The weekly clarion., 1871-05-18
50 90 PER YEAR
Message On the ChicESasaw school
Fund aud the Railroad
Companies.

= tte Ncftdtt ohH
House of Representatives.
GENTLEMEN lin gathering up the wreck
LETT by the Democracy. Of the public trusts
OF the stale, your attention should be direc-
ted especially, 10 the subject of the Chicka-
SAW School Fund.
Ia 1895 Congress made To the counties
embraced In the Chickasaw distJict, a dona-
tion equal 10 about 10000 acres OF land.
The proceeds of The sale of that land. con-
stitute source of revenue for the education
OF the children of those counties and were
received for that sacred purpose. By the
state, In trust. An act Of the Legislature,
in March, 1855. authorized the loan 10 GER
tain railroads, of all that fund In the treas
ury. Under that act. and n supplemental
act of 1857. the following loans were made
out OF the Chickasaw School Fund:
To the Mississippi Central Rail-
road Company ... $4,000
To the Mississippi & Tennessee
Railroad Company ........ 100000
To. the Mobile & Ohio Railroad
Company. ~. -. 100000
II. Company - -. 100000
Total ...-.............. $4,000
On the 9TH December. 1863. an act was
passed, authorising the railroad companies
70 repay the above amounts in the then de-
preclated currency Of the COnfederacy.
But the Convention OF 1865, in legalizing
AAiN @NA- VI the AAENNAathft OF the state
from the 9th OF January. 1861, excluded ex-
pressly from that legislation this act Of the
Ith OF December, 1863. And an act of the
Legislature. approved March Z. 1868 makes
sun iurther disavowal OF the payments
made by the railroad companies during the
war, In release Of the moneys drawn for
their benefits as loans from the Chickasaw
School Fund. That act OF 1865 directed
the Governor TO demand from the companfes
new evidences of the above debts. ana In
of hffr q
TO enforce the collection of these debts by
suit
Proceedings have been Instituted In the
courts for recovering from the railroads the |
moneys due the Chickasaw school Fund |
The case of the state against the Mississip-
pi Central Railroad was brought TO "A decis-
ION against the Company since my inaugu-
ration, and Is now about 10 bc placed Ia
issue again. on an appeal taken by the |
Company TO the Supreme Court.
The Attorney General cannot devote sufi- |
cient time to these suits for the proper
prosecution 10 recovery. Even though |
the ordinary duties of his Office did not |
place II out OF his power 10 devote his whole |
attention 10 those suits, IL would be still !
necessary TO bring 70 his support an adj ]
dlvonal supply OF professional service 10
meet the array of legal ability now pressed |
into the service of those wealthy corpora
tions. with this view. have found it ne |
cessary, in order TO save the great interests |
Of the State in those cases. involving over n |
million of dollars, to enlist the services OF |
able counsel, but unwilling To commit the |
state to the expense without proper author |
ity of law, have done so subject TO the |
action of the Legislature on the question OF |
an appropriation to meet the expenses.
Having now brought the statement Of the |
position of this very important subject to a |
close, i recommend that your honorable |
bodies signify your wish to follow up the |
action taken, by placiHg at the disposal Of /
the Governor, in the Treasury, an amount /
sufficient for paying the fees Of counsel 10 /
an extent not exceeding ten thousand doll |
lars.
J. /. ALcoRS, Governor.
Executive Office May s. 1871.
Mr.. Warner moved To refer the message /
TO the Finance Committee with instructions /
to bring in a bill embodying the suggestions
OF his Excellency, contained in the message. |
Carried.
Mr.. Warner moved that five hundred /
copies of the message be printed for distri-
button. Carried.
Neas-Messrs. Abbott. Bennett, Caldwell. |
Dowd, Gibbs, Leachman, Little, Millsaps, |
Morgan, hygatt, Stringer, Warner aud |
Watts-l3.
Nays-Messrs. Duncan, Hardy, johnson,
Lyles, seal, Smith, Stone, Sullivan-S.