The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1889-06-25

ented to the State legally undtr the confirmation
act OF 1851
By the act of September -, there was granted
to the State OF Florida the whole OF me swamp
and overfiowed lands within her borders, made
unfit thereby for cultivation. The seconu secton
of said act made it the DUTY OF the Secretary OF
the Interior to make accurate lines ana plats, as
soon as practicable of the lands described IN the
grant The third section divided that IN max
ing out those lists and plats, ali legal sub-llvls-
ions, the greater part OF which was wet ana un-
fit for cultivation, should be included IN SAID
lists and plats.
AS stated by Mr.. Dolph in his report to the
United States Senate on September 26, 1888,
THE State of Florida elected to select the swamp
lands granted TO her under said act by her own
agents but before selected lands are approved
or patented to the State, they are thoroughly
and carefully examined in the Held by an agent
of the government appointed by the Secretal
of the Interior, and are not approved TO the State
unless his report shows them to be In TACT swamp
and Overf1Owed lands"
The total number of acres Of these lands Sc
lected as above and reported by the Surveyor.
General of the United States Land office to the
Commissioner OF the General Land Office up TO
June 1, 1888, was 20,259 1928 SO acres, of which
amount II 800 Ell 81 acres were selected prior
to March 3, 1857, and the remainder 1928, 052.
0S acres since that time.
In his veto message the Governor states that
!" the great bulk of the selections still impatient
ed-amounting, up to June 1, 1888, to $685.
1883 acres and about 2 100000 since that tine
lie within the Everglades, and the country
contiguous thereto, which is either constantly
submerged or in that condition the greater part
of the year." Of the unpatented lands it was
shown that the government had had for
several months two special agents examining
ing action thereon with view TO approval and
patenting such lands as come clearly under the
swamp and overlooked act"
Your committee has also good reason to be-
lieve that at least Of these reports is now be-
ing prepared for submission to the Secretary OF
the Interior, and will be published by that officer
as early as practicable. One member of your
Committee, who is personally acquainted with
one of these agents, is thoroughly convinced
that all selections will have rigid scrutiny by
him, and that he will expunge from the records
all selections that do not clearly come within
the terms OF the swamp and overlooked land
act.
Inasmuch as the United States Senate Com
mitee on Public Lands has already made a
very searching investigation into the method of
selecting and and patenting these lands under a
resolution introduced in that honorable body by
Hon. Wilkinson Call, our senior Senator which
committee reported on September 26 1888 that
I" in view of the fact that by the terms of the
grant OF the swamp and overlooked lands TO The
States, the Secretary Of the Interior was empOw
cred to pass upon and determine The question Of
the character Of the lands and Of the fact that
most OF the lands have been conveyed by them"
your Committee on Public Lands would recon-
mend, mat er OF sound public policy, that il
would be unwise TO insist upon The passage OF
the Senate Joint Res jlutiOl No % over the
Governor veto.
G. :. IIARDEE. Chairman
JAMES VI. SCHUMACHER
john BRETT