The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1872-10-10
CARPET.BAG RULE ~ SHIssEs-
sIPPH.
100000 Acres of Land Lost so the
state.
The Treasury Plundered and Innocent
Parties The Sufferers.

From the subIolned letter OF Oeh
Lowry to acting Gov. Powers, it will be
seen that large quantity of the public
domain Of Mississippi has been appropri-
ated by the Wreckers under cover of a
law which they passed in 1871. The
law is in pamphlet acts Of 1871, page
482, and entitled ian act to incorporate
the Pearl River Improvement and Navi-
CATION Company and for other purposes. "
The presumption is that the "other pur-
poses" embraced the main and chief
object of the passage of the act, that is,
to take, sell and dispose of 105, 900 acres
of public lands and appropriate the pro-
ceeds thereof to themselves.
The act provides that this Company
shall ''deepen and widen the channel of
Pearl river and its tributaries" &c.
Not one cent has been spent for any such
purpose-nor is there any pretence that
there ever will be. Notwithstanding the
the 3rd Section of said act requires that
ten per cent. Of the value of the land
shall be expended in the Improvement Of
the river the first gear, and the whole
value Of said property within FIVE years
from the passage of the act, not a dime
has been expended, but all the patents fol
1O5, 900 acres have been issued, signed By
the "Bully Boy" and Secretary of State
and in the hands of the Company, ant
for it the State has nothing to show but ;
straw bond. The acting Governor wa
advised last winter of this plundering bill
and cautioned as to the insufficiency o
the bond, and knew that the Secretar,
of State was urged not to issue any mor'
patents, by committee Of the House 0
Representatives Nevertheless, with
full knowledge of all the facts, he subse
quently signed the remaining patents ant
thereby became party to this outrageou
fraud on the State.
The scheme itself as everybody kney
was the baldest humbug ever devised
viz: that Of making Pearl river navi
gable stream from its mouth to the cit,
of jackson, and was simply an unmitiga
ted swindle but what measure of censur
do the State authorities deserve for hay
ing failed to give the people the benefi
of the protection against the imposition
which the bill itself provided?
Genl Lowry deserves the gratitude Q
the public for his action in this matter
BRANDON, Miss, Sept. 18th, 1874
To His Encellency, Coo. II. C. Poecers.
Jackson, MISSISSIPPI
. DEAR SIR II take the liberty, at the sug
: gestion of friends living in the distric
where the land is situated, to call your at
!. tention to a law passed in 1871 entitled "a
act to incorporate the Pearl River Navig
ton Company, pamphlet acts, pages 4S2,
i, D. + and z. This act was not approve
} by the Governor, but remained in his hand
without being returned, the requisite mum
Der of days, for the Secretary of State t
make the usual certificate which you will
observe bears date OF Sth of April, 1871
You will remember that / called your at
tention to this act during the last session @
the Legislature, and insisted that it amount
ed to plundering the State to the extent c
about one hundred and five thousand acre
of land. The land it is true is not valuabl
at present. but with the many projecte
| Z
| caused this matter to be brought befOr
the Legislature last winter, and a commit
tee consisting of Mr.. French of Adams, MI
White of Wilkinson and myself, were ap
pointed to investigate the transaction an
and report to the House. a bout the clos
ofthe session, Mr.. French and myself agree
to introduce bill in substance about this
The patents in the hands of the Compan
were to be placed in the custody of the Stat
Treasurer to be by him kept for lively
| hS nd in ha ofiT, no
ny paid into the Treasury twenty-fiv cent
per acre, amounting to something owe
$25, 900, the patents were to be delivered t
them and they discharged from making an
improvement in the way of the navigation
of Pearl river. as provided in the act be
fore mentioned. This bill as drawn by my
self WAS submitted to Senator Warner an,
Mr.. French, two of the stockholders ant
sureties on the bonds and met their concur
renee. and passed, without opposition bot
houses a few days after the adjournmen
you remember that called at your office T.
ascertain if you had approved the bill. Yo
did not remember having seen the bill ut al
and after diligent search made by you
Secretary and myself, it could not be found
Subsequently l met with Col. Warne
who informed me that the bill after passin
tne Senate was stolen At the instance O
friends living in the Pearl river district,
submit that your Excellency could wit
a great propriety call on Senator Warner AM
Mr.. French, and ask them to return tn
; patents either TO the Secretary of State, o
to the State Treasurer; especially so, mas
much as there is no pretence of the Compa
ny ever having expended a dollar in con
formity with the third section of said act
| also call your Exeellency's attention t
the Sth and 9th sections of the act and vii
reiterate in relation thereto, what l said t
yon last winter, that the bond as filed /
insufficient.
! 1t is proper to say that the Secretary o
State was notified by a committee of tn
House of Representatives not to issue to tn
} company any more patents, but he never
theless did so, to the extent of probabl
thirty-five (35) thousand acres. As tn
matter now stands the holders of the patent
could sell the land, and if the coaveyanc
was legal (Which you can learn from tn
law officer of the State) the Commonwealth
would lose one hundred aud five THOUSAND
acres of her public domain, for which sh
would receive no benefit 1cbdteUer.
If convenient l would be glad to hea
from you on the subject, that | may inform
those who are more interested than mysel1
as to what action, if any, you will take il
the premises.
Very Respectfully,
ROBERT LOWRY.