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GEORGIA AND GEORGIANS 451
tunity for graft. As we have already seen, in our discussion of the
Pine Barren frauds, land speculators at one time acquired fictitious
grants to 7,000,000 acres of land in Montgomery County, an aggregate
greater than the county's total acreage, all of which they planned to sell
and some of which they did sell to unsuspecting persons outside the state,
entailing endless litigation.
To explain the land lottery system adopted at this time as a substi
tute for the old system of head rights: slips or tickets were prepared on
which certain numbers were placed representing the land lots to be dis
tributed. These were then put into boxes, together with a number of
blanks. As set forth in the act those entitled to draw were: '' All free
white males, twenty-one years of age or over, who had been residents of
the State for twelve months.'' These were entitled to draw once. '' But
every white male person having a wife, with one child or more under
age; all widows having children under age; and all families of orphans
under age, were entitled to draw twice.'' To prevent improper manipu
lation, lists were carefully drawn in each county by legal officers. These
were then sent to the governor, who ordered a drawing to be held under
the supervision of five managers. Some inevitably drew blanks. To
those who were fortunate, grants were issued, each bearing the gov
ernor's signature, attested by the great seal of the state, which was
stamped upon a wax pendant and attached to the deed by means of a
ribbon. Each grant was also accompanied by a plot of the land con
veyed. Within twelve months after receiving his grant, each person was
required to pay into the treasury a nominal sum of $4 for every 100
acres of land contained in his lot; and, on failure to comply with this
requirement, he forfeited his titles to the land deeded. These lots
varied in size. Those,in Baldwin and Wilkinson were 35 chains square
and contained 2021/2 acres. Those in Wayne were 70 chains square and
contained 490 acres.
So effective did the land lottery system prove, that all the remaining
lands of the state were from time to time distributed according to this
method. The last distribution was made under the Cherokee Lottery of
1832. All of the lands of the state lying west of the Oconee and north
of the Altamaha were distributed under the land lottery system; and,
in like manner all the lands south of the Altamaha and west of the old
original County of Wayne. On the other hand, all the lands east of
these dividing lines, were distributed under the head right system.
Louisville, as a permanent site for the state capital, had failed to give-
satisfaction. The locality was found to be unhealthful. Moreover, with
the movement of population toward the foot-hills, there was a strong-
demand for locating the seat of government at some convenient point in
the uplands. Considerably more than one-half of the state's popula
tion was now found in the middle belt. Georgia, having ceded to the
Federal Government her western lands and having received in return a
guarantee of the titles under which she held her remaining lands, this;
seemed to be an opportune time for selecting a new seat of government;:
and accordingly, in the Land Lottery Act of 1803, commissioners were
authorized to locate a town at the head of navigation on the Oconee
River. Sixteen land lots, or 3,240 acres of land, were allotted to the
proposed new seat of government; and here, on the wooded heights, a