The Kansas herald of freedom., 1856-04-12
REPLY.

REPLY.
DEAR SIR Yours of March 24tf is
received, for which am much obliged
But in as few words as possible, will
state our difficulties here.
lst. We have several laws concerning
-emptions, which, in some degree,
harmonize as to their general principles.
We have also Instructions from the
General Land Office to the Registers of
the several Land Offices, which modify
the laws, and. in some measure, change
their application.
Our lawyers do not agree concerning
the meaning of the laws. Neither do
our public men. Neither do The people
generally.
The consequence is, much confusion,
contention, strife, houseburning and
murder l would respectfully suggest
that all the present laws be repealed, and
the whole be embodied in one code.
Specify first: Who mag pre-enps land.
Second Hoao mag the right topre-enspt
DC 1ssqaired2 And third: Ho0 are tie
boundaries Of claim, which is made
before the survey, to be determiaed?
If state few of our difficulties, you
will see clearly the point to be met. ist.
Who may pre-enspt tands By ''Instruc-
tions'' from the General Land Office to
Registers of Land Offices in the slave
States, minor who owned or hired a
slave was allowed to pre-empt land.
Going on these instructions, young
man, aged twenty years. living near me,
took claim, put on house, broke and
fenced land, and hired hands; and so
far, was the head of family, although
unmarried. One day, in his absence, a
man came by and took possession. The
first plan was to mob him out. The
second was to sue him at the law, which
was done. The young man lost the case;
the Court deciding that minors could not
hold claims. The occupant of the house,
in getting possession, broke a lock, and
to avoid suit for house breaking, he
left Soon after, another man put house
up, on the same quarter, and is now liv-
ing in it. Who will hold the claim?
A widow, living with her parents, put
up tent on a vacant quarter-sectien, to
signify her intention to pre-emptit. The
same day man put up tent for the
same purpose. The man put up cabin
first, and slept in it few nights. The
widow has also put a cabin on it, and
lived in it day or two. Both are hold
ing it for sale. The widow, has sold her
interest in forty acres for nearly $500.
The purchaser of this forty acres is the
only one living on the claim. But in
addition to these claimants, forty acres
are fenced and broken BY another claim
ant, who is cut off from it by the recent
survey lines.
Another case: A gentleman from
New York was here recently, and had
with him paper signed by Eve lawyers
in that city, giving it as their opinion
that any unmarried woman over twenty
one years of age could lawfully pre.emp.
land. His company viii probably try
1t. But no one here believes they can.
Let the law specify whe may pre-empi
land, SO plainly. that no instructions
or guess work viii be necessary. We
have here. more difficulty on the second
question than the first.
Many suppose by going on to piece
of land and putting up four logs for the
foundation of cabin, they secure title
70 it which viii hold good against any
fother settler; and they are willing h
), fight for it., and do fight for it. Some
60 further, and finish small shanty and
plow . little, but not living on It at all
Others, again, hire man to live on
claim and hold. it for rthem, while they are
i ID another State. One of our most lloted
men here. an officer Of the bogus, has
!. burned two cabins on claim that he
never lived on. and which the oecupanl
| paid $500 for to Missourian. The rea-
son ne gave was, the houses were nearer
to him than he liked to have them.
Two young men, from Ind. put up a
| cabin on vacant quarter sections, lasl
winter. They were immediately burned