The National tribune., 1895-04-18

to the communities in which they may settle
and TO the State at large.
We shall at all times be glad to render
any assistance in our power to those who
are making an honest effort to accomplish
such result
Resolued, That copy of these resolutions
be submitted to the seventh annual En-
campment of the Department of Georgia for
such action as may be deemed best.
o. M. mitchell Posi-. i, DEPARTMENT OF
GEORGIA, GAR,
ATLANTA GA, April 4, 1895
The foregoing is a true copy of resolu-
ton passed by o. NJ. Mitchell Post in regu-
lar session, this date. w. NJ. SCOTT,
Post Commander.
Attest T. REIMAN, Adjutant.
HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF
GEORGIA, GAR,
ATLANTA, GA, April 6, 1895. }
I hereby certify the foregoing TO be q
true copy of resolution passed by the
seventh annual Encampment of the Depart
ment of Georgia, this.date.
Attest: JAMES P. AvERILL,
Assistant Adjutant- General.
| The following is the Secretary of States
circular letter alluded to in the above:
STATE OF GEORGIA, OFFICE OF SECRE- !
TARY OF STATE,
ATLANTA, GA, March, 1883,
HEAD-RIGHT GRANTS.
have such constant application for in
| formation in regard to certain old head-right
grants purporting to have been issued by the
State of Georgia, and so many erroneous
statements have been made by parties in this
State and some of the papers, who seem to
be entirely ignorant of the facts, that ask
the publication OF this letter in order to pro-
tect innocent people from designing and I'M
scrupulous land-sharks, VINO are Offering
them for sale all over the United States, by
! showing the utter worthlessness of all such
| fraudulent grants, which are not worth the
paper upon which they are written.
On the 22d day of February, 1855, the
Legislature of this State passed an act giving
to each citizen 900 acres of land as a head
right, upon the applicant taking the pre-
scribed oath that he had not by himself, nor
had any person for him, or in his name, APP
piled for or received more than 1000 acres.
This land was to be actually surveyed and
settled upon within IS months, and three
acres to each 100 cleared and cultivated, and
the tax due the State and County upon the
same regularly paid, and in default thereof
TRIBE tax paid. Under the provisions of
this law there are what purpOrts to be
| grants issued in II Counties for more than
$4,000, 600 of acres of land to q few hundred
| persons, which was a very large proportion
of the acreage of the land of this State at
that time. These grants are for 900 acres
each, and cover from 5000 TO over 100000
| acres to one person.
find among the old records of this Office
a letter from Thomas Mccall, Surveyor
General, dated May, 177S, calling the at
tention of the Governor and Executive
Council to the violation of the law by the
| Land Court which consisted of three magis-
| trates, in issuing warrants for survey In ex-
cess of 1000 acres. / find on the 4th of
| June 1888, when the letter of McCalls was
referred to the Executive Council, the fol-
| lowing action taken:
Ordered, that the Surveyor-General do
not pass through his Office any warrant or
warrants for land exceeding 1000 acres to
any one person, and to stop all abuses
against the law that may come to his
knowledge"
find also many protests from the citi-
zens of several Counties TO the Governor
against the action of the Land Court in vio-
lation of the law. These protests were all
Endorsed by the Governor to the Surveyor
General with orders to issue no grants in
excess of the law
Montgomery County was created by an
act of the Legislature in December, 1893,
and was TO be organized by the election of
County officers on the third Monday in jan
nary following The records in this office
containing these pretended and fraudulent
grants show that the Land Court on the 4th
day of August 1894, issued warrants to
about SO persons for 7,430, 600 acres, when
the entire acreage Of the County did not ex-
coed 100000 acres. So great and gross
was the violation of the law that the Leg
islature on the 26th of December, 1894
passed the following act:
Whereas many persons have surveyed
+ land contrary to the laws and welfare OF
this State, be it enacted that all such sur
vey or surveys, and all grants founded
thereon, be, and the same and each and
every one of them are hereby, declared to
be null and void"
In addition TO this legislation, these lands
have been granted subsequently to actual
bona fide citizens who have lived upon them
, for the past 40 and so years, and in many
instances much longer, and have paid the
tax due the County and State. A few Of
these grants bear date in 1895, but they are al