The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1858-03-05

There 10 under the sun, IL is most devoutly to be
hoped, no people 30 cursed with defective land
laws a. the state Of Virginia; and late as It is in
the session of the Legislature, We venture to hope
that some act may yet be passed to remedy one OF
the greatest grievances from which we suffer.
We have. already fully explained the mode and
mAsnsr Ia which land warrants have been cold by
the state. cay for the last half century, to
anybody and everybody. for mere song-the
warrants not specifying where the land bought
wss. aad the purchaser being left to locate whe,e
he pleased The State has thus not only parted
with all the best land that really belonged to her,
for probably Ok cents per acre; but she has been
q party TO a. base q system Of fraud and swindling
a. ever disgrsced state--that by which land
sharks have located their warrants upon the lands
of absent owners, who have been ultimately cheat
cd out Of them. No State is cursed with such an
smount'of disputed land tltles-the prosperity Of
no State has been so much obstructed by this
cause.
It Is tune that the sale of these warrants was
ended IL Is time that the State should cease to be
q mere abettor OF fraud, her humiliation and dis
grace being in the proportion Of the contemplate
compensation she receives for her criminality
CENTS AND A HALF PER ACRE, AND TWENY-
FIVE CENTS FOR THE sEAL ATTACHED TO
mother longer sustain this humiliating position of
accessory for this poor price to not ouly robbery
of her citizens but of herself Let her honestly f7ad
out uhshsr or no she has any land and then let her
sell that which 10 hers and hers only giving
description Of 1T, and securing the purchaser In
fee simple title.
The Trsasurers report shows that during the
fseai year of 1857, the sum of s6als was received
BY the Land Once for these sham land warrants
for waste aud unapprsprated lands, which the
Etate may or may Eot have; and the report of the
Register of the Land Office shows that for six
months and twenty days, ending on the Goth nit,
there we're issued from his office $50 warrants, for
oa47e< acres of land, at ~ cents per acre, and
Is cents for seal Of each warrant. These warrants
were either located on land that was worth pro-
badly on an average, as much US the United States
government land, or they were gotten out for
speculation by selling them out of the State, as
thousands have been sold, robbing unsuspecting
and honest persons who were DESTROYS of getting
bit Of land TO live upon. If located upon what
really belonged to the State, why should not the
State get its LIS per acre for the warrant 1t is
known that q great part OF the lands located by
these warrant dealers either the rolling tobacco
or grass lands, so we'll adapted to grazing, the
mineral lands, the value of which may at least be
entitled to such lands and would sell them In the
proper way, she could get It.
Another great grievance is the manner in which |
hands are sold for the non-payment of taxes
Lands are constantly changing bands, especially |
In cities; and If 1t happens that former owner
had failed to pay years tax, after the lapse Of
i've years the land is sold at the courthouse, under
q general advertisement, including all the lands so
delinqu eut In tabular list, which mentions little
more than the former owners name. 81 that
man may stand by and see his own land sold and
not know II. The purchaser lays low for two
years and then claims it, giving the innocent pre-
cent proprietor incsculabe trouble. This IS
great grievance and ought to be reformed Let
the State claim the forfeiture TO herself of all
lands after delinquency of term of years in tie
payment of taxes but first, let her provide that
the proper measures shall be taken to collect the
taxes, and also that the owners shall be properly
informed of the delinquency Of former owners.
These grievances ought to be remedied. The
State should be above reproach-she should not
be aosessary to fraud and robbery Of her citizens.
The uncertainty of Western land titles at this
time is one of the greatest barriers to the pros
pertty of the State Reform the whole system
establish honesty--veto iraud-and the people will
rejoice and sing the praises of the lawmakers