, 1873-01-19

ords from the time OF the FIRE arc kept in proper
sshape, real estate in this county win,
in q few years. probably, be msrkota-
date. And wheu it becomes 60, we will shake
loose from an immense tax, amounting to hum
drels Of thousands OF dollars, now annually
paid to the abstract makera. No blame can prop
erly attach to the abstract men for making hon
estly all the money they can mako out Of their
books. Tho neglect OF the county furnishes the
opportunity, and they wou1d, indeed. be singular
men II they did not improve it. The fault Is,
aud always has been, that the cclnty should
ahape that private parties, by keeping better in
dexes than are kept at the Recorders office, can
los} and collect an immense tax for furnishing
information which shou1.l. at all times, be free
= proposition that the county ehau engage in the
abstract business. It is proposition that tho
county shall keep its records in inte1igible shape
aud properly indo1ed, and then there will he no
such business ~ the abstract business., All rec
cssary examination OF title can be made Is they
always should have been made, directly from the
books in the Recorders office. But, es the
books are kept now,-and speak or the
records since the tire,--no examination Of titles
can be made ut the Recorders Office, because no
indexes Of any value arc kept with the records;
and. il any examination ia wanted, you must
hunt up, in some distant part OF the city, sone
enterpnsing individual who keeps and Owls a
Bet Of indexes (tor that s all tho abstract books
are) to the public record books, and pay him
what he may choose to ask for the information
wanted This is simply outrage Of the
grossest proportion, and, if the people could
only be made to understand the matter, would
yery soon be abated 1 motion was male, and
passed. sonlo weeks ago BY tho County Commits
sioners, ordering set of tract indexes made for
the record books. But no provision WAS made
for procuring proper books, nor for employing
sufficient clerical force to index the accumulated
maas-somo two hundred thousand instruments
which have been recorded since the fire, and
the subject Las apparently been dropped. The
aeed but thet tie ude3ng Of it should be left
to Hnriyato entatprise," is certainly queer.
ono. even If il vas not SO ruinously expensive.
Il probably is not generally known that COM
plete abstracts Of title to hundreds of lots inside
tha nid c;tr Imtr il made for single lots would
for @ an the market q ahort time ago. sold lot
in Section 0. Township s., Range H. for $3.50
Enc abstract cost so, and this is much below the
immensity OF the tux thus collected and the cost
before the fire would have been half as much.
For this state OF things the county, and not the
abstract men, is to blame and ali tllis talk about
abstract sbarks. etc. is tie mereat nonsense. It
would. doubtless, ultimately result in great ben
eft to the community if tLa abstract makers
should double, or even treble their present
PRICES. The more pointedlJ this evil is felt the
t soonor it viii correct itsclf DAVID WILLIAMS,
LAND TITLES AND HOW TO PRESERVE THEM.
To the Editor ef The Chicago Tribune:
SIR: win you permit your correspondent to
suggest for the consideration OF our Legislature.
nov convened and in session, as matter Of
special interest to every propc1y-oTner IN our
State, the best means Of perfecting and preserV-
ing our records. I a1irde mainly to land titles,
and include all titles, mado d matter or record
Our records in moet OF the counties. il not al,
in this State, ought first OF all to be transcTlbed
| in legible hand and corrected. This could be
| done by an act Of the Legislature ordering the
same at public coat and giving notice to oil par
| ties claiming title to perfect the same for ~
cording. II any ono should neglect the day OF
t grace prescribed BY law and male sufnc.en emily
public, let the record thus corrected Rnd trans
| Hcribed, when approved BY the Legislature
through proper committees appointed Tor that
| work, or approved by the Supreme Court OF this
ultimate.
| Now the records OF title to lands are 30 I'M
perfect and informal, and 30 badly Kept IN many
/ Of the couuties OF this State, that it ls quite
difficult to determine where OF IN whom the title
rests; and in many caaes We find the records, or
| parts OF the chain OF title, IN some two or three
| counties, owing to the changes in the boundary
lines Of said counties, ELECTED to accommodate
private advantages, to the detr'nent OF the pub.
lie good. It will str1ke any one On the slightest
examination that many Of the counties IN lii
co.'s are In tho most ndlculous shapes and
| for1Gs. Some counties are thirty or 1orsy mles
! long, AID others probably longer, with Tety
| limited width, imposing the greatest possible
| Inconvenience, embarrassments, and costs II
| the transaction OF pubic as well as private
county business. 49,
| II. our counties could be roccnsttucted, draw
| ing lines through tbs State due north and south,
east and west, Ill such way as to make eae2
county for convenience, say eighteen mnes
square, much Inconvenience and cost would be
| avoided in the tranesction Of our county buai-
nes.. Erceptioual cases. such as fractional
.4s.o' te,s .~,o II +;o,, - o,n+,. aoa+ .
counties: eue 1oo ~ " .outs osasa
IN large catles or to"hs, ICE Tue Greatest consen
1ence OF the people Hhould DC dnlv cohsidefed
| His Wonld also regulate many dl1ncnltles anu
oonfic.s in sectional lines of surveys.
| Next. not least, in this work. would be the pre-
a ot oat t,st ~ ocors -; tn aach
IL sase LII e.t1 - ~ Je.aa-;taS; :;
| should b. perfectly abstfacted anu deposlted IN
| vaults 1T the capital of the State or elsewhere,
fire. proof beyond any possibility Of peril All this
| done at public cost would be the cheapest way
nossihIe of preserving and showing the
49, oon na;t;o, r. a1l onr t;+1ea aa tho anGrronns
ato .9n nnsts ~ ,hat1nnts snd tfe 1onr ~ f;ro