The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1869-04-05
From the Washington Express
The mcGarrnhan Bwiudle.

Since the railroad SUBSIDY bWluuIce
have been defeated at the Capitol, the
yultures and kites there have concen-
ltrated upon land claims. The notorious
| McGarrahan case is the entering wedge,
and the lobby have got it by the handle
and are charging down upon the gates
of public security battering-ram fashion.
We have no idea here in the East how
the people of California are excited over
the possibility of the McGarrahan claim
going through. -.-
This claim is representative of thou
sands of similar ones in California.
McGarrahaH is an Irish genius, who
bought for S1100 the papers of Mexican
land shark named Gomez. This Gomez
has been three times convicted of per-
Jury and forgery in the courts of Cali
fornia. He belongs to vast conspiracy
to cheat the people out of their lands
by producing old Mexican titles, forged
with more or less clumsiness, and dating
back to 1910, or thereabouts, when Cal
ifoInia was in state of anarchy. The
present claim is precisely of this sort.
A number of laborers and miners settled
on the San Carlos Creek in 1852 and
started a young settlement. Very soon
they were in a flourishing condition,
and when they ascertained that under
their tract of land lay rich deposit of
quicksilver their fortunes were made.
At this point the scallawag Gomez
hurried up with claim for their land.
He had never dug potato upon 1t, and
had no clear idea of its extent and posi-
ton: but he suore that Mexican Gov
crnor, long dead. named Micheltorano,
had granted him this land in 1874, in
order that he might pursue, according
to the phraseOlogy Of his forged papers,
"the interesting profession of agricul-
ture." No deed was exhibited for this
land, but the excuse was made that the
American army had burned it up in
lS47. A set of half-breed vagrants
were suborned to swear to circum-
stantial combinations of this story. One
had seen the fire: another had heard of
the grant; third had seen the title
deed. This miserable and awkward
conspiracy was beaten from court to
court, but when McGarrahan brought
up the claim he organized huge stock
company, and resolved to purchase a
confirmation of the forged grant from
Congress. In this corporate lobby are
people of distinction, whose connection
with this claim will get them infamy in
the regard of posterity. With never
one valid decision from any court in its
favor; with fraud stamped upon it from
stage 10 stage of its history; with the
Supreme Court, Chief Justice Chase
presiding, solemnly pronouncing it
forgery, it is impossible to believe that
the United States Senate will dare
to reverse all these just deci-
sions, and give the homes of the honest
miners of San Carlos to the vagrants
and sharpers who persecute them. Such
proceedings will make more panic on
the Pacific coast than the late earth
quake. There are nearly forty claims
like this, rejected by the courts, which
are waiting to come into Congress if
McGarrahan wins. Four of these claims
cover the richest parts of the city of
San Francisco. Well may Senators Fer
ry aud Williams say in their able report
on this McGarrahan claim: "Is the
Senate prepared to plunge into
this maelstrom of corruption 2" Con-
gress could not strike more deadly
blow at the prosperity of California
than to pass this claim, which would
paralyze all security in real estate
there, and make the people desperate
Congress has no business, anyway, with
private land claims. Let the courts of
law settle such questions, for it is
coming to this pass: that anybody who
owns anything must keep lobby sala-
ried in Washington to protect him in it,
or he may wake up at any time and
End himself dispoSsessed by act of Con-