New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1857-12-30

accepted, and ordinary wheat would psss for mer-
chantable. But he had made up bis mind that the
ihrn he lived on was his own, and that be was his
own landlord. and owed nobody rent, or service,
wheat or fat fowls. He said that thousands upon
thousands Of dollars had been paid upon the quarter
sale reservation. in the two counties. upon a COW
ensnt which the Court Of Appeals had decided to be
contrary 70 statute, and void. He had in his pos
session receipts for hundreds OF dollars paid
by his father upon this illegal covenant He went
on 10 denOunce the PATRON and his agents in no
mncing terms, Ia robbers and Oppressors Of the
poor, who were the victims Of system Of plumber
founded upon lying, fraud intimidation and unlawful
contracts. He then recommended that a commit
tee be appointed to propose plan Of association to
unite the two counties.
Such Committee was appointed, and while they
withdrew to deliberate Andrew j. COyin, esq.,,
addressed the meeting. He made legal argument
in which he attempted to show that not the quarter
sale covenant only, but all the covenants of the
manor grants were alike illegal and void. and not
binding upon any but the original parties to the
deeds. Not being lawyer / will not attempt TO
give abstract of the speech The scope and
substance Of il Was that whenever the land passed
by last will and testament or BY assignment, from
the possession Of the grantee, the kin, or assignee,
or purchaser held il free and clear from all lien or
claim under or BY virtue of the original grant. He
veyed the fee of his land, he transferred all his
title and henceforth had no interest in it, present
or reVisiOnary and could MOI legally impose any COW
enants or conditions inconsistent with the full own
ership and absolute control Of the grantee.
He denied the legal right of the heirs of stephen
Van Rensselaer,, or their assigns, to collect dollar
Of rent from any man in the two counties. lie
went still further He denied the validity Of all per-
petual ground-rents reserved upon grants in fee.
ill., 40 ~ imp ort mr.
than all other questions before the Courts, in its
bearing upon the tenure Of real-estate, and in the
pecunsry interests at stake. / could not help Won
deriDg, ~ listened to his continent exposition of
the law, enunciated with the sincerity OF an I'M
doubling faith, how it could be that for twenty
years almost this subject should have sgitated the
whole community at times, how this agitation had
nearly amounted to insurrectiOn and civil war, how
il should have occupied the thought and delibera-
ton of Governors and legislators how the question
at the formation of it should have engaged the at
tention and investigation Of hundreds Of good law
yers, and it was reserved for the palefaced GENTLE
men before me to discover that the Van Rensseaers
were not landlords, the farmers were not tenants,
and that the whole controversy and agitation grew
out Of mistaken and ignorant understanding OF the
rights Of the parties.
If this new legal revelation had been announced
in l84O. Gov Seward, and Gov. Wright, and Gov.
Young. and Gov Seymour would have been saved
a deal of perplexity and vexatiOn. The Legislature
would have been spared the disgrace Of several
foolish laws; and many eloquent speeches anu
learned reports would never have seen the lignt.
Silas Wright would have been elected Governor,
and would have lived to be President of the United
States. John Young would have still been citizen
of Geneseo, and Willard Fillmore would never have
risen above the mediocrity of his position at the
Erie County bar. Daniel Webster would never
have made his 9TH of March speech, and the coun-
try would not have required to be saved dozen
times in order that certain politicians might have
the honor of its salvation.
"Wha, srea, events arse from trivial thinss"
After Mr.. Colyn had concluded the Committee
reported a plan of union. 1t was proposed that
there be one Association for the two counties with
President and three Vice Presidents. That there
be two TreasIlrers one for each county; that town
Associations BE- formed and uniform system of
assessment be adopted to raise money to defray the
expenses of defending all suits brought to recover
rents, or eject farmers from their homesteads. The
Town Treasurers to pay over all moneys to the
County Treasures and the general fund to be dis
bursed by order Of the President and Vice-Presi-
dents.
The plan was approved and adopted, and the Hon.
John l. Slingerand chosen President Messrs.
Fenner, Belts and Rector were elected Nice-Presi-
dents. Treasurer for each county was also
chosen, whose names / forget
Mr.. Anson Bingham was then called upon to state
the present aspect Of the litigation, and the con-
ditiOn of the suits in progress.
Mr. H. said he had been informed that II had been
reported that judgments had been entered IN more
than thirty cases in favor of the Van Renssaafrs
He could only say that no Judgment had been
entered i'm ANY case where defense had been
interposed nor had any been lately decided by
the Supreme Court upon which q judgment could be
entered He said that several years ago men had
come TO him and asked his advice and counsei, ana
requested him to take up their cases and defend
them in the courts. He had consented to DO so,
only upon one condition, and that was that they
cond not be scared. He did not want to enter upon
defense, and then have his client be frightened out
of il before he could obtain the opinion OF the court
of final resort. All he asked now was that they
would not BIZ scared If they would utterly refuse
10 nav any rent and defend any suit brought TO
recover it, he would engage that the courts would
finally decide that they themselves the lords Oh
the SOIL owed no rent to any landlord but had their
lands in fee, and entirely Invested OF the Illegal
covenants and conditions sought to be eternally
fastened upon them.
AT the close of Mr.. Brighams remarks, the
meeting adjourned.
regard this meeting as very important. The
farmers are now combined in league pledged to
refuse all payment of rent, and to interpOse de-
Tense TO any suit brought for its recovery. The
Courts will therefore soon be called upon to dehne
and determine the rights of the parties. Whatever
that decision may be, all parties will peaceahy and
finally scquiesce.