The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1872-02-29
To the House Of Represenlatires

!
To the House Of Representatives.
! GENTLEMEN On the 18th day of last JAN
uary. the following resolution, duly certi-
fed by the Clerk of your honorable body,
was handed me:
Resolved That His Excellency, the Gov
ernor be respectfully requested TO inform
this Ho1se of the present condition of the
donation by the Congress of the United
States of 2l0 600 acres Of land for an Agri-
cultural College, or Colleges; whether the
scrip has been obtained for the same !;
| whether said scrip has been sold, and If sold.
where the proceeds have been deposited or
placed. Such information is requested at
the earliest convenience of His EXcellency.
AS had not in my possession such OIL
cial information as would enable me imme-
diately to place before you all the informa-
ton required by the terms of the resolution,
plsced upon il this Endorsement:
EXECUTIVE OFFICE. Jan. 20, 1872.
Respectfully referred to Hon. Ex-Govern-
or j. l.. Alcorn, for such information as
will enable me to render the-report contem-
plated in the enclosed resolution.
r. c. POWERS, Governor.
Knowing that Ex-Governor Alcorn in
| tended soon to visit the city of JAG kson,
retained the resolution in my possession
until the 18th of the present month, when /
improved my first opportunity of placing 1t
in his hands.
1t is a subject of sincere regret to me that
his prOtracued absence from the city, occa-
| stoned by sickness and other unavoidable
causes, has been taken advantage of by de-
signing persons to circulate through the
press OF the country, malicious and purely
cratuitOus reports. calculated to SANDER
him. and bring disgrace and humiliation to
the State.
If his conduct dscharging the duties
assigned him under the law authorizing
him to receive and dispose of the Agricul-
tural College Land Scrip belonging TO the
State of Mississippi needs any Vindication.
it will be found fully and clearly set forth
in his report, which l herewith transmit,
in reply TO your resolution.
X. G. POWERS, Governor.
Executive Office, February 20, 1872.
To His ExceHency r. C. Posoers, Governor OF
the State Of Mississippi
| now acknowledge the receipt from your
hands, on the day of my arrival, of a certi-
fled copy of a resolution which passed the
House of Representatives on the 18th at,
making inquiry as To the condition of the
Land Scrip donated by Congress "for an
Agricultural College or COLLEGES, whether
the scrip has been obtained for the same.
whether said scrip has been sold,
where the proceeds have been deposited or
placed" etc.
In reply to the resolution have the honor
to state chat on the Goth of last July l en-
, tered into a contract for the sale of the scrip
! | in question to Mr.. George +. Lewis. OF
Cleveland, Ohio. | submitted the contract
, to the Attorney General, the Secretary of
State, and received their written approval.
, The Lieutenant Governor yourself being
, | absent, l addressed that officer letter sta
ting the conditions of the proposed sale, and
received in reply his answer approving the
same.
By the terms of the contract the sale was
made at ninety cents per acre on 4 credit of
: three, six, and nine months, from the date
of the delivery of the scrip; it was further
l holt Nrl.<s n
be deposited in the First National Bank in
the city of New York and the remaining half
in the Merchants National Bank in the city
of Cleveland. Ohio, TO be checked out by the
purchaser upon his depositing to my credit,
as Governor of Mississippi, "A sum equal to
the scrip received, at the price stipulated.
On account of delay at the office of the
Secretary of the Interior at Washington,
the scrip was not ready for delivery until
the 2lst of the September following, at
which time | received at the office of the
Secretary of the Interior. thirteen hundred
and twelve pieces of scrip of one hundred
and sixty acres each. amounting to two
hundred and nine thousand nine hundred
and twenty acres. The law of Congress
was conditioned that the scrip should be
issued in pieces of not less than one hun
dred and 81 ty acres; the Secretary MAIN
tanned THAI he was not authorized to
issue for the remaining eighty acres, and by
! agreement the point was reserved; the
claim for this balance remains.
! From Washington | proceeded. in COM
pany with Mr.. Lewis. to the city of New
York, and there received from him fifty
thousand and four hundred dollars in pay
ment of three hundred and fifty pieces of
scrip, embracing fifty-siX thousand acres, at
the price agreed upon. Forty-nine thous-
and nine hundred dollars OF this depos-
tied at once in the said bank at New York,
and at the same time made deposit of five
hundred pieces of scrip, and received a re-
ceipt therefor in which the conditions of
the deposits are set out. Four hundred and
. sixty-two pieces of scrip at the same time
forwarded by express TO the bank at Cleve-
land, Ohio; the Acknowledgements of the
remittance have since received.
A few weeks after this, but on different
; days, Mr.. Lewis made three deposits of
fourteen hundred and forty dollars each, in
the bank at New York. Sometime during
the month of October for reasons which L
deemed sufficient | transferred the amount
of currency TO my credit as Governor of
Mississippi, at the bank of New York, 10
the Savings Bank of Memphis, Tennessee.
The deposit to my credit as Governor in
the last named bank amount to the sum OF
| fifty-fOur thousand seven hundred and
twenty dollars. Sometime in November
received notice of a further deposit by Mr..
Lewis in the 6ank of New York of $2,SS0,
and since l retired from the office of Gov
| ernor have received, as my memory now
serves me, notice of three other deposits in
New York, two of 81 ,44O each, and one of
500. These L have left untouched. they re-
main still to my credit as Governor of Mis-
sissippi.
On Thursday last checked out of the
Savings Bank of Memphis 100000 in cur
rency; this sum | brought with me to
Jackson and delivered into your hand. In
the month of October / received from tine
President of AIcorn University two State
warrants issued on account of that institu-
ton for one thousand dollars each, for
which L gave him check on the Savings
Bank for sixteen hundred dollars. leaving
now on deposit in Memphis $23. 10. The
evidence of these deposits, together with
. the two State warrants, / send you accom-
panyiDg this report. they embrace all that
remains in my hands.
L will at once have the deposits of SCRIP
and cash now in bank transferred to your
credit as Governor of Mississippi, and will
cause proper notice to be given you.
My attention has been called TO a resolu-
ton passed by the House of Representatives,
appointing committee to make inquiry at
the State Treasurers office in regard TO the
money arising from this transaction: Had
the mover of the resolution consulted the
law he would have found that the state
Treasury had not been designated as the
depository for the money; not until the
cash had been converted by the Governor
into bonds was the Treasurer required to
receive any portion of the grant. Until the
money was so converted the Governor was
responsible, and under the Law he had the
unmistakable authority TO place the depos-
2 its where he might choose
The College Land Scrip Act was passed
in 1852; in 1866. after reconstruction. the
Legislature of Mississippi accepted the
grant; application by the Governor for the
appropriation was made; the grant was re-
fused to the State on the plea that the time
within which application should have been
made had elapsed. The representative from
the Jackson District, the Hon. George G.
Mckee, presented a bill soon after taking
, his seat in the Lower House of Congress
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