Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1841-1853, 1845-09-18

the information of readers, that they should also
have the other side of the question. To this end we
copy from the "Young America" paper published
in the city of New York, the following article:
NEW YORK MANOR LAND TITLES.
Are they Valid or mott
This question, which has for long time been Ons of
exciting interest the different claimants Of these lands
has, by of occurrence become Of deep
portance ell the people of New York When the in
terna tranquility of the State is disturbed by seizures of
property under process deemed valid by party and
void by the other until both parties
both appeal arms 10 support of their supposed rights, it
behooves pescesble citizens who neither disposed
counensnce oppression the one hand, nor the with
holding Of Just dues on the other inquire for whose
cause such evils are brought upon the State.
Previous the revolutionary aud perhaps also dur
ing its continuance, large tracts of land in New York,
granted by the reigning monarchs Of Great Bran
10 individuals who called Landlords Lords of the
Manor, Patrons Pairoons These Landlords, in iml-
tatOn Of the Barons of William the Norman, in
duty bound promote the settlement Of the lands thus
granted by royal favor by loyal subjects and only by 10y
al subjects. To retain the villains in due subsection,
terms snd conditions. unheard Of among equals and up
pcsbls only TO vsnsge sinsered in the leases by
the Landlords and enacted of the tensntry. Ii po
tca connection. Political considerations the duty sf The
Landlords exhibit examples of loyal devotion and
enforce due submission among their mus wsTe the
part Of the monarch and ministry. the principal cosdera
lions in making the grants Subsequent applicants for
ants Of lands found the conditions raised against
Them in order TO keep down the population the safe
and loyal standard OF the PATRONS, and enable them
dispose Of their lands better advantage by narrowing
competition Such the state of affairs the CON-
of the revolution, and such were, in small
degree the of the revolution.
Il may be well to remark here that under const
tuons of government petends that any Of these
grants valid solely the strength of the royal author
y Every admits that unless the grants have been
ratified confirmed, either by the National the State
government they null and void Thus the royal au-
thoriy entirely imperative except in where grants
may have been ratified and confirmed by the succeeding
Republican government; and then only operative far
define the boundaries Of the grants ratified and
confirmed.
Row. what grants Of land in the State Of New York,
made by the royal authority of the King of Great Britain
have been ratified aud confirmed by the Constitution of
the United States By the Constitution of the State Of
New York. None Not a solitary one - Strange as
this language may sound in the Of uprentcrs
renters it is nevertheless true Not solitary grant Of
the of New York. made by the royal autho
ity of Great Britain, has been ratified confirmed
by Constitutions, or by either Of them. On the con-
trary ell such grants of land anywse connected with
political power liable to be by the Declaration of
independence, and by the Constitution Of New York.
dered null and void
The Declaration of Independence, for amply
set forth upon its face, of which the raising the
conditions of appropriations of and declared all po
tca connexion between the United States and the
Of Great Britain, to be totally dissolved. The of p-
veged ORDERS whether called Lords spiritual temporal
Lord Bishops Landlords Lords of the Manor or PATRONS
with ell their toggery and terms of vsnage, then
swept away So the people of New York understood the
matter and their delegates in the convention that draft
ed the former constitution explicitly asserted aud soemnIy
proclaimed. In the preamble TO the former Constitution
the convention refer to he many yranncal and oppres
sive usurpaons of the king and parliament of Great
BRITAIN on the rights and liberties of the people of the
American colonies :" to the irrecOnceabe character of
the then lin l777l carried the necessity
shat the exercise of svery kind Of authority under the
said Crown, should be totally suppressed and all the
powers of exeed under the authority Of the
people Of the colonies for the preservation of internal
peace virtue and good Order well for the defence of
our pes liberties and properties against the hostile in
'vasions and cruel depredatons of enemies - and
tie Declaration Of Independence which they quote and
declare TO have been previously adopted The convention
then say "By virtue of which several acts declarations
and proceedings mentioned and contained in the afore
cited resolves resolutions Of the general Congress of
the United American States, and of the Congresses
Conventions of this State all power whatever therein hath
reverted to the people thereof" etc.
"his convention, therefore, in the and by the au
fhoy Of the good people of this State doth ordan de-
ermne and declare that no authority SHALL any pre-
ence whatever be exercised the people or members
of this State but such shall be derived from and
GRANTED ri them.
Thus it is SEEM that by virtue Of former acts of the
"geneal Congress of the United American States and
the congresses conventions of this State of New York.
and not BY virtue Of the constitution then framed all po
cal connexon, by grants Of land TO Court favores,
ege Landlords and ege tenants, vassas, renters
forever dissolved. The relation of Landlord and Land
vasss abolished The harsh and slavish conditions
which had bound the latter to the former were swept
away and the parties restored of equality
The Landlord could 40 longer give colorado right
of occupancy to the tenant and the latter released
from all obligation perform the conditions of the lease
Each might retain and cultivate the land he occupied
Ill some with better title should appear and claim
it. Such the state of the old Manor grants of land
when the Convention which formed the former Consttu-
ton of New York assembled at Kingston in April 1777
That Convention left the old grants il found Them fully
recognizing the action of the old Congress which had an
nuled them. Nor could they have done otherwise. Any
attempt to revive these grants if they had desired do
it, would have been Of hostility the Union then
engaged in with tyrant king who still claimed the
sention and their constituents his Subjects and their
country his domain and who retained the disposition
to continue make further grants of their lands bis
tory adherens 10 the 36th section of the former Con-
stituton of New York both the former and the latter
grants Of land are referred to follows
"36. lind be 10 further ordained That all grants of
land within this State made by the King of Great Br-
TAIL or persons acting under his authority after the
eenth day Of October IT'S, shall be null and void but
that nothing in this constitution contained. shall be
strued AFFECT any grants Of land within this State
made By the authority Of the said king his predeces
'sors, any charters bodies polite, by him
or them, or any of them, made prior to that day"
he convention met the continued practice of the Brit
king the old Congress had his former practice
of dsposing of lands in this country by declaring his
acts void In the sections the power to control land
with the Indians is given 10 the Legislature Of
the State.
has been maintained by the Landlords and PATRONS
Of the manos that the latter clause of the seth section Of
the former constitution quoted above and con-
firms them the grants Of land made prior to October a.
l775 There nothing in the language of the section
that indicates anything like guaranty confirmation of
those grants Far from IT, The words shat nothing
in this constitution contained shall be construed affect
ANY grants of land within this State made by the author