Daily gazette and comet. (Baton Rouge, La.) 1856-186?, 1860-04-04

ton purposes SAID thnt the cypress was
one aud half leagues back Of the river, |
and IL seems, asked. n concession l on ne
hal fandi to get timber for his FINN.
Under the term, all the back lands"
the tIoumas claimants. after the treaty If
eession. and psref before, claimed and sur
vowed above 10000 acres Of land for
timber privilege for less than 700 acres
This timber was scattered over more than
800 sauate miles. in country not natu-
rally well adapted 10 easy transportation.
This pretension was very naturally con
sidared eVhorbitant and unreasonable, aud
nothing but the clearest words of grant.
unrestrnined hv the facts aud cifcun-
stances of the case. could be deemed SUM-
cient to maintain 10. Therefore the OH
Gers of the Government and congress
uniformly. with the exception before sta
ted, refused 10 recognize u.
Tho claimants under the lloumas grant
have been in possession Of the river 'front.'
from l1T1 90 This time. and the extent Vi
this possession 10 the rear does not appear
- the Committee but. i'm 11fG, the King
Of Spain imported from the Canary Is
lands n company Of poor Immigrants, aud
settled them on the lbetvillo and Amito
rivers, twenty or thirty miles from the
river Mississippi granted Thorn lands and
established the town If Galveston, all
within the limits of said prent 49, nov
claimed
Some grants upon the Mississippi river
were made before this. aud with which
this lloumas grant conflicts. and others
were made after this grant. within The
limits ms now claimed, without objection ~
complaint from these grantees. us far ne
your Committee have been able 30 nFcet
tain.
other persons. squatters, without legal
rights, have alsp. from time 90 lime, set
Tied ou these back lands. relying upon The
uniform policy Of the Government tp
grant them pre-em ptipu, If the land should
prove 81 belong 10 the Government aud
not 30 the claimants. All these settlers
in the aggregate. according 90 tbs memo
rial before your Committee. amour 30
about FIVE hundred families. Some Of
those occupants have located on their
premises in pursuance Of Spanish ~ French
grants older than tho lloumns graut, oth-
ers under grants younger than that grant.
mud others still relying solely upon the
goodness Of tho title of this Government
aud IL Is strong fact in this case that,
from / sos 60 this hour. ~ sar as your Com
mites have been able 10 leaFn, no effort
has been made 10 eject any Of these ror-
sous by the Iloumas grantees.
We have nltendy shown that the title oi
tho grantees was perfect 30 every extent
that they had title nt oil just as perfect
without as with Congressional action, m
,rJe V,.d Wie-yet they soom never TO
have vcnturpd so assert N 10 The courts,
oven against s1uattor.
Your Committee do not deem ~ neces-
sary 20 give any opinion as tp the validity
OF the lloumas grant. 90 iis sVtr Mt. FUR
Their than 10 say, that ~ is not, ~ their
Judgment. such title ~ Congress ought
10 affirm. 10 the prejudice Of the other par
ties IT. interest without judicial Affirm
Rnce Of IT,.
The oct Of the "a Of Juno. 1859. gives a
great and unjust advantage to the claim
ants, for which your Committee see no
sound reason, either in justice or sound
policy. H. gives the IloulnRs grantees par
amount title 70 the lands in dispute, and
requires oil adverse claimants to make
2 BOD their titles by suits At law and if
they fail. for any reason Whatever 70
show perfect title in themselves, their
lands nll fall 10 the llounas grantees.
This is mpnifestly unjust 90 sucl adverse
claimants, and may infict tho most cruel
wrongs upon them But this bill is also
unjust 90 the public. If the IfoumRs grant
COS have no good title 30 this vast body Of
lands, II is against sound principle and
sound policy b. give H. 10 them. liy the
third section Of said act. If any Of these
grantees within tho lines Of the lIouinas
grant should be able 10 maintain their ii
ties, this section allows the lloumns grant
COS 30 lloat on the public lands for such
deficiency. Therefore, il any portion Of
their grant shall 100 defeated, oven by
better and superior title, though IL may bo
derived from Spain or France, this act
makes up the loss to tho claimants under
the lloumas grant from the public do
main. This legislation, also, We think
unsound aud untenable. Your Commit
tee therefore recommend that the second
section Of the act Of "a June, 1858, and
also 30 much Of the third section rs refers
10 tho second. be repealed, and that tho
titlo Of tho claimants under the lioumss
grant bo iudicially settled and for which
purposes thoy herewith report bill.