
Originally reserved and set apart. and for
no Otheluse OF purposes whatever"
The aove extracts from the statutes of
the Unitd States set forth with clearness
and preciion the object for which land has
at vari0ustimes been granted to the State
of Mississippi; and specifies the manner in
which it On be legally used. In none of
the acts reerred to, nor in any other law
that have leen able to find, has Congress
authorized th Legislature Of Mississippi to
purposes Indicated in the bill before
me. But eve if the lands held by
the State of Mississippi, under grant
from the U,ited States, could be
disposed as pNposed by this measure
without violatin of law and betrayal Of
| sacred trust, thee are not now four hun
dred thousand acNs remaining unsold, or
which have not ben otherwise apprspri-
ated. Although IN unable at this mo-
ment to ascertain tn. exact amount of lands
still belonging to the state, it is safe to say
| that less than two hudred Thousand acres
can be found which are not covered by
some claim or other sactioned by legisla-
tive enactment. It is, perhaps, not using
too harsh terms to say that most of the
State lands have been selandered by hav-
ing been turned over to cMpanies and cor
| frittered away under thepretence of sus-
tanning some local enterpris or public inn
prOvement that has never cen completed.
A further objection is tha,section five of
| the bill proposes ito approprste two hun
dred thousand acres Of Ind to the
northern and southern levee hards of the
State" whereas, in fact, no sue designated
boards ever have or do now sxist. And
even if there were legally constituted cor
porations known as the ,norhern and
southern levee boards of the state, the
loose manner in which lands are proposed
to be conveyed to them leaves it latter of
doubt whether the appropriation il in the
nature Of gift or q conditional sse. In
either event, no security is required to be
given that the lands appropriated q the
proceeds of tho sale thereof shall be aith-
fully applied to the construction of leees.
This objection applies with equal fora to
the lands proposed to be sold to the 'Nvi-
cation Company" Under the provisionAof
the bill tho entire two hundred thOusad
acres may be transferred to any parv
agreed upon by the company at the nomins
price of two cents per acre. Should tn.
company then 90 into iquidationa
| the State would be left without any
remedy whatever according to the
terms Of section nine, to wind
up" at its own expense the affairs Of
the company by instituting the necessary
proceedings Sin the proper court" This il
. very grave objection, and involves prin.
eiple Of requiring security, which the Lcgis-
| lafure, CHARGED with the duty of pretectine
| the iptereots Of tho State in any disposition
| that nay Is made Of her Lands or othea
| property. 6hOuld never fail to recoenfx6