The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1850-12-09

81, ,269 have been located covering $40 44O acres
| The act granting Mexican bounty land claims
was construed To authorize their assignment, which
opened door for the commissit of extensive
frauds, as well upon the soldier and his heirs the
Government. Numerous discharges have been
forged, and warrants obtained thereon and assign
! ed, and passed into the hands Of bona fde put
chasers by individuals personating the soldier.
Persons assuming to act as agents in procuring
bounty lands have III many cases imposed upon the
soldiers by obtaining assignments of their warrants
duly acknowledged before n magistrate or notary,
leaving blanks for the number date of the warrant,
aud date OF assignment and acknowledgement.
Those blanks were filled up after the Issue of the
warrants, 80 that the ssignmcnts appear their
faces to be fair and regular, and executed after
such issue. Warrants thus assigned passed
into the hands OF innocent purchasers, and in such
cases the soldier is generally defrauded Of his land,
as II is difficult, il no, impossible, for him
plain or controvert the assignment.
Transfers are also frequently made, under and in
virtue OF blank powers Of attorney, surreptitousy
obtained from the colder before the adjudication of
his claim, and filed up afterwards. There lso
numerous cases where the soldier has lost his
rant or il has been stolen, and afterwards put IN
circulation by simulated assignment
Some estimate may be formed of the extent Of
these frauds, from the fact that about three hun
| drcd warrants have been cancelled on the ground
OF having been obtained on false forged papers,
aud about two hundred and seventy five have been
suspended upon allegations OF the charac ter,
made by counter claimants.
Fourteen hundred caveats have been flied in this
office by individuals contestng the Issue of patents
to the assignees, chiefly the ground that the as
sgnmens are false and counterfeit, or, in fact ex-
ecutcd prior To Inc issue of the warrants, and the
dates subsequently inserted.
The decision OF these suspended and caveaied
cases imposes much labor and patient investigation
upon this office. la where there is great
iict OF evidence. the parties referred the u
diclal tribunals to decide the controversy by bill in
| chanccry or otherwise.
1t would have been far better if these warrants
had not been made assignable and that the patent
should, in all have issued the soldier dead
or living, and churcd to the benefit of his heirs or
| assignees The courts of justice would be open to
all persons claiming by, through, under the sol
dicr, to assert their titles, where they could have
| the benefit OF fair trial and careful investiga
| ton Of all the facts.
| Much embarrassment has also been experienced
in closing the grants made to the States for internal
improvements by the act of 4th September, 1S4l ,
and by other similar grants made TO particular
States by special acts of Congress.
The following table exhibits the present condi-
tion of the grant made by the act Of 4th Septem-
bcr, lS4l, to wit:
STATEMENT,
Shocing the condition of the State selections under
The act Of 4h September, lS4l, on tie 30M day Of
June, 1850.