Butte record., 1854-05-20
Cn rcss ve Let's aim

bill has been before the legislature to le-
galize and confirm the locations of School
Land Warrants, without discrimination be-
tween lands owned by the State and lands be-
longing to the United States, and permitting
person to locate as many ps he CHOOSES
Should this become law ii viii enable caw-
talists to become landed proprietors to nearly
the extent permitted by Spanish Grants. and
will be intoleraby oppressive upon those who
have wended their hithcr, destitute of capital.
with the expectation of availing themselves Of
tie liberal provisions Of the prc-emption law
of Congress. In another view, warrants have
been located upon lands claimed by the State
and to which the general government has no
claim, and whose value is UNNECESSARILY more
than the amount received for School Land
Warrants. The San Francisco HeraH states
that eighteen Warrants, covering two thou
sand five hundred sixty acres of land, sur
rounding San Francisco, has been located by
one person, and the passage OF confrmatory
law by the legislature, would cede to this per-
son, the interest of the State TO lands in the
vicinity of San Francisco, without the State
receiving any compensation therefor
1t was not the intention of Congress to per
NIT one person to locate srch a quantity
and our legislature can only do it now by the
passage of law favoring the few to the ex-
ciusion of the many, and rendering it impos-
sible for the poor immigrant to secure the
b1acu, e., =.
shores Of the Pacific 1t has ever been the
aim of Congress to prevent the monopoly of
lands, and the pre-cmption laws have been
framed with a view to benefit alike every cit
izen vino chooses to avail himself of their privi-
leges, and the law can only be violated by an
act Of State legislation, which steps between
the general government and the holder of the
Warrants, and at n sacrifice of its own inter
a monopoly of the choices; lands of the State.
1t was an exceedingly short-sightcd and
bad policy in bringing the school lands into
market at so early a day. 1t is believed that
they might have been brought into market at
some future day at an advance sufficient to
have justified the State in holding onto them
But that act cannot now be reculled. and vain
regrets will not avail But it is the duty of
the legislature of California to adopt laws to
conform with those of Congress upon this sub
ject, and thus secure ''the greatest good to the
reatest number and hold out inducements
to settlers, to make this their permanent res
idence- Why should the legislature of Cali
fornia interpose and sanction the location of
two or three thousand acres of land by one
person, by means of School land Warrants,
while the pre- -emption law of Congress upon
which they are based, allows person to hold
but l60 acres When the legislature adopt
laws upon this subject, in conformity with the
provisions of the law of Congress, they will
do much to encourage the settlement of the
State, and protect the interest of the produ-
clng class. We earnestly hope that legisla- /
ting for speculators has ceased with the pres I
ent ntlegislature, and that hereafter the Repre- !
sentatives OF the people will attend to the
interests of the State. and leave land sharks
and spectators to themselves