Arizona citizen., 1878-07-26
Cheeky Proposition.

The Texas Pacific Railway Com- pany is now advertised as ready 10 sell the lands granted to il by Congress on the condition that it would build a railway from Marshall, Texas, to San Diego, California This is decidedly cheeky under the circumstances, and is interesting to hundreds, yes, thou sands of settlers in Arizona. The of fer to sell, as a settler informed us the other day, is accompanied by the mod est condition that title will be given when the company is favored with power to give it, and that payment need not be made till that distant pe- riod. The company knows it has not title to foot of land in Arizona, and its constant application to Congress for additional aid for several years past, is pretty clear confession of in ability to procure title to any under existing law. The company has con- tingent title to much land, but such as it is, even if ever perfected, does not now enable it to interfere with the present possession of or Enp7ovements upon such land by settlers, else we are much mistaken The company has failed to comply with important pro- visions of law making the land grant. Had it done so, as early as March 3, 1873, there would have been fifty miles of railway completed and in operation from San Diego eastward, and by a fair interpretation of the law, the whole road nearly completed by this time, for the time stipulated for its completion is March 3, 1881, less than three years from this day. Does any ore suppose the company expects to comply with the law in this respect If any does, he must be poorly posted on the steady refusal of Congress to respond to its beggarly pleas for more aid.
 While we would not encourage set tiers to make extensive or very valpa- ble improvements on odd sections within the railway grant, we would say to them that any time and money expended in entering into contract with the company or its agents, will not secure them anything and be so much lost. San Diego years ago gave the company valuable rights and priv ileges on the express understanding that existing law would be complied with. It has not built foot of road from San Diego and its own actions before Congress show it's purpose nev- CT to build a foot without vastly in- creased public aid which has been steadily refused, and each year Con- gress seems more determined to refuse it. Another company has already built and is operating firstclass road from the Pacific ocean to Yuma with three ocean connections, and there is good reasons for believing that the same live and able company will with in year extend it to the very heart of this Territory, and ere long to the Rio Grande valley. In the face of this ex- tension, Congress is not likely to aid another company to build parallel line over the same ground or right alongside.
 So we repeat, it is a cheeky proposi- tion of the Texas Pacific Company to offer to sell Arizona lands on any con- dition whatever. It has no title to them, and it practically and constantly confesses its inability to get title, or build the road which means the same Settlers can neither make nor secure anything by present negotiations with the company, so far as Arizona lands are concerned. The cost of papers of sny kind in this connection will be so much money lost to the settler.