The Daily telegraph., 1886-06-05
THE ", s. & T. RAILROAD LAND
GRANT. -.


of the existence OF which we were not
j aware until 80 advised, and the pros
visions Of which change entirely, in
one sense, the aspect in which the
", s. 4 T. land grant has been
viewed. It will be seen that the grant
from the General Government was
made direct to the State, and not to
the railroad, and that the ", s. 4 T.
Company was not party thereto,
but received its grant from the State
direct. The lands thus granted and
unearned, it will be further seen, were
declared forfeited in the Act which
follows. Not being able to find the
Act of Congress making the original
grant, and not knowing its conditions,
we are unprepared to say,-the State
having declared the lands forfeited
In whom, the State or the United
States, the title now rests; but it is
clearly not in the railroad, and ought
not to be, or to have been at any time
since its <ailure to earn the lands cons
ditionally granted. We will reeur to
this subject again soon, simply appen-
ding the Act for the present:
No ss.] AN ACT
Donating certain lands to the Red river
and Mississippi Railroad Company and
declaring the forfeiture of said lands by
the Vicksburg Shreveport and Texas
Railroad Company.
WHEREAS, By an act of Congress en-
titled San Act making grant of lands to
the State of Louisiana to aid in the con-
struction of. railroads in said State"
approved June 8, 1856 certain lands were
donated to said State for the purpose of
aiding in the construction of a railroad from
the Texas line, in the State of Louisiana,
west Of tho town of Greenwood, via Green
wood, Shreveport and Monroe, to point
on the Mississippi river opposite Vicks-
burg; and
WHEREAs, By an Act of the General
Assembly ofthe State of Louisiana, ap-'
proved March II, 1857, and entitled can
Act to accept in part of the grant and carry
into execution the trust conferred upon the
State of Louisiana by Act Of Congress
making grant of lands to aid in the con-
istruction Of railroads in said State" appro-
we'd June 3, 1856, said lands were granted to
the Yicksburg, Shreveport and Texas rail-
road, at that time body corporate, exis-
ting under the laws of the State of Louisi-
ana, upon certain terms and conditio MS,
among which were the following, viz
That said lands should be earned by said
company only as the said railroad was
actually constructed in sections of twenty
miles, and that if said railroad should not
be completed within ten years from the
date Of said Act, then the claim OF said
company to the unearned lands should be
forfeited; and
WHEREAS, The said Vicksbury ,&trepe-
port and 1eras railroad Company has not
complied toitA the terms and conditions ofthe
0rant Of said land to said company by the
State of Louisiana and has not completed the
said railroad sOitesa the time limited as dfore-
said. and has therefore forfeited all claims to
the said lands, except as to such as have
been legally earned and disposed OF by
said company in compliance with the terms
and conditions of said grant; therefore,
SECTION /. Be it enacted By the Senate and
House of Representatives. Of the State of
louisiana IN General assembly comvcned,
That the claim of the said Vicksburg
Shreveport and Texas Railroad Company
to 30 much Of the lands referred to in the
foregoing preamble as have not been
legally earned and disposed OF by said COM
pany, according to the terms and condi-
tions of said grant, be and the same are