The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1879-04-17

| new home, not having large capltal, TO TN
kind offices of the land agent OF the Cen
trail Pacific Railroad Company, rather thar
to those other men here who have larg'
tracts to dispose Of, but nine times out O
ten cannot give one a perfect title. More thar
all other considerations in this part Of thu
country is the one oflegitimacy oftitle. Ole
Spanish grants are constantly putting in an
appearance to GUST some settler who has livet
perhapsa score Of years undisturbed. know
of one instance where an eastern man lived
for fifteen years on raEche of two Thousand
acres, purchased and paid for years ago.
-Four years ago he died. When his estate
reached the probate court for settlement
claimants appeared, urging their right of IT,
tie under a spanish grant. The case was
taken to the Superior Courts and decided
against the widow, the Court setting aside
five hundred of the poorest Of the acres as a
support for her, during life time. Perhaps
most any widow who reads this may think
she would be satisfied with a farm of that
size, but she must remember the husband
had paid the purchase money for four times
that amount, had cultivated and improved
it all, thereby enhancing its market value,
and who Of US is willing to be robbed Of her
rights.
The railroad company has immense tracts
of land which are worthless and it has cor
respondingly large tracts available for agrl-
cultural and grazing purposes. Nearly eve
| ry variety Of climate under the sun can b.
found somewhere aong the line of the road,
with its accompaniment of soil and produc-
tons. If there is any question about the fer
tility Of the soil of hi bottom lands. think
it would be definitely St tiled if my readers
could see crop ofsquashes we passed on our
for them to lie upon the ground aud their
size wasslmply astonishing. ! heard little
child excaim look, look that ground is
all squashed over!"
| Care in the selection of lands, due atten-
ton to the manner of cultivation most sue
cessful here, capital sufficient to buy land
and get start, coupled with industry and
attention to business will surely bring to any
man competence.
have always advised people who are max
ing living and are not compelled to change
their locality on account of climatic inf1u
ences upon the health, to remail where they
are contentedly. Every change is at first
attended with financial loss, and, worst oil
all, a sacrifice of the tender associations
which cling about che place we have always
known as home. Then, too. we are apt to
choose the most glowing colors with which
to tint the picture of anticipation which we
hang before US, and when the duller shades
of reality present themselves, as they always
will do when the reaction from excitement
comes, the roses fade from our picture and
we find but nettles in their stead. Three
months after I first came to California ]
would have bowed down with grief had
been told it must be my home through life ;
now, after three years, think the same re-
suit would be reached were to learn that l
must leave here never to return.
So say to people settled in life, look well
before you break up to change; never move
until you have visited the different localities
ard selected your future home. know the
tide of emigration from Virginia, North
Carolina and Maryland has been largely to-
ward the Southwest, Texas receiving the
largest share. Knowing as do that Cali
fernia presents advantages Texas cannot
do, do not hesitate to say if you must
change come westward. but do not
come expecting the railroad to give you a
farm, and to transport you and your belong.
ings thereto without an equivalent in coin.
There are government lands for those who
wish to preempt land, and many settlers file
homestead claim for eighty acres of gov
eminent land, build their house thereon,
and then purchase the adjacent railroad
tracts.
Approaching the importance of good edu
cational facilities, aud the benefits of the
civilization taught by christianity, the man
ayers Of this great railroad have been ready
to help schools and churches whenever call
ed upon. Private donations nave been be
slowed as needed, and an examination Of
records shows that in the railroad towns the
grounds along the line upon which churches
school buildings and the halls of the varion.
charitable orders are erected, are usual,
given by this company, and as the deeds ia
clude from two to six lots, enough land Cal
be sold off to form nucleus for building
fund. have carried my hunt for facts int,
the tax paying department of the road, too
and am satisfied settlers have no just caus
to complain that it does not help supper
schools. The ingenuity Of the district-lnak
ers here is only equaled by that of the mel
who geIrymandered the congressional dis
tricts IN Virginia, with an eye single to TIN
success OF their Democratic brotherhood
Here find one district stretching along tn
railroad for forty five miles. and at no poin
is it over ten miles wide. another extend
thirty nine miles along the line, and thir
thirty-two miles, the two latter receiving a
school tax from the railroad So $40 in sin
gle year.
Grave charges are constantly being brough
against the managers of the road, but an in
vestigation usually proves them no wors
than other people. Having vast powers il
their hands it would be passing strange
:hey did not sometimes make exceedingl
bad use of them, but believe if the peopl
who have to deal with the road would trea
its officers as if they expected fair dealing
instead of crying ''step thief" continually
they would find the corporation less of a Blu
bear than they think.
California, without this railroad, was far
Their removed from the eastern States tina
England. She would have crawled slowl
along, but it would have taken long years
bring her where she stands day. Her pee
pie know how to grumble as well as Others
and they sink the great good which hs
come to the State through the railroad com
pletely out of sight, remembering only thu
there exists ''vast monopoly" What di
they expect? The men who built the roa
staked their all on the venture. Governmer
aided them, because it foresaw that the roa
was national necessity; but where one ms
believed the undertaking would succeed,