Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1903-02-02


that upon it are sloughs, lagoOns and
cypress brakes, from which all the
valuable timber has been cut, and out
of which "ooze malaria, miasma,
swamp fever and other diseases in
consistent with the health of con-
victs;;' that since the purchase other
facts showing it to be unfit for con
vict farm. which could have been
learned by the other members through
proper investigation, have come to
his knowledge; that every individual
who has touched this farm has been
wrecked and ruined financially. except
the Wiley Bros, who cultivated it on
a lease for years in the early nineties.
at rental of 81 800 a year, 80 cents
per acre, and made some money on 1t.
though the most cotton they ever
raised on it was from four to five hun
dred bales: that Maj. w. H. Haynes
ard Gen B. w. Green in 1888 pur-
chased the entire tract for $43 900
and found it an Improbable purchase;
that there is an expensive levee upon
it which will have to be kept up at
great cost of labor and money; that
at east double it's value was paid for
it that any reputable farmer in Lin
coin county will swear that it has
never been made profitable by private
Individuals.
Not a word of all this string OF
state.,.cGts is true. The accretion, as
we'll as the whole body of the farm,
is free from overflow, regardless of
the ,evee, except when, now and then,
in the co&Ise of years, there comes a
great flood in the river, such as over
flows the river and the farms along it
generally. While there is Johnson
grass mon it, it is not covered with
il Ivy any means. Wherever it has
been we'll cultivated. the Johnson
grass that was on it has been extermi
mated. as can soon be all that remains
if desirables OF this, investigation
leaves no doubt. Practically all the
land is susceptible of cultivation. 1t
as narrow chain of cypress brake
'u,iling about centrally through it,
'aa cmbra cling not more than four or
:tc hundred acres, on each side of
which the land, for bottom land is
high. 1t is not an unhealthful place,
according to the best information OBJ
tainable from those who have known
it and lived upon it and about it for
many years. There may, in the gov
ernor's mind, be something extremely
delicate about white convicts; but
white men, white women and white
children have lived, grown up and
enjoyed health both upon and all
Ground this farm. My information is
that there is not more healthful
riace on the Aarkansas river. 1t is
far more healthful than the Altheim
CT farm. which the governor was so
persistent in his efforts to buy. Ac-
cordng to the opinion of all farm
ers who are acquainted with it, as
they have expressed themselves to
me both before and since the pur-
chase, it is well worth the price at
which the board bought it.
The reckless disregard for truth in
many of the governors statements
ard insinuations would be astounding
were he less we'll known. From the
beginning of Gov. Fishback's admin
istration to the passage Of the act in
1897, as he ought to know, the board
was invested with no power to pur-
chase a farm except for cash; and
there was never sufficiency of funds
on hand applicable to such purpose.
Hence. if this farm had been offered
for sale to the board, as he says, the
fact would signify nothing to it's detri-
ment; but it was not SO offered. There
were two offers, each of lease of five
years, the latter carrying an option
to purchase at the end Of the term.
And a simple calculation might have
shown him that tho falsity of other
Of his statement would be readily
seen. When he says that the tract
of land is a narrow strip, fronting
seven miles on the river, and from
only half mile to mile wide he
is contradicted by his previous state