Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1896-06-24
SALT LANDS RECLAIMED.
Interesting Account Of the Manner in Which
Governor Oates Secured Them from
the Federal Government

Montgomery June 23.-(Special. Jon
March 2 1873 congress passed an act en-
abling Alabama to be admitted into the
union as a state. The sixth section of that
act granted to the state all salt springs and
lands for the working Of the same and for
the use of the people. in amount not to ex-
eeed thirty-six sections, or SO much thereof
as the president might designate. There
are a good many salt springs in Clarke
county, found on seven different sections
of land, and some of them several miles
apart. For seventy-siX years of the states
history the lands granted were not located
nor did the state obtain any title. Ii was IN
law mere float, but the legislature and
the governor recognized the tact that the
state owned the lands on WHICH the springs
were located and several different gov
ernors, under the acts of the legislature,
from time to time rented out some parts or
the land, and appointed agents to look after
After Governor Oates Inauguration his
attention was called to the condition of
these lands by Mr.. Calhoun representa-
tive from Clarke county, who wanted to
rent some of the improvements about one
of the salt springs for constituent Of his.
The governor thereupon commenced the In
Nestigation, beginning with the granting
act, tracing it all along down through the
history of the state and finding that there
was no record at the capitol 10 SHOW that
the state had any title to any particular
lands. He had Examiner Reeves to inves-
tigate it through the different departments.
He then got DR.. Smith, the state Seologist,
to map the lands, showing the sections on
which the salt springs were located. te
made an application to the secretary of the
interior to order through the general land
office, a certificate of title to be made 10 the
state TO the seven sections on when the SAT-
springs were found, and in lieu of large
part of some of these sections, which hau
been sold at cash entry ana taken up az
homesteads, other lands still public ana
adjacent to the sections containing the
springs and altogether petitioning for an al
lowance of the thirty-six sections The
n Washington
sented it to the secretary. aAfter the lapse
of considerable time the secretary rendered
an opinion everything and denying the peti-
ton upon the ground that the state haq al
lowed seyenty-SiX years to elapse without
asserting her claim, or asking the locauon
of the land, and also because much OF the
land in the meantime had been SOLD or uls,
posed of to actual settlers; and IN the thiru
place because the laws of congress did NOT
authorize the secretary to set apart iahds
in lieu of those which had been disposeu oi.
The governor thereupon employed Mr. Hen
nv Taylor, who had been clerk OF long eA-
perience in the land office in Montgomery
to search the records and get up al .he eNi-
dence of a recognition OF the grant py ooatS,
gress and how the same had been tredleV
and disposed of. When Mr.. Taylor maue
his report the governor filed anoIher pei a,,
ton praying for the allowance anu not
vet disposed of within the said sections,
and he went to Washington and presented
the "a sc to Mr.. Best, the acting commission
er of the general Land office, having charge
of such matters. - IL
Last week the governor received from the ,nl
land Office, approved by the secretary of IN.
terror, a certificate of location and patent
to the state of the following lands, to-wit'
Sections 81 % and q, in township north,
range / east, and sections q and y, IN town
ship north, range east, BIG G0-loO acres,
Situated in Clarke county, This certlncate
is a final settlement of the claim to the
lands granted or reserved to the state on On
account of salt springs. The governor ISL rs al
attended to fifty or seventy years ago the
state might have obtained the entire thirty
siv sections named in the grant, but neglect
Of the matter has lost all but the amount
above named. tThe governor Will nave tne
property surveyed and appoint an agent To
look after it for the state
49,, - IN Nroxharrv G, Watson