The Brookhaven leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1883-1891, 1884-04-24
Our Public Land.

The student anxious to examine
/. into the land laws of Mississippi is
invited to examine the acts oc 1871,
page 33. He will find that To be "a
Act consolidating and amending the
law, ETC." and creating n new Office
"A Swamp Land Commissioned"
The Commissioner is required to
make an annual report To the Gov
ernor of the land sold by him, and
the amount remaining on hand to be
disposed Of He continues in office
two years, can be removed for NAL
feasancc AZ any time by the Cover
nor, and IS capable tf suing and being
sued
This Act made it the duty of the
Governor to Irlcutc patents for all
lands donated this State since 1850,
not heretofore issued.
The Commissioner appointed un
der the Act then received all the land
records, etc, from the Secretary of
State, and was empowered to make
| sale under certain restrictions, of the
state Land
Before the sale the purchaser paid
his m0ney-not to the swamp Land
! COmmissiOner-but to the Treasurer;
an upon this being certified by the
] Treasurer, the Secretary of State is
sued the land patents under the di
rection e the Governor.
Mississippi in this Act of 1877 re
served very important and wise
reservation, as we think. BY it the
price was iixed-and no person al
/ lowed to enter more than 2iO acres.
At the recent ,s>ion of the Leg is-
/ latnre these reservations were abro-
gated; and in lieu of them we get the
following singular provision in an
Act approved March l4th:
AN ACT to regulate the Swamp Lands in
this State and for other purposes.
SEC. |. BE it enacted by the Leg
iSlature of the State Oc Mississippi,
Tnat all Of section three of an Act Of
the Legislature Of Mississippi ap-
proved February |, 1877, entitled,
IAN Act to revise, amend and con
sOlidate the various acts relative to
swamp lands donated to the State Of
Mississippi, under the act Of Con
grcss, dated 2Sth September, 1850"
after tie word State" in the eighth
line of said section. be and the same
is hereby repealed, and the following
inserted in place thereof, to-wit:
And said commissioner is hereby
{ NJ n; b,,r bl al nf I hn
Governor, with the concurrence Of
the Attorney General and Secretary
Of State, and at such price as they
may establish, MT to be less than
fifty cents per acre, to sell said
swamp lands and all swamp lands
h reafter patented to the State
by the United States and
patents ShallisSue therefor rs in said
act provided.
BY the old law each and every
bona fide citizen OF the State who
wished to do so, could buy his little
240 acres and 90 upon and settle it.
1t was an act to Ell, Ourage the pur-
chase Ct homesteads in the State.
lDuU llIC IlU INi IIlS
Governor, Attorney General and Sec
retary of State to sell to the British
syndicate, or any other syndicate,
an indefinite and unlimited pumOCr
of acres of that land.
We publish the amendment to the
act Of 1871, and also two short acts
pertaining t. the same matter. The
citizens of the State will find them
worthy of attention:
SEC. .. BE it further enacted,
That all the indemnity scrip due to
The State by the United States, un-
der the several laws of Congress per
tanning thereto, in lieu of the lands
granted by the United States to the
Sla,c, and thereafter improperly dis
posed Of for land warrants or scrip,
shall be sold by the Governor, the
price to be fixed by the Governor,
Attorney General and Secretary of
State, and at the best price obtaina-
! BILE, not to Ec less than fifty cents
per acre, and the Governor is hereby
empowered to make to the purchaser
or purchasers thereof all cOnTeyan-
ces, assignments and transfers. " hich
may be necessary to fully and com
pletely vest in the said purchaser or
purchasers, the States title theletD,
and the proceeds of such sales shall
be paid INTO the State TressLry.
SEC. 5 Be it further enacted,
That the Governor shall give such
personal supervision and attention
to the matter Of securing to the State,
the money, pstents and indemnity
scrip, named in the act of the Legis-
latule Of the State of Nj s>issinpi, en-
titled IAN act to facilitate the settle
ment of all claims OF the State of
Mississippi against the United
States for lands selected and remain
ing unpatented and for idemnity in
money and scrip growing out of the
grant Of swamp lands in 1850, and
The subst quent legislation of Con
gress in relation thereto ap-
proved February 81, 1880, as
may in his judgment be proper,
and he is hereby empowered
to employ all necessary clerks, agents
and attorneys, and at such compen-
sation as he may deem just and prop
~, o;l m tho Stofa