The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1851-01-09

land to each settler, and ON additional grant to
those who would induce q hundred families TO
take up their residence in the country. They
were not obliged to purchase the land, but 1t was
forced upon them as grants, free gifts, in order to
induce them to settle in the country, and they
were exempted for q certain time not only from
taxation but also from the payment Of tthes to the
church. The bill now before the Senate arraign-
ed all the titles held under these grants and re-
quired the landhoders not only to make their IL
tie evident against the United States but TO
make that title evident 10 three courts.
The Spanish people had horror Of lawsuits
and particularly of lawsuits with the United
States. He knew that many of them, sooner than
run the gauntlet of three trials to test the validi
ty of the title by which they hold their land,
would fly the country and abandon their land
He explained the plan which he had prepared II
proposed that, before anything else was done, the
various private claims to land in California should
be collected. For this purpose recorder Of land
titles should be appointed, whose duty it would
be to collect and record from the original papers
the various titles under which parties held and
claimed the land. OF these titles, when recorded,
an abstract should be sent on to Washington, to
be examined by the Government. Then, in eve
ry case where, after an examination by the re-
corder and the district attorney, it was found that
claim was not fully made out, the claimant
should be required, by scire facias, to show cause
why his title should not be cancelled. In this
way the holder of a valid claim would not be
obliged to 90 to law to prove il So His plan also
proposed that the judgment of the court below
should be conclusive in all cases, with one excep-
ton. His action in this matter was entirely dis
interested, and 80 was that of Colonel Fremont;
and, in order to make that disinterestedness man
ifest, his bill proposed that there should be the
right of appeal by the United States in all cases
| i. Il IL
The subject was resumed last Friday, when
Mr.. Benton addressed the Senate till after three
o'clock in support of his substitute. The subject
was then postponed and the Senate adjourned
till Monday.
Monday, the business done was for the most
part merely formal and preliminary. Memorials
were presented and referred private bills from
the House were sent to the appropriate Commit
tees a few unimportant resolutions were adopted
The French Spoliation bill was taken up, and
made the special order for the next Monday
This makes six special orders on the Calendar,
but the Cheap Postage bill is not among them.
Bills concerning class local interests are very
apt to take precedence of bills of importance to
the interests ofthe People generally.
The day was again wasted in the resolution Of
Mr. Bradbury concerning removals from office,
| on which Mr.. Mangum occupied a. >:Sas Of tss
Senate in speech two hours long, in the attempt
to show that the removal of General Lane was
justifable act.
The man must be hard run for reading who
will take the trouble to look at these reverend
ing speeches on stale, fat, and Improbable"
subject