, 1873-11-21

ceEed ny men or character and ability, tho Board
OF Underwriters can DO forced to como down to
equitable rates, or-loft to 60 to soea. r.
|
| THE NEW BuRNT-RECORDS BILL.
Letter from Cnrsor HI. Harrison, Ea1.,
! County Comm issioncrs
| 70 tho Editor Of The Chicago Tribune:
SIR: You havc boon ploaaod to criticiso 3D.
yeraoy tho bill for restoration Of rooords pro-
sonted to tho County Board. Tho beliof that
logislation on the eubjcct Ia necessary, and do
sire to cauao tho best plan to be brought for
ward, was the iuducement to this BILL Light
may bo tho result Of criticism and discussion.
VIII you permit me, therefore, to Discuss
through your columns, first, the necessity of
BONE Law on tho subject; and, next, the proyis-
ions OF this particular p1an7 shall try to be
| conciso,
Worry few landowners In Cook County, evon
among tho more intelligent Of them, seem
to realizo TINT tho foundations Of the titlea to
their wealth arc little bottor than shifting sauda
Immediately after tito Fire, thero WAS = general
drond that titles to lands would be lost In tho
smoke which followed the destruction Of tho
buildings md records. But, being undisturbed
for two years, VIC arc like frightened horse
which ia Immediately oalmed when tho blind hides
the object Of droad. Our present supinoness
may DO as unwise Is WAS onr frat alarm. Our
titles aro, in fact, generally only posaossory.
Ncmovo from our midst tho living landmarks,
and but few Of tho real-estato-owners in Cook
County out OF possession could maintain oioct-
ment; and, what is fur worse, many thousands
| could not defend In ojoctment, without oral tca-
timony, against claimant armed with few
original deeds, and able to prove disabilities As
+ hr4 xE1 1.ptAo -
our titlos arc living witnesses, defective and
dostructlble papora In private hands, and naked
| Let us rct1oct for a moment II those muniments
aro sufficient guarantees to leave our children.
| You aro aware, sir, that evidence OF tho
eGgP 9a41 ETH. gispa il Of say0y yar,hss rast IL Tho
Land Offices, and Of tho Canal and School
| Commissioners. Tho succeeding links are
lost: The majority Of the original grantees aid
or their earlier successors wero nou-residonts.
Laid awny In old pigeon-ho1es and buroau-draw-
ers arc yet many Of tho original deeds. suc-
cessiyo purchasers rarely took possession OF the
original papors. They trusted to the records Of
heg]lgont county, which has betrayed tho
trust. A 1arge number did not oven preserve
their own deeds. Ono gentleman in Chicago has
| huge bundoa OF deeds left With him in former
| years by ollonta, which were never reclaimed.
Thus 1t is probably no o1aggeratiou to say
that thoro aro not a hundred men in the county
| who can show, or eyen obtain, tic documentary
links 10 thoir chaina ot tftlo.
1u few yeara the living landmarks Of our
titles-the ogdens, Froers, Rceses. Wolcotts and
othors-viu have passed away. Wo ourselves,
who @ J., kno" something of our titles;
with Innocence and ignorance, will
havo taken our places. Tho heirs-at-1aw Of
non-rosi.lcnt john Smiths, who had grants Of
largc tracts, dispoHed OF by them for phltry
annla; & put now worth many millons,. will turn
up WIN a1d one ea 9r more no. original doeas in posaos,
sue in ejoctment hundreds Of small owners
| who hnvo paid their hard earnings for thoir
homes. They will provo that. through a mother
married IL infancy, or inheriting az married
woman, they arc not barred BY limitations.
bilitios through females to continue over a half
century. Iho county, With criminal negligence,
has permitted all rccord-evidenco Of title to ba
destroyed, and, with worge criminaltty, has ro-
1tlsod TO restore them All witnesseat the origi-
what ~ equally bad; arc dofoctivo, and living
explanations Of tho defects arc gone. Mr. Eli-
tor, VAL you aek aome fair lawyer, What suc.
cesstul detenae Gun DO setup aganat these hoirs Z
Millions OF properly will, or may, be placed in
jeopardy Endless and vexatous litigation will
ensue. Lawyers will feast; poor men will auf-
Ter;
VINO can tell now many or tEeso original pa
pets are III existence, how many or thom may be
manutaosufed for profitable blackmsil,, or how
many heirs to original grantees arc, and may yet
continue under disabilities 2 The courts Of
hontncky non Were occupied for quarter OF CEN
them t'1i believed to bo fraudulent: FoHds grow up
aaaae na,es ~ ano moagmnotnGous Vhr pfesent
m a y y; rnam mo1Se |i"o flo'a
W @ ~ onnGina .o;i,'1sl ~ ,. o4neago. , Ill
OuI toLllllS 1uhebtb uaf1c NlcAM LQaE tuHE