Webster City freeman., 1913-10-14

| the report and make other arrange
ments in relation to that munl1cen
grant, now in danger of being frlt
tered away without any useful re
suit. The report above referred tt
also indicated that the Des Moines
Navigation & Railroad company
have not only forfeited their charter
by failure to comply with the re-
quirements Of the statute, but they
have engaged in practices calculated
to deceive and defraud, upon large
scale, innocent and unsuspecting per-
sons, both at home and abroad. If
this be true, it may be thought a
matter of sufficient public import
ance to justify you in directing the
attorney general to institute pro-
ceedings to vacate the charter of the
company, and thus prevent it from
perpetrating any further wrongs un-
der the authority of the laws of this
state.'
In March, 1858, the general as
sembly passed a joint resolution
containing a proposition Of settle
ment with the navigation companies
which looked to the cancellation of
the River improvement contract, and
in April the proposition was accept
ed by the navigation company.
This had all happened before the
decision in the Litchfield case by
which the limits of the Des Moines
river grant were defined by the Unit
ed States supreme court. With the
announcement of that decision, it
appeared the navigation company
stood in a fair way to lose much of
the land just conveyed to it by the
state by way of settlement.
1t was quite generally believed
that the river land difficulties were
now fully settled and settlers began
to enter the lands that had former
ly been the subject Of dispute.
THE RESOLUTION OF 1861.
But the navigation did not pro-
pose to surrender so easily. In
March, 1861, very innocently ap-
pearing Joint resolution was passed
by congress. It read as follows:
Resolved, That all the title which
the United States still retains in the
tracts of land along the Des Moines
river, above the mouth of the Rae
coon Forks thereof, which have been
certified to said state improperly by
the department of the interior as a
part of the grant by act Of congress
approved August s, 1916, and which
are now held by bona fide' purchas-
ers under the state of Iowa, be, and
the same is hereby relinquished TO
the state Of Iowa."
The navigation company now re-
newed its claim to all the lands con-
veyed to it by the state, claiming to
be bona fide' purchasers from the
state.
On the other hand, 1t was claimed
that the resolution did not contem-
plate reinstating the navigation
company. but was intended simply
to furnish relief in cases where act
ual settlers had purchased of the
state. The land department of the
government did not recognize the
claim of the navigation company
and where proof Of entry or pre-
-emption was properly made, patents
were issued to actual settlers. And
thus began legal battle which
ragged in the courts of Iowa for thir-
ty years.
In many cases the navigation
company commenced suit to eject
settlers who were attempting to &C.
cupy lands claimed by it and when
DEGREES were rendered authorizing
eviction, attempts were made by the
officers. to carry out the orders of the
court. The settlers, to protect them
selves from what they had come tC
believe, was an unjust attempt Il
rob them of their homes, organized
themselves into a society known Al
the Settlers union and many differ
ent methods were attempted to pre-
vent the officers from carrying OIL
their orders.
Concrete and Gravel Roads.
j INnr,n md LHrnsidn. 4 nrntninnn