Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1912-05-03
Mr.. CAGES Statement.

ute ne would sell to the Iallyho Club
certain portion of the ground which
which they desired, at a price that
would be agreeable to the said Tally.
70 Club. This was done by Mr..
Michel.
New Orleans, La-John T. Michel,
candidate for Governor, Monday sent
the States the following letter:
New Orleans, La, Oct. 9, 1911.
Mr.. Robert Ewing, City:
Sir--Some weeks ago you made
charges against me. These charges
| answered fully. frankly and in the
opinion of all fair-mindcd men. sue
cessfully. Wednesday night left
the city to conduct my campaign in
the country. Immediately upon my
departure you renewed the same
charges in another form. returned
to town this morning and this is
my reply thereto. request that
you give it the same publicity and
the same position of prominence in
your paper that you gave to your ar
ticle.
The swamp land grant acts of
Congress, and particularly the one
approved March 2. I84o, gave over
to this State all the swamp land with
the State subject to overflow and
'ound unfit for cultivation at that
time.
According to these acts of Con-
gress, townships ID and IS south of
range l and west. in the Southwest
ern Land District of Louisiana in
Vermilion Parish, were listed as
swamp and overflow lands by ]. p.
Taylor, United States Deputy Sur
'eyor and Agent of Louisiana. on
October 50, 1850. and were approved
by X. w. Boyd. surveyor general OF
the State, December z, of the same
year, and reported as such to the
general land office in Washington,
d. C..
These selections on may 6, 1852,
were approved by the Secretary of
the Interior, and then the State of
Louisiana took these lands in fee
simple, and could dispose of them
through its Legislature according to
these acts of Congress.
Thus, all the lands in townships IA
and IS south of ranges I and west,
n the Southwestern District of Lou
isiana, with few exceptions, which
exemptions are not involved in the
purchase you refer to, became the
of this State fifty-nine years
ago, and were open to purchase by
anyone SO desiring, in accordance
with the acts of the Legislature au-
thorizing the sale of such lands.
These lands therefore were shown
as swamp lands belonging TO the
State, and could be so entered and
sold.
There was nothing to indicate that
this land was covered by a lake, TO
the contrary, it was selected and
approved to the State as land sub
ect to overflow. and it was so shown
BY olats on file in the Surveyor Gen
erals office.
The land was bought by me under
Act IS of the General Assembly OF
1850. This act divided this land into
.wo classes:
Ist Swamp and overflow land
hat had timber on it;
end. Swamp and overflow land
hat had no timber on it, but which
vas sea marsh or prairie.
The swamp and overflow land
hat had timber on it sold at Is
:ents an acre. The swamp and over
low land which was sea marsh or
'rairie, and which bad no timber on
{, sold for IL IL cents an acre.
In order that the Register of the |
and Office sell this land. the act !
i'd not require, nor was it necessary
hat affidavits be obtained as to the
haracter of the land. The only rea-
on for the furnishing of an affida-
II at all was in order to determine
nto which class the land should be
laced and there was no other rea-
on. In other words, if the land had
imber on it. it sold for rs cents
n acre, and if the land had no tim
er on it. it sold for II IL cents an
ere
In order to find out whether the
md was timber land or not. various
were obtained. The asses
or of the parish, Mr.. Broussard
ertified that this was marsh land
ubject to overflow, and this appear
by his certificate on file in the
ind Office.
Roman Francez, United States