Nevada national., 1860-01-28
For the National. ]
Spanish Lnnd Titles.

There Is dark desolating curse that
overhangs large portion OF our State. Its
effects may be seen in the millions Of acres
lying waste, where. far as the eve can reach
there are no productions Of the soil save
mushrooms aud oak trees nc signs Of life
except here and there a few scrub bish cattle
roaming in vain for forage. No sound OF
busy labor greeis the ear. where this curss
extends its balefnl influence for no yeomanry
can live upon this except they pay enormous
tributes TO its untitled lords and why is
il so , Inquire OF those who have attem-
ted to settle and they will tell You that Sc
nor Don Cosmo Sc Alamo owns the land bv
titles of Mexican Government and that
Patent from the United States will be given
to him and his heirs for it, II will then be
sold unimptoved at the rate Of from twenty
five TO thirty dollars per acre, ut which
time they hope to get perfect title from
the Senor's agent. Can they do so Can an
agent ALLEVIATE the lee of real estate +! II 90,
by what rule of law
This article must necessarily be too short
to examine all Of the points upon which
these titles are confirmed" by whose tes-
timony, or upon what legal grounds, but IL
shall be followed by others reviewing all
steps necessary to such a confrmation.-
Before doing this it may be proper to state
that most of these landed titles are eondi-
fiondf ones, and that from the nute con-
vincing testimony of the land itself those
conditions never have been complied with
that Spanish law is plead before our Courts,
80 That Kings gave royalty away their de-
mesne and did not expec: that their subjects
should pay for It," That the words "poco
mas menos''(a little more or less)have been
construed to mean that t Spaniard born
in tan yard. somewhere down iu Mexico,
holds an old dirty piece Of parchment giving
him permission TO use ten or hundred acres
of land, that he was thereby entitled to the
fee simple" " Of all that he wanted.
1t may be asked why should an article Of
this character be brought before the popuia-
tion of a mining district away from and a.
bove the reach OF all such titles.
Allow me to reply that it is simply from
the fact that already has aa attack been
made against the mining interest in the de-
eision Of the Mariposa Grant-Biddle Bsggs
VS.. the Merced Mining Company. From the
gourd-like proclivities of Spanish titles il
will not take long. when there is encourage
ment to do so, to pull from some pigeon hole
an ancient and venerable "title" to the
whole of Nevada or any other county, where
1t may be possible 10 make it stick.
The times are pregnant with signs that as
these curses have been made to work sue
cessfully in many parts Of the country, the
attempt may be made to carry them where
ever it will pay the few to the injury Of the
many. Ii would be we'll for every citizen
to scan the aspect these things are sssum-
ing-to read and consider upon recent de-
csions, and TO heed the timely warning of
such writers as Cosmos of the s F. Bal
letin. From hasty perusal Of his articles
upon this subject | should Judge that he
speaks er Cafhedrd, and is ell posted up
on the matter Of which he writes. Had
there been years ago, a united action on the
part of the settlers to-day thousands would
have had happy and peacable homes, instead
OF leading nomadic lives-or living content
edly with the collar of the horn thrall of
serfdom about their necks. By their own
Indifference, they have, like the ignorant In
idian. thrown away priceless pearl.
Let the miners take counsel together and
pursue different course, or they will find,
ere many days. that they too vii be looked
upon as merely the mud sills OF society,"
as are now those who bow in humility aud
terror before the landed despots. who claim
the right to lord it over the heritage which
is properly that Of the American citizen.
]. B. "
Grass Valley, Jan 20, 1860.