Daily evening star. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1852-1854, 1854-09-01
WASHINGTON NEWS AND GOSSIP

WASH1N6T0N NEWS AND GOSSIP
Virginia Land Warrants Tho Intsvi.
ssnoer Of yesterday morning contains an in
terestiDg account Of tho exposure of frauds 81
Virginia Land warrants. The ha.eiligsnees
remarks: - = -
"The history of these Virgins warrants
seems to be this: Virginia, being an extern.
siye territory, had at one time q vast amount
of waste and unappropriated land, ~ and the
mode Of disposing Of it was this: A person
who desired to take up land would 60 to the
Auditor Of Public Accounts and pay two cents
an acre for any quantity he wan.ed-say
twenty dollars for one thousand acres. Getting
his receipt therefor, he would pass over to the
Register Of the Land Office, and upon the pre-
sentation Of his receipt and the payment of
Office fees say five dollars, the Register would
give him q warrant, authorizing him to locate
ard have surveyed the amount of land called
for in his warrant. A plat Of the survey was
retasned, and the Register issued q patent for
the amount.
This worked very we'll until " estern Vir.
ginia was "shingled' over with conflicting
land claims, the State being in no wise re,
sponsible for the title If the owner Of the
warrant located it improperly, he ,aust abide
the consequences of his own act. Thus, for
many years, much of the land was held by
non residents and much Of ii was 6. squatted'
upon by settlers, some under celer Of land
warrant and locatii n and some without. The
Legislature tried various experiments for the
last ffty years to quiet titles and the laws be-
came 30 numerous that even the clear headed
Benjamin Watkins Leigh acknowledged that
they wero beyond his skill to unravef. The
last legislation upon the subject was in 1S4e
when the Code of Virginia was revised Still
the Register sells land warrants, although it is
now believed there is very little 4" waste and
unappropfisted lands," and daily somebody
is deceived. 1s it not time the good old State
CT Virginia, which prides herself upon her in +,
tegrity, should discontinue the sale of warrants
Of this chafaoter?'' ~
In addition to these objections to issuing
Virginia land warrants, there Is q still more
serious one. 1t Is this: Some person will poke
about and discover, or imagine he discovers, q
flaw in the title Of another mans eetate-some
doubt for instance in the description Of the land
as first granted by the State. Thereupon he
gets treasury land warrant, locates it on his
nsighbor' estate, commences suit against it.
and puts him to all sorts of expense and an
noyance. The title hunter is running for luck
to get great estate. He may have paid ten
or twenty dollars for the cost of getting out
his land warrant, with which to speculate in
possible flaws in valuable improved property,
held in good faith by grant from the State.
All the Spectator risks is twenty dollars and
counsel fees, which is the price he paysfor his
ticket, As it we're, in this specializing ottcry.
On the other hand, if he succeeds he may get
possession Of large estate for a song. We
have recent example of this pernicious sys-
TEN in the case of Mr.. French, who Undertook.
with one of these treasury land warrants, to
get possession Of a portion Of Old Point Com
fort and compel the United States to pay him
half a million Of dollars for the redemption of
Fortress Monroe. Fortunately, the attempt
proved a failure; though i: was a source of
very considerable expense and trouble to the
Government
The Lobby 0rgan.-The New York H1ra!d
Of Wednesday gives list of papers published
aud to be published at Washington, designating
at the same time what kind of IS organs" they
are. In concluding it's characteristic COM
nsnts, the New York organ of his Satanic
Majesty says .---.. '':.. TOD.
All that is now wanted to perfec. the list
ia an Irish Catholic organ, after tbs style of
the Freemam's Journal, and good lobby or
gan. With these additions, the noise and
confusion" and the dscorI among the Wnsh-
ington organs next winter, will be complete.
1t will DO equal to the debates in Congress
There is fine openiu 6 for aIobby organ In
quiTe OF Samuel Colt and Horace Ill. Day
As to a lobby organ We would remark
that nothing of the kind is needed a. Wash.
ington while the HeralG is printed. At tai
tine it obeys the behests of Satan at New
York it does tho work of the lobby as Wash
ington. Its correspondents here, without nm
exception are members of the lobby and
there is not bill Of Importance that comes
before Congress, in which sono one Of them ia
not interested. 1t is their connection with the
lobby, and their fattery of one public man
and the defamation Of another, Ter which they
and their employer arc paid, that enable tho2e
people to live in the manner they do. and
carry money away frsn Washington
We say again, there is no need of establish
ing lobby organ at Wa bington while Ben
nett's Hsrala exists. :,
The New Custom-houses in Virginia We
learn that the work On the Norfolk, Va, Gus
tora- house is progressing finely, and that tn,
old buildings covering the site Of the new
custom house o. Richmond, Va, have bee,
removed. Tho plans ana specifications 70
that work are low being prepared, and 1t vii
be Ie. as soon as they can be completed. Til,
| material ia the beautiful granite in the neigh
| Dor haod of Richmond.
| Nothing further than the preparation If III
plans securing proper site can be dcnO viii
| reference to the new Custom House at Peters
burg, until the Legislature Of Virginia ma,
graut the requisite jurisdiction to the Unite,
States
! Avery Important Movement Of the ue,era
Land Ofics.-We understand that the Sscre
! tary Of tho Interior is about to restore t.
market all the land withheld from sale Oh
account of the contcmpla. ed railroads running
through or near them, except, Of course, il
cases where Congress has actually mad
the grants for railroad purposes asked
large body Of very desirable lands will thu
become again subject to private entry at 81 2!
per acre or to location with land scrip. Thi
is important to be speedily and widely known