Semi=weekly graphic., 1897-03-03
THE DEBIT lsE4TLEMENT

THE DEBIT SETTLEMENT
 The Arkansas House Of Represen- tatives on Friday passed the Sen ate concurrent resolution approving the compromise settlement between the State of Arkansas and the Fed eral Government,
 The Legislature of 1895 passed q concurrent resolution ratifying the settlement made between Governor Clarke and Secretaries Carlisle and Hoke Smith of the differences exist ing between the State and the National Government, but did not reach Congress in time for action before the adjournment of that body, At the next term of Congress, how ever, the first term of the present session, the agreement between the State and National Government was ratified by the Senate, but when it reached the House an amendment was adopted to it, now known as the Meiklejohn amendment, which provided that the agreement should ratfy the title to about 273, 000 acres of Arkansas lands which the State claims was once granted to the State of Arkansas, under the swamp land grant, but which was subsequently, patented by the National Government to the Iron Mountain railway. This blocked further proceedings. and the matter now depends for settlement upon the action of the Arkansas Legisla- ture. The situation is very briefly and correctly stated by the Fort Smith Eltoato2 as follows
 In 1888 the State issued g, ,000, 900 in bonds to aid a wildcat enterprise known as the Real Estate Bank Congress invested, as trustee of a Chickasaw fund and the Smithsoni- an Institute fund, $631 900 in these bonds From that day until the present time not dollar has the State paid on either the principal or the interest of these bonds. This would amount, at the pressnt time, ct about $2, 763, GOO. To offset this Congress has sequestered the per cent. proceeds of the public lands in the State granted by the act of 1886 and applied it to the payment of interest on the bonds When the war began there had been applied thus about $150, 000, and since that time $55, ,000 has accumulated from our share of government lands in the State. In the compromise brought about by Gov. Clarke and ratified by the Legislature two years ago, the State was allowed S1 396, 115 for FIG, 110 acres of land charged against the government. For some of this the government allowed $5. per acre, for some it allowed S125 per acre. These amounts subtracted from the States debt to the government leaves us behind but little more than S160, 900.
 The claimes of tho Iron Mountain road came about in this way, In 1850 Congress granted to the State all the swamp and overhowed land within her borders. The State pro eeeded to select the land indicated, aud while most of the plats selected were approved by the Secretary of Interior, Q portion of them were re- jeeted. It is said the State was satisfied with the Secretary's de eision
 In 1855 Congress granted, through the State, alternate sections of land, in q strip twelve miles wide, from Cairo. Ill., to Fulton, on Red River, Ark, to the Cairo X Fulton Rail- road, now the Iron Mountain. The selections made by the railroad were approved by the Secretary of the Interior, with but few exceptions, and the railroad received patents for them. Several years later the State. laid. eSiIrm vto part of the Hand upon the ground that it had been wrongfully patenfe according to previous act. An appsaal to the Secretary of the Interior VAS re- Jected,
 The trouble arose from the act of 1853, and the matter has rested thus ever since. The State, while claim ing the lands in question, long ago virtually acceded to the railroads clam of ownership and for more than twenty years has been collect ting taxes from them.
 From the above it would seem that the Iron Mountain Railway is hot without the co or of title to the lands in quest on. Under the agreement reached by Secretaries Carlisle and Smith with the then
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