Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1872-08-07
LETTER, From HON, WA. N. STEWART.
Swamp and Overhswcd Laads In
Nevada.
from the Reno Crescent OF Saturday.

EDITOR SREsCEST. noseINeu III t'e
Territorial Enterprise Of June 4th, some
editorial remarks In regard to Mr.
Keudall's Swamp Land Bill. II Is
manifest from the article that the SUD
ieet Il misunderstood. The swamp
Land Act Of lS50. granting to Arkan-
sas the swamp aud overiiowed lands
In .that Stste, for the purpose OF drain
age and building OF leveeS for the rec
lamation Of the great swamps on the
Mississippi, 40 far from accomplishing
the objects of the legislation. has been
the source OF more fraud aud robbery
Of settlers than any other law relating
to public lands. Under It and the va
rious, amendments extending 1t TO
other States about 60.0O0,0OO acres OF
the best bottom land In America has
already been acquired by spectators,
and about 2O.0OO. 900 more will be re-
ouired TO answer the demands OF this
legislation. The Improvements made
In consideration thereof are In most
cases merely nominal; and It IA safe
10 estimate that not one-half OF tho
land taken as swamp and overilowed
required reclamation.
Mr.. Julian. for long time Chair
man OF the Committee OIL Public Lands
of the House. OIL the 2lst day Of Janu-
ary, 1871, submitted the following re-
marks:
Mr.. Speaker. equally startling, not
10 say monstrous. has been the conduct
of the Government In dealing with tts
swamp and overfiowed lands. The lobby
which pressed the passage Of the net OF
1880. granting such lands to the States,
urged that they were OF little value.
aud that the General Government
could not afford the expense Of reclatm-
ing them; but the truth is tnat. to
very large extent. they are the richest
lands IN the nation, and that the cost
Of their reclamation Is no greater than
other agricultural lands. IL was like
wise urged that the States could better
be trusted with the work than the
General Government but time has
fully demonstrated TO the contrary,
and very sadly to the nations cost.
The we'll understood machinery OF the
General Land Office. available to
individual energy and enterprise, al
forded the best and only means OF Solp-
ing the swamp-land problem. No
legislation has ever beeu more diSis-
tror,s to the country; and II the act OF
1850 was not framed IN. the interest OF
organized thieving and p'under, then
Its entire administration Is so, wholly
out of Joint with the law itself that m
honest man l. hopelessly puzzled in the
attempt to account for It as an ac-
cident.
The act, In falling to give any
definition Of the phrase "swamp and
overtiowed land" has supplied per-
petual temptation 10 mercenary men
and corrupt officials TO pervert It to
base ends. Instead Of submitting the
character Of the land In dispute to the
Register and Receiver Of the local land
Office, end Investing them with the
power to compel the attendance OF
witnesses, Il leaves the question to be
decided by the Surveyor General, who
has no judicial power, and Is generally
engrossed and often overwhelmed with
hisown proper duties. His office may
be hundreds Of miles from the lands In
controversy, thus causing great and
needless expense to the poor settlers,
who are required to attend with their
Witnesses, at the hearing, which s
frequently appointed at a season OF the
year rendering it a great hardship II
not an imposSibility to attend.
Although the Surveyor General Is
an otficer Of the United States. It prac-
tically happens that local aud State III
fiuences completely override the rights
OF the General Government. The
land, ara surveyed and their character
settled soon after some unusual over
now, or In the season Of great rains !,
or large bodies are declared swamp
because small portions Of them only
arc really so. BY such method. the
most frightful abu.es are the order OF
tho day. working the most shameful
Injustice 10 honest settlers, AMI fatally
obsrructlng the settlement aud devel.
op,nsnt of the country. One hundred
Thousand acres Of land IN one lan'l dis
trict, aud situate In different localities
near the summit Of the Sierra Nevada
mountains, some five to six thousand
feet above the level Of the sea, are now
claimed BY spectators ss swamp
while ir Is shown by the sworn state
meuts Of many OF the settlers Oh these
lands that they actually require irtiga'
tion 10 make them desirable In the
raising OF either hay or grain. Many
OF these settlers, who have resided on
these mountain lands tor years, and
made lasting improvements and pleas.
ant homes In the most perfect good
faith, are now brought face to face
with hostile claimants under the
swamp land act who have not the
shadow OF right. ,
More than sixty million acres In al
have been selected IS swamp, ana oVe'
forty-five millions patentet, helhi
nearly double the quantity patented ie
railroads, aud very large proportlor
OF which Is dry land. and among INK
very best which the Government
owned. The work Of spoliation L
still In full blast, and nothing can ar
rest II but an act OF Congress 80 defin
lug swamp aud overtlowrd lands rs tc
make impossible the outrageS 10 whici
! hsve referred; outrages so cunningly
planned and so Internally prosecuted
as 10 make quite respectable the aver
ago performances OF professional pick
pockets aud thieves.
Horace Greeley, In his Rccollec
tlons Of Busy Life" gives the follow
ing graphic account OF the origin o
this legislation:
I.wss placed by the Speaker on th'
. Committee Of Public Lands, whereo
judge Collamer. Of Vermont, wa
Chairman. and which was mainly coin
posed Of. worthy. upright men. inteli
Tor standing up for right against greed
Various fair-seeming bills and claim
came before us. some of which ha'
pa.ssd. the Senate, yet which we pn
our hcels upon rs bare.faced roooerie'
Virginia land claims, 3 pre.emptlo'
20 part Of Rock Island, etc., wer
among the jobs remorselessly slaugh
tered by US. At length there cam
along a meek. innocent looking strai'
ger, ~ whom we we're nicely taken Il
and done for. It was q bill to cede Z
the several new States iso-calledl sue
portion of the unsola public land
within their, limits respectively q
,,,,~at suhp,nroofI or s0ddeN. and thu