New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1871-10-31
lrHR1LANn.aRARRERA

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An attempt on the part of the United
States register and receiver OF the land
Office in this city to obey the law in regard
to land titles, is made matter for deal o.
unfair comment by that portion of thu
press that claims to be more honest thar
its co-laborers in the work of defending
the public interest. The effort of indi.
viduals to acquire lawful portions of the
public domain for settlement and cult.
walton has caused them to be sdgmatized
as '.land-grabbers," when, in fact, they
have only exercised right the law con.
fers upon all citizens right of acquir-
ing homestead. Such men are not land.
grabbers; and the paper that s6gmatizes
them as such, and defends the real land
grabbers. who have but partially perfected
titles from foreign governments to i'm
mense tracts of lands within our State,
is recreant to the public interest.
These ancient hnd-grabbers have been
and are now the curse Of Louisiana, and
where they have not thought it worth
while to perfect their titles to the large
tracts Of lands donated before Louisiana
was coded to the United States they
should lose them. If they have neglected
to comply with the United States laws
and the lands claimed by them appear
upon the plats in the United States land
Office as unconfrmed claims it is but lust
that these lands be subject to entry by any
citizen wishing to avail himself of rights
conferred by the homestead law. But it
appears the register and receiver refused
to act upon the petitions Of applicants
for these lands, and referred the matter
to Washington. They finally received in
structions to notify claimants by newspa-
per publication to come forward and show
cause why the applications of persons to
enter these lands should not be received
and acted upon. For performing this
duty the officers of the land Office are
charged with being in completely with
and robbers. These charges are as
,roundless as those preferred against the
claiming the right to enter the
ands in question, many cf whom have
or years been settlers upon them and
made valuable Improvements.
Nor is the government in fault in this
natter. Congress has passed laws, and
yiven every opportunity to these delin-
luent land-grabbers to perfect their titles.
We can not conceive why they have not
lone SO, unless it was to evade the pay
nent of taxes. They do not hesitate to
the conduct of such men as not
'nly violative of the public but of indi-
'idual interest, and leave the conduct of |
he press that sustains them to be Judged |
y the public. The clear ownership to |
ands here is bad enough without incluc-
ng thousands of acres to be held so as to
void returning any revenue to the State.
1t is the ownership of large tracts
+ lands throughout the State that
) now the greatest drawback to its
The land owners will not
earn that they have entered upon new
"a; that their principal interest now is to
Increase the value of land. With the
BOLTON Of slavery must gradually come
be abolition Of the plantation system of
the soil. Many of the finest
limitations are now in weeds, and value
.ss to their owners, because they will not
wide them into small tracts and sell
hem to suit purchasers-to men who will
ultivate farms Of from fifty to one hun
red and two hundred acres. Until our
rye landholders learn. or are forced to
0 this, Louisiana will not flourish, and
er lands will continue to be comparatively
alueless. Much of the rich lands lying
etween here and Donaldsonville, on the
ne of the New Orleans, Mobile and
exas railroad, are now valueless, because
ley have not been thrown into mar
ct in tracts to suit purchasers.
hey are capable of making thousands
people independent and happy;
Id when the lands are cult.
tied in small tracts there will be a
snse population and that will naturally
cate wealth and encourage railroads and
,siness of all kinds. These lands will
'come valuable and sell readily This
what makes land valuable in the North
n, Eastern and Western States, and it is
hat makes railroads pay so handsomely,
ID towns and cities grow so rapidly. Let
e lands be thrown into market and
ought into cultivation. In the hands of
dividuals who can not cultivate them ,
d will not sell, they are of no value to any,
dy, and the public interest suffers. And
a greater extent the public interest suf- ,
s, when a set Of ancient land-sharks,
e descendants of carpet-baggers of a {
injury ago are permitted to hold, by i'm
rfect titles, large tracts of land that can
t be made to help bear the burdens of 8
vernment. Nor does the injury cease
re. 1t is wrong to every citizen who
is inclined to avail himself of the right {
become an actual settler and cultivator &
the soil. And the public press that q
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