The Forrest City times., 1908-12-11
WOULD HAVE STATE
 GET SUNK LANDS
StateLandCommissioner Golf. man. in His Biennial Re. port, Recommends a Special Act of
 Congress.
WOULD INCREASE LAND PRICE
Also Suggests That State should Lay Claim 10 Lands in Nayigable Riv.
 CTS and Offer Them for Sale.

CTS and Offer Them for Sale.
 Little Rock. Arkansas, Dee. To- Lafayette L. Coffman. commissioner of state lands, yesterday completed the preface to the biennial report for the State Land Department and vii file 1t with the governor today.
 The report contains several i'm portant recommendations pertaining To the Land Office and the landed iH- terests of the State, the feature of which k it's reference to the Hatclee Coon and St. Francis suukeH lands which are part Of the St. Francis basin in Eastern Arkansas, which the commissioner insists are rightful property of the State and should be so declared by special act of Congress the passage Of which he urges. The commissioner recommends the re- enactment of the law restricting the right of redemption to owners Of land in certain cases, recommend that the price of state lands be advanced to sl.50 per acre, and asks for an addi- tional clerk to renew the mutilated records of the office.
 He recommends that the state law as to forfeiture of town lots for taxes be repealed.
 The total receipts of the office for the biennial period were sl59, 9,9lS S2.
 In addition to these recommends tions, the report contains mass of law in regard to state lands, opinions Of the attorney general, and the rules and regulations of the defartment.
 The report is as follows:
 HATCHEE CooN AND ST. FRANCIS
 LANDS.
 There is boiy of land, swampy ill character, in township Il to 1G north. range east, and townships l2 to r. north, range : east, yet unsurveyed, embracing about 60 GOO acres, now very valuable both for agricultural pur- poses and it's timber, and marked upon the official plats or survey of those townships as "Iatchee Coon and St. Francis Sunk Lands"
 l say without hesitancy that the state should have acquired these lands under the Swamp Land Grant and be fore the Arkansas Compromise. g which estopped further selection un- der the swamp land grant, and makes necessary now special act of Congress pertaining to these lands in order that the state may yet come into her own.
 Numbers of people have ''squatted. " or settled upon these lands. but I be. ileve the state, were she to acquire title to this whole body of land, could be trusted to deal generously with her citizens, and that her citizens would prefer dealing with the state than with the United States, as it appears they may have to do, unless the state can acquire the land by special act oi Congress.
 l believe the state was rightfully entitled to these lands under the swamp land grant of 1850, The state made an effort tc select lands lying within the meander lines of the sunk lands, and had it been successful ne doubt the whole of sunk land would have been selected and later patented 1) the state.
 l believe that Congress intended to make all lands of d swampy nature surveyed or unsarveyed available 10 the state under the swamp land grant. l believe for all concerned il would be best for the state 10 acquire these lands by act of Congress. make fair, proper and equitable adfudica- tion with all those now claiming title and end forever in that district the contention and discord which as 1 am informed, is retarding it's growth and development.
 The disposition of the land at it's value by the state and it would be rapid would immediately place the lands upon the state and county and the lefee tax lists, and the proceeds from the sales could be made 10 go far toward the establishment of all the agricultural schools necessary in this state, for which provision nc doubt will be made by the legislature: and l therefore recommend that if. after due investigation by the legisla- ture, it is clear to them that the state is rightfully entitled to this land, they take whatever steps they. in their wisdom may deem necessary 10 properly interest our delegation in Congress and finally acquire the land.