Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1840-01-04
TO TIE EDITOR or TIE r.A,


In the report of the proceedings of the House Of De-
lcga,cs Of Tuesday last contained in your paper Of
Yesterday, perceive that there has been msconccp
ton with regard 10 the acton OF the House upon the
Dil! concerning Western land titles The proposition
was originally introduced INTO the oasc, with the view
Of repeating the t@cncth section Of the act passed the
18th day of March, 1873, entitled san amend and
spain the laws concerning Western land titles, and
for other purposes That section required that the
Register of the Land Office should not issue any grants
for land after the Both day of Nov, 1898, except upon
surveys which should be endorsed with affidavit of
the principal Surveyor of the county, that he verify be-
evcd that the land embraced in said survey had not
been previously appropriated The Committee of
Courts of Justice reported BILL repeating the said 20th
section, but requiring that the oath that had been
Qured to he taken by the Surveyor should be taken by
every person who should make entry of waste and
rnapprnpr;aed andsThat bill rccommtted to the
aforesaid Committee: and returned TO the House
with an amendment, dispensing with the oath aida
Wit aforesaid but increasing the price of for
waste and unappropriacd lands, from cents The
law now s:andsl to III cents for every of land
living on the West side of the Allcghany Mountains
and one dollar for every acre wing the East side
thereof.
The Goth section Of the act of 1855 sought be re-
pealcd quite obnoxious to the people of the West
portion of the State, or whose benefit it seemed to
be intended as il was found impossible in almost every
instance obtain the required affidavit of the Surveyor
owing the fact that many years since, very large
number of large surveys were made by sundry ndiv-
duals covering most Of the territory Of The Western
section Of the State. Those surveys frequently mum
bcred 500GGG and more, with but few corners
and no lines 10 be found, the lines never having been
marked 60 that the Surveyor or no other person
could with security, make the required affidavit
and BY shifting the affidavit from the surveyor to the
locator no good could arise, the diicul!:c3
would cxst--and should the price Of land warrants be
increased to III cents per acre-raore, probably, lin
nine cases of ten) than the waste and inappropriate
ed land desired be located entered would BE-
ally worti-composcd II is, generally Of untilable
worthless mountain lands-so that in truth it would
be antamount TO the passage of law, prohibiting the
further location of waste and unappropriacd lands
and thereby cutting off the revenue which accrucs
by reason of the land Office. ] therefore did not as
stated in your report merely object to the amendment.
because the price of land warrants would be too much
in the Valley section of the State, but | opposed the
whole amendment proposed by the Committee of Courts
Of JUSTICE well that portion OF the bill requiring
Tie affidavit OF the iocatorand insisted upon the
peal of the Goth section Of tho act Of 1889. Th
-a;cctcd ---.~..,lment proposed py tn" OF
Courts Of Justice as wen as that portion OF the bill
requiring the affidavit Of the locatorand the bill pass
cd the House. repeating merely the Goth section aicre-
said
And as the Senate will no doubt pass the BILL so rcn-
sonabe in itself and SO much desired by the people OF
the West, hope that in your next paper you will
make the above corrections, that it may be correctly
understood by those interested in IT,
With high esteem your obcdent servant,
AUGUSTUS A. CHAPMAN.
Tuomas RITcu.E, Esq.