Morning appeal. [volume] (Carson City, Nev.) 1877-1906, 1882-01-18
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From our Regular Correspondent ]

have had since Congress reassembled is
the lively shaking up Of certain swamp
land transactions down in Florida. OF
late years the people have come to
understand something about the ways
in which the public domain has melted
away, as it were, only to benefit and
enrich grasping corporations; but there
is still little general knowledge of the
devious ways by which millions Of
acres are goboled through the dishon-
esty and connivance of trusted public
servants. Rumors are frequently heard
here of frauds in connection with the
public lands, but nothing is done to
protect the Government. Strange stor-
les are told Of the wonderful expansion
of the Spanish grants in New Mexico,
and Of frauds committed in various
parts of the country under cover Of the
homestead and presumption law and
some disagree cable facts have recently
been presented to the Commissioner of
the General Land Office Touching the
abuse of the presumption law in Mime
sofa, where, it is said, many thousands
Of acres have been located for purely
speculative purposes. Most political
economists now agrs. with the theory
of Edmund Burke, that it is better for
the Government and the country when
every acre Of tillab!e land is taken up
and occupied; but this wholesale viola
ton of the law which provides that
they shall so out ONLY for actual settle
ment, should be sat down upon.
In 1850 law Was enacted granting
to the several States, except Kansas.
Nebraska and Nevada, all the swamp
or overfowed lands within their lines
remaining unsold and unfit for cultiva-
ton. 1t was made the duty of the
Secretary of the Interior TO mark out
these lands and convey them, and the
States were required to use the profits
of the sale of such lands in reclaimlng
them by levees and dams. In deciding
the question whether any legal subdi-
vision of land was swamp land or not,
the rule was to be that when the greater
part of subdivision was wet and unfit
for cultivation it should be called
swamp land, but it should not be SO
called when the portion of wet land was
not greater than the area of dry land |
The total area CT swamp lands selected
for the several States up to June 80,
1879, was nearly $1,000 900 acres, of
which Florida had the largest area
more than 100000 acres. OF this
area in Florida nearly 2,0OO,O 900 acres
have been approved and nearly !, OOO,- |
600 patented to the State Since that
time large additional area has been
secured-over million acres-and it is
this which is now to be the subject of
Congressional investigation. The Re
porter, ga monthly bulletin of Govern
mental affairs" published by the Ma
tional News Bureau of this city, first |
makes the charge that there was con-
nivance on the part of the commissioner |
representing the Interior Department |
and the State agents-in short, the |
lands confirmed are not swamp lands
The charges are specific, and Senator
Jones, Of Florida, with copy of The
Reporter before him, which he said |
came from the Department of the In-
terrier, calls for committee of inquiry.
1t is stated that the editor of The Re-
porter knew what he was talking about,
and that there will be some develop
ments. The three men named as par
Elephants in the swindle have been re-
lieved from duty in the Land Office.
The Americans living at the Airing
ton Hotel have, of course, been greatly
interested in watching the newly ar
rived Chinese Minister and his wife
and their servants. The latter are
numerous and seem to be all pervading
for, of course, being utterly unacquaint-
ed with the customs of an American
Hotel and unable to read numbers on