, 1870-01-07
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THE YOSEMITE VALLEY CLAIM

The fac. That two individuals Hntch-
ipes and Nj. Lamon-are seeking to obtain
title to three hundred AID twenty ncres Of
land in the famous Yoseu,te Valley Of Cal
ifcrnia; that they obtaiDed grant Of tho
land from the California Legislature, which
grant vas imperative, being in conflict with
the terms of the net Of Congress ceding the
valley to the State and that they ars nov
prosecuting the same claim before Co1A 1Arcss,
hsa already been noticed in our col4 4nas,
and is i'cirg discussed very generally u tho
press, especially On the, P-clhc coast. Mr.
Hutclings passed through this city, few
da, S siDce, t:4 route to Washington to urge
his claim upon Congress. The wholy
amount OF lnnd II the valley susceptible Of
use is nboat 700 a-rcs, and the portion
claimed by himself md sIr. Lsmon is the
= st purt OF this limited area. Their claim
based upon the nl'egcd fact that they
settled in the valley before the act Of ces-
sion Was passed, claiming the usual rights
Of prc-emptors upon the rusurveyed lands
Of tie Lifted Ststes. Tie presumption
lew WIS extended to California in 1862, and
.bo net ceaiing the valley to the State
II California, on condition that it
,I.o"ld he forever kept open IS place OF
public resort. and should not be a!ienated,
.na psss'd in le6t- No rights could hare
be eu acquired by these p4r:;cs prior to 1862
Whether airy we're acquired subsequently,
1epe nIs probably on TIE Question whether
hey complied with the terms Of the pre-
1nI,tion law before the passage Of the act
II cession. The fAct that they are pushing
heir c.ainla i'll tue State Legislature aud
lefore Congress, rathcr than in the courts,
xould Imply that .hey have no 1ighta uudar
.1isiiEg laws for il would be lltogetha.
:Aeaper and more certain remedy for them
bripg suit to IL uaintsin them than to de-
,end upon lobby influences to acquire
hem.
Messrs. Hutchirgs and Lamon aro M
lorIted1y Iund fsl< settlers and deserving
itizc1e. Tie: have done neasly all that
been done 10 render the valley habit
.lc, ara to advertise !. to the world. They
ave undergone mpny priyations, and Sc
ured ye1y little 1strrn therefor. We nd
ait aIl these things, for We wish them to
,btain What every man is entitled to-abso-
uto justice. To secure this, however, it is
:ot Necessary to perform an act Of injus-
to all tie rest Of the people Of the
1ni,ed States and their posterity-as in our
,pinien the granting Of the valley to them,
.r that portion Of it which they claim,
'ould ba. There is only one Yosemite
Fnlley yet e,scovered, md it is impossible
nuke any molo. 1t embraces the great
st variety Of sublime and beautiful natural
cenesy that has been found in the world.
;ince the opening Of the p.ci6c Rai.gay
ae t1avel to the Yosemite, although
cry expensive and tedious, has wonderfully
.crtased. The San francisco Buuetin saws
:at in the year 1865 only one hundred and
xty.aeven persons visited the valley, while
The year 1869, after the completion of
rnilwsy. more than eleven hundred Wis
2rs to,led through the dust and struggled
,er tie nountains to that mRtchless chasm.
Ith the improvement Of the mean7 Of
cess which'ls constantly going on. this
-d will increase enormously, and it vii