National Republican., 1875-07-28

to continue for an indefinite period in oc-l
cupying a miserable barrack, which has
been condemned twice by the Board OF
Health, or turn over 500 children in the
street in district which lacks school &C.
for over 500 already. We
hope the honorable Commissioners will
give the matter their serious consideration;
for il is matter that not only affects the
colored people, but the entire community.
POLITICS. ARROYO
~ CHICO FRAUDS.
Mr.. Bidwell, the Opposition candidate
for Governor of California, occupies the
unenviabls position just now of being un-
able to disprove charge alleged against
him by Senator Sargent and Secretary Cor
ham, of having fraudulently procured
title to twenty odd thousand acres of land
which forms the greater portion of his pri-
vste estate. He has attempted to answer
the charge, but has signally failed. The
Record Union, in order that its
readers may form clear conception of the
case and decide intelligently upon the sound
ness of his defense, has examined the state.
ments of both parties, with the following
result:
'sIt was charged by Senator Sargent that in
1874 one William Dickey, naturalized citizen
of Mexico, applied to Gov. Micheltorena for q
grant of five leagues on the Arroyo Chico; that
the Governor declined to give title, but wrote
q permission for Dickey to herd cattle on the
land until he (the Goyernor) could find time
to visit that part of the State; but meanwhile
stipulated that Dickey should not build on the
sell the land, and that he should hold subject
to the future disposition of the land by the
Mexican Government Senator Sargent goes
on to say that 'on this permission Dickey en-
tered on the land, put up q log-house, and
herded q few horses and cattle on 1t. The
land was not measured, there was no final de-
livery Of possession, and none Of the acts
were done required by the Mexican COLOMBIA
tion laws. The paper under which the entry
was made was in no sense q title, but de-
clared the land still subject to the disposal
at its pleasure of the Mexican Government
1t was further alleged that in the fall of
1874 an insurrection broke out, and that Gov.
Micheltorena, for the purpose of securing the
aid of foreign settlers, then gave Sutter au-
thority to grant provisional titles to land,
agreeing that the Mexican Government should
was issued on the 22d December, 1874, and
we desire our readers to mark the date.
Dickey, the original holder ofthe Arroyo Chico
grant, received one of the Sutter general titles,
together with several other persons. But
when, the country having meantime passed
under tie ownership of the United States,
these cases were appealed to the United
States Supreme Court, that tribunal rejected
all the claims based on the Sutter general
hold haf fha
which they were made have no reference to
the colonization laws Of Mexico. The prom
ises of Micheltorena 70 Sutter, and through
Sutter to the foreign volunteers, did not confer
title to any part of the public domain, nor
convert any incipient pretensions into vested
interest As we have said, all the claims
resting on the Sutter general title were re-
jected, with one exception, that exception
being Mr.. Bidwel's claim; and that was never
brought into court, having been dismissed on
the Recommendation and at the instance of At
torney General Black. According to Senator
Sargent, therefore, Mr.. Bidwell holds his ranch
on q title which has been declared invalid by
the Supreme Court, and his possession was
secured BY procuring an inequitable and i'm
proper dismissal Of the case, as is assumed
through corrupt agencies.
"To set up q valid defense against the charge
1t is necessary for Mr.. Bidwell TO show that the
title to his ranch rested on better authority
than the Sutter general title; and this he has
endeavored to do with what measure of sue
cess remains to be seen. Mr.. Bidwell states that
on the 18th of November, 1874, Cor Q month
before the authority for the Sutter general
title was issued by Governor Mcheltorena,) }
a provisional grant was issued to William
Dickey, of five leagues of land on the ARROYO
Chico, constituting the Bidwen ranch. He
declares that the issuance of this provisional
grant removed the cause from the class of
those which rested entirely on the Sutter ger-
eral title; that it was the only case IN which
such a provisional grant was issued; and that
1t was on representation of this peculiar dis
tinguishing fact that Attorney General Black
consented to recommend the dismissal of the
case. This we take TO be the gist of Mr.. Bid
wells defense, though his remarks are 90
rambling, involved and disorderly that much
patient attention is required TO extract even
so much from the mass. He further states
that Dickey had q copy of the Sutter general
title, and that in 1S45 he took it to Governor
Pho Pico, who confirmed It and issued full
title. We may remark upon this that Il Is at
odds with the statement of Senator Sargent,
who asserts that Dickey did not receive his
copy of the Sutter general title until fifteen
months after Micheltorena had given Sutter
that authority, and this would bring the date
to 1916, or q year later than Mr.. Bidwell's g
statement makes 1t. This, however, is not
specially important, since Mr.. Bidwell admits
that all the titles deriving through Sutter went
down together before the decision of the So
preme Court. Everything, therefore, depends
upon that alleged provisional grant which, we
are told, Is still In the archives, and which we
will now examine the history of little.
"We note stthe outset the popularity that
Mr.. Bidwel does not speak Of his own knoWl-
edge concerning this document, but informs
the audience that Mr.. r. c. Hopkins says 1t
Is extaDt. In case of this sort more direct
and explicit testimony is demanded, but as the
matter is not closed, and as the provisional
grant will have to be brought In evidence,
nothing is lost by Mr.. Bidwell's omissions.
The question has now narrowed itself down to
this: What is the true character of the docu-
ment spoken of by Mr.. Bidwell as the proyis-
ional grantl Going back to Senator Sargent's
charge, we find him referring TO something
that looks suspiciously like 1t, in that 'permis-
sion to herd cattle which Governor Michelto-
rena granted Dickey in 1874, (the same year
as the alleged issue of the provisional grsut, }
but which, according to Sargent, was in no
sense title.' In fact, it seems quite probable
that Mr.. Bidwell is now endeavoring to make
it appear that this document was In fact pro-
visional grant, and until we know precisely
what the document contains 1t Is of course i'm
possible to say whether he or Sargent Is right.
II bona fide provisional grant was issued in
November, 1S44, to Dickey, we presume that
Attorney General Black would have been justi-
fed in holding that It removed the Arroyo
Chico ranch from the operation of the Supreme
Court rulings against the Sutter general title.
Buff It should prove that the alleged pro-
visional grant Is nothing more than the per-
mission to herd cattle, accompanied by stipu-
lations retaining the fee in the Mexican Gov
ernment, it Will be no longer possible to doubt
that Mr.. Bidwells case rests on precisely the
same grounds as the rejected Sutter general
title, and that its dismissal was procured either
through misrepresentation, misapprehension
or corruption. Until the document dated 18th
Noyember, 1874, is produced, no definite judg
ment can be formed of the merits of the case,
but we have probably satisfied our readers by
this time that Nh. Bidwell's defense is incom-
plete, and that in neglecting to produce the
erpediente upon which his whole argument
rests, he has displayed rather singular want
Of Judgment, or q suspicious willingness to
mystify the public. Since he has declined to
put this document In evidence, however, It be-
comes incumbent on Senator Sargent to do 90.
If II is really what Mr.. Bidwell represents It,
(or rather implies it to be, } his skirts will be
clear from the charge of fraud; II 1t Is what
Senator Sargent declaresi Il to be, the charge OF
fraud VIII have to be regarded as well nigh
proven" -g .1-7-l 1r-
THE STATEMENT that Secretary Delanc
has at any time, In connection with hii