Sacramento daily record-union., 1882-01-23
SARGENT AND TIE soBsAsrE GRANT.

The San Francisco Chroaicle'S attack on
ex-senator Sargent in connection with the
case of the so-called Sobrante Grant, was
very evidently made for the sole purpose
| of transmission to the East. For though
the Chronicle, in the performance of those
Matchmaking tasks upon the emoiuments
of which it subsists, has learned to lie with
| circumstance, and in the most deliberate
manner, it would hardly have been SO silly
as to make a statement for use in this
State, every part of which is well known
to be false. The suspicion that it has for
come time past been working in the inter
est of Carpenter, the principal opponent
of the settlers in the case referred to, is
indeed confirmed by this impudent but IN
artistic attempt to cloud the issue, and to
produce an entirely erroneous impression
among those who are ignorant of the facts
I The exposure of this audacious piece of
Misrepresentation, however, has been suf-
ficiently swift. The San Francico papers
of yesterday print letter from Z. IL. Nc
Grew. President of the Settlers League, in
which fat contradiction is given to every
one of the Chronicles statements, and in
which it is shown that Mr.. Sargent has
been and is the champion of the bona fde
settlers as against the rapacity of the land
grabbers who are represented by Carpen-
tier. A Washington dispatch further
states what is of course well known in
California;. that Mr.. Sargent represents
fully thousand settlers, whose homes are
all put in jeopardy by the Carpenter claim,
and who depend upon the vigilance and
the able advocacy Of the ex-senator for
| protection and justice. Another settler,
Mr. w. Il. Buckley, has written to the
Alta defending Mr.. Sargent against the
ISLANDERS of the Chronicle. The latter pa
per, being obliged to invent some apology
for taking the side of the land grabbers
against the settlers, and possibly bearing
in mind the awkwardness of the contrast
between its new attitude and that which
it assumed towards the Mnssel Slough set
| tiers, makes the assertion that the Sobrante
settlers are dummies. OF course this
is a falsehood. Mr.. Buckley says " As
Zone of the settlers 1 desire to say that
"the pre-. .emption and homestead settlers
represented by Mr.. Sargent are not
dummies as charged by the Chronicle,
but men who have lived on their claims
for from five to twenty five years. We
employed Mr.. Sargent because we be-
lieved him to be incorruptible, and above
"any of the influences which might be
brought to bear, and which have been
FUSED so successfully in our Courts and
Land Offices. Mr.. Sargent had nothing
to do with soldiers homesteads, or lieu
lands, or dummies. He is fighting for
the actual settlers, and if he succeeds he
"will receive the thanks of the entire
community"
Mr.. McGrew in his letter says: "Mr.
Sargent never represented nor had any
''thing to do with any locations or claims
III tnS CobL LdutS eACcpb tHosS Vi hctudI
"settlers, and if any public meeting is
"held, as suggested by the Chronicle, it
twill be to thank him for what he is do
sing in the case.n These voluntary testi-
monials to the good faith and public spirit
of Mr.. Sargent are not precisely what the
calumnious sheet which has been hired to
abuse him anticipated, probably but its
assault was too impudently mendacious,
and made too close to the scene of action
referred to, to be of any service to its
latest purchaser. The merits of the So
brantecas are OF course far too well under
stood in California for SO preposterous
tissue of fslsehoods to be received in any
way but with disgust and indignation, but
it is perfectly clear that the rascally CON-
bination which has been formed against
Mr.. Sargent thought it possible to injure
him with those who did not know the
truth, and that their venal organ printed
the article referred to with that end in
view. These unserupulous scoundrels, how
ever, forgot that all the facts of the case
are necessarily recorded at Washington,
where it has been tried, and that it
was only requisite to turn to the official ar
chives to explode the new plot utterly.
The Chronicles account of the Sobrante
case may also have been intended to cover
up its own tracks in the business, and to
create the belief that it was not in the
pay of Carpenter. The attempt, however,
is destined to failure, as indeed must any
attempt be to persuade the people of Cali.
fornia that that paper is not constantly
for sale, and for any conceivable purpose.
In the present instance it has only sue
ceeded in affixing fresh brand to itself, and |
in showing that Mr.. Sargent has been the
friend and champion of the settlers, and |
has thus incurred the bitter enmity of the |
land-thieves. In fact it has done much to
explain the persistency of its own assaults
upon Mr.. Sargent in the only way by
which they can be explained for it is
thoroughly understood that it cherishes |
no enmltles which do not pay. MIR. |
Sargent is OF course anxious that the |
Sobrante case should be determined before |
he goes into the Cabinet This is per-
fectly proper and correct position on mis-
part. The land grabbers on their part,
knowing him to be fully informed on the
merits of the case, and having good reason
TO fear his energy and force of character,
have been working desperately to keep
him out of the Cabinet
The opposition of such men constitutes
the strongest testimonial that can be
offered in his behalf. A man who is feared
and hated by the land. thieves is precisely
the man to make Secretary of the interior,
for in that position he can most effectually
Illustrate their plots. and protect the actual
settlers. The settlers have the most COM
plete confidence in Mr.. Sargent, and no
doubt, should the land-grabbers be so
foolish as to call a meeting in this connec-
ton, it would result in complete in
dorsement of the ex Senator's course in
the ,,reruises Rut we ventura 70 s,c-as+ /