Fitzgerald leader enterprise and press. (Fitzgerald, Ben Hill County, Ga.) 1921-1964, 1924-03-06
THE YAZOO FRAUD:
ITS START AND FINISH
BY JOSEPH S. DAVIS,
Albany Herald

That history repeats itself is a
maxim that finds abundant verifica-
ton in the annals of most nations.
The history of the United States gives
numerous instances.
The present widespread Indignation
over the illegal lease of eli lands
OF the government in and around
teapot Dome recalls the Yazoo
Fraud, an unsuccessful but determ-
med and persistent effort to defraud'
the people of Georgia of the land
west of the Chattahoochee river in
the latter part of the eighteenth CEN
tury
The Yazoo country was of indefi
mite boundary, but its location was
fixed by a treaty with Great Britain
at the close of the Revolutionary
War. This treaty vested the rights
and title in the United States and
Georgia to the country lying between
tne Chattahoochee and the Yazoo
RIVERS. The Yazoo is a tributary to
the Mississippi. 1t was really part
OF the. grant to the company of the
Georgia Colony by a second charter
OF King George. This vast country
had not been surveyed and grants
spoke in terms of mystification 1t
was at one time claimed by the
French, and was the territory. or
part of the land that John Law, a
Scotchman of adventurous spirit in
the world of finance, made the basis
OF credit in the establishment of
bank i'll France sponsored by King
Louis XIV for the redemption Of
French finances.
In 1897, one Thomas Washington
alias Walsh, formed an association,
The public was not taken into the
confidence of the members of this
association, which worked in a very
secretive way. But the purpose and
aim leaked out, as those of all nefa-
rlous schemers do. Washington
alias Walsh, was very unfavorably
known in Georgia as he had operated
here. Fearing that the designs of any
scheme he might undertake to- pro-
mote would be suspected he en-
ployed an agent who worked secretly
in furthering the interest of the Vir-
ginia Yazoo Company. This COM
pany had a personnel including the
famous Patrick Henry, that was well
caluculatedl to disarm the public sus-
plc1on. The scheme was to get the
Georgia Legislature to pass an act
conveying 100000 acres of land to
this company for the wholly inade-
quate consideration of $500,000. 1t
was more land than is now comprised
in the State of Georgia. By their
secretive and insidious methods
many prominent and honored men
were enlisted in its interest. The
most scandalous scenes were enacted
IN Augusta, the then capital of the
state, at the meeting of the Legisla-
ture. Prominent United States Of
flcals, military officers and state Of
flcials were there to lobby in its in
terest, and to corrupt by brides in the
most fragrant and outrageously open
manner. No means, not even intimi-
datlon were spared to carry the pro-
posed bill to a successful passage.
In 1895 after stormy session,
the bill was passed selling to four
companies = The Georgia company,
the Upper Mississippi Company, the
Mississippi Company and the Tennes-
see Company-the thirty-five million
acres of the most fertile land of the
South for 100000. Governor Mat
thews was appealed to by an outraged
public to veto the measure, and for
days he held his decision in allegiance
Finally the Governor signed the bill
Public indignation rose to- a white
heat. General James Jackson, of
Savannah, at that time one of Geor-
gia's United States Senators, was ap-
pealed to and asked to save the state
He promptly resigned his seat in the
United States Senate and came home
to conduct a campaigns against the
measure being successfully carried
into effect. In the press and on the
hustings the General employed his
ability and patriotism to arouse the
people to a sense of the loss and
shame that menaced them. The next
Legislature was elected in the inter
est of the repeal of the Yazoo Bill.
Excitement ran to the highest pitch,
perhaps that was ever known in
Georgia in a degree equaling that of
the secession period
The new legislature met in Louis
Vile. in 1876, attended by great pub
lie interest. By common consent,
the bill already prepared by General
Jackson repeating the Yazoo Fraud
act, was given the right of way. Be-
ing referred to a committee, the re-
port that the act was against the pub
lie interest, its passage secured by
devious and fraudulent means, and
was therefore null and void, was
loudly acclaimed and the bill repeal
ing it was promptly passed.
Governor Irwin signed it without
hesitation, sealing the fate of the ad-
venturous scheme to rob Georgia.
With great public ceremony of i'm
pressive dignity, the two Houses of
the Legislature met in the open and
burned the original act of fraud and
all the records. The fire was ignited
by a sun glass, as it was thought that
so vile an act required heavenly pur-
cation.
Many of the Indicators in this
scheme of fraud, Ex-Governor Mat
thews and other prominent men,
found Georgia too hot for comfort
able residence, and they left the state
In 1882 Georgia ceded all of its
Western Territory, the Ya1oo coun-
try the general government for a
consideration of which one feature
was that the United States was to re-
move the Indians and protect the
state IN the rights of all land east of
the Chattahoochee. The other was the
settlement by the general government
OF the claims of the four Yazoo Com
panies, as the United States Supreme
Court had decided that the Legislature
could not legally repeal the act Of
sale on tho orin ciota tba+ - ,.,oe n ";