New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1860-06-04
CALIFORNIA LAND FRAUDS.

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The answer of Attorney General Black to call
upon him by the House of Representatives, in re-
laton to California land claims, discloses system
of frauds and forgerieS upon yery grand scale,
perhaps the boldest, most systematic, aud extern
sive ever yet attempted.
Under cover of certain alleged grants by the
Mexican authorities prior to the cession Of Cali
fornia to the United States, claim was made, not
merely to very valuable agricultural tracts cover
ing a large proportion of the land of California
capable of cultivation, but to town sites, includ-
ing those of San Francisco, Sacramento, Stockton,
and Marysville, or large parts of them. There did
exist certain number of valid grants made by the
Mexican authorities, and recognized and confirmed
by the treaty of cession and incompaDy WITH and
under cover of these valid grants, it was attempted
TO palm off q large number Of forged
ones These forged grants were got
up with good deal of skil-suppOrted
by great array of testimony from ex-Aiexca1
officials and others, and by great display of seals
and parcbments, they succeeded for the most part
in passing muster with the Board of Commission
ers constituted in 1851, under an act of Congress
for ascertaining and settling private land claims in
California, and in obtaining the sanction of the
United States District Courts to which an appeal
allowed Had these spectators stopped short
with claiming only agricultural lands and town
sites, possibly they might have succeeded But
they attempted TO cover by the same scheme of
fraudulent grants, islands and promontories
wholly worthless for any private occupation, and
only valuable from the circumstance that the
United States bad appropriated them sites for
lighthouses, forts, or other public purposes. The
probability of being obliged to pay immense sums
OF money if their claims should be ultimately con-
filmed, and the total improbability, notwthstand-
ing their apparent Formally, and the sworn testi-
mony produced in their favor, that they
were really authentic, determined the gov
eminent to silt the whole matter to the
bottom. Appropriations were obtained to pay the
expenses. Special counsel We're sent to California,
The archives of the Mexican Government, which
were scattered in various places-some in the Gus
tOdy of unauthorized officers some in the posses
sion Of individuals aud some in boxes which had
never been opened-were collected, bound, col
lated, and the most important documents trans
lat: d and printed.
A careful examination of these archives not only
furnished full knowledge of the rules and method
OF the Mexican land system, they also afforded
a chronological history Of the various political
revolutions, and of the changes OF those in office,
which had been of very frequent occurrence. Thus
was provided the means of corroboraiing the true
grants and of detecting the false ones, by showing
that they were destitute Of necessary proofs, and
often that the persons with whose names they were
signed, did not, the days of their date, hold the
Offices ascrbed to them.
The first successful application of the new evil
dence thus acquired was in the Iimantour case.
This claim, made by Frenchman, covered the
City of San Francisco and certain islands and
promontOries of great value TO the United States
az sites for lighthouses and Notifications. 1t had
already obtained the confirmation of the Land
Commissioners. To support it even the archives
Of the Supreme Government at Mexico had been
tempered with. Documents drawn from Those
archives were produced by the claimants. and
were sworn TO be genuine by Mexican official
who, by the permission of his own Government
had come TO San Francisco an witness. Their
genuneness was still further yonched for by let.
ters from the then President of the Mexican Re- |
public, addressed to the Governor of California
and to the Land Commissioners. Yet the forgery
was so completely proved that when the District
Court rejected the claim no appeal was taken.
large number Of other claims, which had