Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1901-07-18
Ditch and Ditchinp
From reading the remarks

IlOM EehuluS tuo TetuArkS OF
some Of the papers of Harrison
County in regard to the new ditch,
proposed to be dug in the west
part of the county, we come to the
conclusion that the writer's do not
fully understan 1 the early history
of the county, or that they permit
local influences to warp their bet
ter judgment.
We take it that If each ditch
would be al advantage to any one
section of the county it would be
an advantage to the whole. W..
are, rs county, made up of more
than the West Side, and if by
making an improvements that or
any part of the county will add to
the general advantage in produc.
ton, health, increase of popula-
ton, or taxable property, it be-
comes at once of county impor-
lance and general utility.
Another thing should not be lost
sight of and that is: The largest
portion of the selected swamp land
of Harrison County is to be found
on the Missouri Bottom. A short
history of the swamp land grant
may not be uninteresting to our
readers. A way back IN the early
settlement of the west, Arkansas,
in order to protect her fertile vail
ey from overflow by the Mississippi
0petitioned Congress to donate the
swamp and overfiowed land in that
State for the purpose of building
levees, &c. Other States felt the
justice of the petition, and to make
it uniform, made the law general,
and it was passed and became a
law Sept. 2Sth 1850. Under this
law Harrison County received
100, 635 acres of land, which was
donated to Iowa, Oct. 18th 1859.
This land was to to be sold at
81 25 per acre, which If 80 sold
would have brought to Harrison
county Sl5O,794. The land desig-
natod swamp land must be either
swamp or subjec to overflow at
least three years in five.
The State having accepted the
liberal grant of the general gov
eminent, with the express condi-
tions that the proceeds of such
land, when sold, should be used in
draining said land-second, to the
bridging the streams, the balance,
if any to be turned into the coun-
ty treasury. Now, We all know
that this magnificent gift was not
used as intended, either in letter
or spirit, and we also realize the
fact that the large amount of the
swamp land fund, it properly ex-
pended would dig andpay for such
labor, all the bitches necessary to
reclaim all the swamp or over
flowed land in Harrison county
and make it bloom as therose, but
war came, and the country needed
men, and the Board Of Supervi-
sors concluded to send men South
to dig bitches, and to secure men,
offered a bounty of 80 acres of this
swamp land to every man who
would volunteer in the army, and
the result was that 500 900 dollars
of this fund was diverted from the
original purpose. Then finding a
balance of $l3S, 794 on hand, coun-
ting the land worth $l.25 per acre,
a portion of the Board of Super
visors proposed to divert this bal
ance to the railroad company, and
the best effort of Edmond Burke, a
then member of the Board, was
exerted to defeat the resolution of
such donation.
When considering all these facts
and knowing that the General and
State Government has been very
liberal in donating these lands for
specific purpose is it asking too
much to ask that our Board OF
Supervisors be as liberal as their
predecessors, and use a little of
the funds derived from these
swamp lands according to act
of Congress and our State Legis.
lature? Because the west part of
the county is asking an appropri-
alton for ditching is no good rea.
son why it should not be granted,
especially SO, when we consider the
fact that the west side furnished
the large portion of the land in