Case Name: Allison v. Halfacre
Court: Iowa Supreme Court
Jurisdiction: Iowa
Decision Date: 1861-04-11
Citations: 11 Iowa 450
Docket Number: 
Parties: Allison v. Halfacre.
Judges: 
Reporter: Iowa Reports
Volume: 11
Pages: 450–452

Head Matter:
Allison v. Halfacre.
1. Swamp lands. The act of Congress granting swamp lands to the State of Iowa operated exproprio vigore to convey the title to the State. The subsequent selection and patenting of the lands were necessary only for the purpose of fixing their location and description.
Appeal from Fremont District Court,
Thursday, April 11.
The plaintiff in his petition sets up a pre-emption elaim to a tract of swamp land, proved up according to the acts of the General Assembly of this State, for which he had a certificate from the county judge of Fremont county regularly assigned to him, and upon which he charged that the defendant was committing irreparable waste, by cutting and hauling away the timber therefrom. The prayer of the petition vas'-' for an injunction and the allowance of damages for the injury done.
The defendant denied the charges, and set up title to the same land by virtue of a pre-emption from the general govcrnment. On the trial the court found the issues in favor of the plaintiff, awarded him one hundred dollars for his damages, and made the injunction perpetual.
McHenrys and Solomon, for the appellant.
Rector Harvey, for the. appellee.

Opinion:
Lowe, C. J.
No evidence whatever has been certified up with the record in this ease; in the absence of which we must presume that the judgment of the court was a just' response thereto. Whether the questions of law raised in this court were presented and passed upon by the court below, we have no means of determining from the record. If it should be said that this is a chancery case, and that questions going to the equity of the bill may be insisted upon at the hearing as well as by demurrer, then they should be limited to the facts presented in the petition, and not confounded with those arising upon the evidence.
In the present condition of the record there is" but one question, perhaps, which it would be proper for us to pas3.. upon; and this relates to the alledged invalidity of the acts ; of the Legislature granting pre-emption rights to swamp lands. The point made as we understand it, is, that these-, pre-emption acts were passed anterior to the time when the., swamp lands were patented to the State by the general government, and were on that account an unlawful interference with the primary disposal of the soil by the United States. The objection proceeds upon the idea that the title to these., lands is not vested in the State by the act of Congres3 granting them, but by the subsequent selection and patenting of the same. This is simply a mistake. The act granting,' the swamp lands operates ex proprio viyore to pass the title ' at once. The subsequent selection and patenting is required for the purpose of fixing their location and description.
The judgment below is aifirmed.