The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1877-11-17
SEIZURE OF TIMBER ON THE
ANTE RIVER.

| iVLA fAoh' ASNA bPAAiSA9 NSNA-
tatve from the parish of Livingston,
who visited Donaldsonville this week,
we learn that five deputy United
States Marshais are stationed along
the Amite river, and have taken into
their possession all the logs and wood
cut from the lands included in the
Houmas grant, in Ascension parish,
on the right bank of the Amite. A
strict watch is kept upon the several
saw-mills in the vicinity, and an Of
| ficer at the mouth of the river closely
inspects the carg0es of ali outgoing
vessels to prevent the transportation
of timber belonging to the class under
seizure. The ground upon which this
arbitrary action is taken is, that the
lands formerly claimed as part of the
HOumas grant, back of the eighty ar
penis on the Mississippi river, having
been decreed by the Commissioner of
the General Land Office to belong to
the United States government, the
cutting and removal of timber there
from constitutes an act of trespass
and violation of the United States
laws bearing upon the subject.
In the section of country affected
by this seizure, the sale of cord wood
and saw-logs is the principal, in fact
almost the sole means by which the
settlers obtain livelihood, and nat
urally the total suspension Of this in
dustry causes great hardship and dis
content among them. We believe
that the government officials who in
stituted these proceedings have been
over jealous in the matter, aud that
the heavy hand of United States au-
thOrity has been laid without due re-
gard to the dictates of perfect justice,
upon deserving class of citizens
who have perpetrated no wilful mis-
deed. As Mr.. Spiller very correctly
suggests, the circumstances of this
case differ essentially from those at
tending the late seizure and sale of |
logs taken from public lands in the
parish of Calcasieu. There the lands
were undisputedly the property of
the government, and could readily |
have been secured by private indi-
viduals under the homestead laws,
with titles that were not liable to
be subsequently, called in question.
The offense of trespass was clearly
established, no doubt, and deservedly
punished by confiscation of the logs
in question. But in our parish the
title to the lands involved in the
pending proceedings. has been a mat
ter of dispute and uncertainty for a
period of three-quarters of century,
aud although the Commissioner of
the General Land Office has recently
confirmed the government claim, his
decision is subject to the ruling of the
Secretary of the Interior, before whom
5he question has been taken on APP
peal. Most of the parties in possess
sion of the Houmas lands along the
Amite and in the adjacent section of
our parish have held them for years,
while many have spent their lives on
hem and seen children and grand
children grow up from babyhood
lmong the very trees which are now
laid to have been stolen from the
,reat and benign government that
;laims to watch over the welfare of
is humblest citizens with paternal
These people would long
ince gladly have entered the lands !
Which they occupy and have secured :
tiles thereto under the homestead
avs of the federal government, but
he dispute between the government
nd the Houmas claimants has de-
erred them from this action, there
'eing general apprehension of after
rouble and expense.
Towards citizens of this class, at
east, the government should exercise
just leniency, and await final ad- @
Indication of the Houmas title before
proceeding against bona fde and law i
hiding settlers as trespassers upon
roperty to which the United States )
as not yet established an un disputed L
light of ownership:
Hon. Dan w. Voorhees,, surnamed =