The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-02-22

drawn and held to private account in antici
| patton OF expense.
Your attention is called to the defects o
the tidal overflow and actual settlement aut
cultivation acts through which the public do
main has been defranded. and the parpetra tors
In measure. shielded from the reach Of Justice
to illustrate under Campbell:
Actual settlement. AZ. 745 acres. at 1875 cents
per acE.
Tidal overflow. 9O.2l1 acres, at 25 cents pc
acre.
Regular entries. 1866 acres, at 81 81 per acee
Under Ray.
Tidal overflow, 81, o29 acres. at 1915 cents pei
y Actual settlement $3.50 acres, at .. cents
per acre.
Regular entries. 1867 acres, at 81 81 per acre
During Mr. Campbelrs administration the
State Treasury received for lands sold, etc.
| $40 .265 50. and during Mr. Ray sothe sum d
S25 .oo9 60. while during these two admnistra
tons, IN appropriations fer salaries. ETC. the
sum Of $gG.350 was appropriated. while The
receipts from all sources amount to but
$50,7s1 10oit has cost the State two dollars
| to sell one edolars worth of its lands
The careless teld negligent manner Of the
conduct Of the. office, together with the failure
to keep receipts, books and accounts o]
disbursements necessitated great labor
las is evidenced by the accompanying
tahuated statementsl on the part Of yonl
COMMITTEES and experts requiring a complete
review of every entry OF land aud examina-
tion of the records of the Auditor and Treas
| urer's offices to discover payments to and
warrants upon moneys drawn in anticipatinn
of expenditures have been returned. but it r
no less improper that such acts could be ae-
cOmplished The records Of the Office are OF
such character as evidences a reckless OK
penditure of money for unnecessary OF ineom-
plete work.
Mro Ray, pending the earlier Investigation
reimbursed the State for fees collected in the
| sum Of $685.
| The attached statements evidence the sums
| due the State under former administrations
| Under The present management the affairs
| of the Land Office are conducted with the
| same reckless and loose manner The identi-
cal lack of records. data and information
| Though tho expenses have been much cur
| tailed. The Register apparently leaves the
Land Office in charge of a norl-salaried clerk
and with him all documents necessary to
effect sal les signed in blank, he is allowed to
|olevy such fees and contributions as he can OBJ
tain frplN purchasers and applicants From
this originate frequent complaints. and it is a
precedent fraught with danger, rs the State
lands are at the mercy OF a TNrsun bound by
no bond or oath, and without any RESPONSE
bility.
Your attention e called to the tabulatefl
statements Of lands sold and fees COLLECTED
showing deficit Of $ab74 o. balance due the
State for lands sold during the administration
of Mr. Ray.
Tho compilation Of these statements was
tedious, though necessary We desire to
mention tho tSry. apparent Ito Your commit
teel possibility of frauds connected with ap-
preparations for lands erronsously sold. for
which purpose various sulos were yearly ap-
propriated Your committee respectfully
urge the Imperative necessity OF complete
REFORM in the State Land Office that will pre-
vent. in the future, a recurrence of similar
Irregularities and abuses.
PUBLIC LAND LAWS
The several acts knowYl as the "a ctral Set
Element and Cultivation Act. " "I7idh Overflow
Land Act and the Homestead Act are
opened to the broadcast Interpretation and can
lyealed. and we reconenend the immediate
passage of laws that will protect the public
domain, granted for purposes oil such vast
interest to the State. reference tp the state
ments and tables accompanying this report
evidence the disposition OF a large quantity
of lands in direct contrayention with the act
of donation to the State. and of still larger
quantities which show frauds upon the face
Of the aJfidavits upon which these lands have
been patented away. Your COMMITTEES believe
that legal measures should be begun. by which
the guilty parties may be punished and the
lands thus obtained recover ed.
The total area of lands In otn State is 26.
400 600 acres.
been approved to the State and 8. 101 .O5I 62-10O
acres have been selected and remain to be
approved, which would make the aIna of pub
lie lands / | Al Ago 5-1D0 acres. OF the amount
been sold. representing tie most valuable of
those approved TO the State. The sales Of
such vast quantities without the State re-
eeivng any Of tho benefits intended by the
act Of donation. speaks volumes. and proves
conclusvelv that the whole management of
the Land Department. since its organization
and the execution OF its laws havebeon in the
interest of purchasers and SPECTATORS. and
not that Of the State The State can. by proper
legislation. at least protect the public interest
hat, pt,lG
Of the State. and Of any future approvals by
the general government, which still holds. aud
ALSO sold lands that belong. under acts Of
CYngreSs. to this State. The amount Of such
lands exceed 100000 acres as evidenced by
testimony before your committee and consist
of the more valuable class Of State lands. Of
forts have been maae to recover this land and
the return OF the sums for w1cR the balance
has been sold. 1qle difficulty SO far met with
has been the want Of proper evidence to present
to the national department We recommend
the passage Of II law providing Tor some con
tingent contract with proper persons, who
would assume all eSpenseso incidentJo q full
tilment OF the design. and receive a per cent
age as commission for the recovery. as has been
carried out by Arkansas, Illinois,
Mississippi and other States the proceeds Of d
successful issue could be used fta' levee pur-
poses. and q consequent reduction Of that
OnerOuS tax.
We further invite your attention to the tes-
tmony Of United States Marshal Wharton.
showing what a source Of trouble and unCer-
tanty the unsettled questions of ownership OF
lands. as between the State and the United
States. have given rise to. notably the late log
troubles throughout the State. a To end most
of these troubles the selection and final ap-
prevail of all State lands, the recovery of lands
illegally held by the United States. the return
of lands granted to railroad companies pre-
vio1ls to the swamp land donation act. and
now State lands since failure Of these corpooI
rations to comply with their charters, and tie
of moneys from the general
government for lands enormously sold by it, |
must achieve.
We again earnestly advise the repeal Of the
several land laws governing the sale of land,
and the Immediate enactment of a law making
all lands uniform in. price, abolishng the
present dubious system. and providing for q
regular ono governing the land department, |
as S further explained in the annexed reports, !
which are exhaustive and made parts of this
and which f evidence tge extent nh Of the
realize and appreciate the faithful labors Of
their experts Messrs eArmant and Weight.
man. eand recommend the appropriation of
two thousand two hundred and fifty dollars