The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1883-09-15
THE HOUMAs LAND GRANT.

From an editorial article in the Baton
Rouge OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES of Thursday we
make the following extract:
The Houmas Grant was one Of those dormant
| titles, so many of which have arisen III every
transfer of foreign territory to the American
| government. On its face it is q very innocent
| looking instrument. 1t seems that in the origl-
nal intention Of the grant, It conferred q right
| tending back to the swamp between the lateral
lines. At all events no other construction was
| ever put upon it, until the State had gwen title
| to q large amount of land III the parish OF AS
| censlon, and other rights had been derived
under the presumption laws, when all OF a sudden
| the hornesteads of thousands of hard WORK ing
| farmers werc threatened by this Hounas claim.
| For it was now made to appear that 1T had tlle
| cavernous Jaws of some mythical grypton, and
| that it extended between dIYcrgEng lines to the
| hmite river.
| If our readers will look Mt Hardee's map of
| Louisiana, they viii form some idea of the cX-
| tent OF this eDCroachnent on the rights OF set
| tiers, who had gone into this wilderness on the
| faith of government titles. and redeemed 1t
| from the savage sway of nature. Smiling fields
were established iii the midst of the forest,
| pleasant homes were built, to whose rooftrees
families looked for protection and refuge. Bat
pect, by the curse which has dcsolated SO many
fair portions Of our country, disputed Titles to
the land.
The C0pitolian- Adrocote, which is one Of
the ablest and most earnest champions and
defenders of the McEnery administration,
claims that
It hns ever beon matter or deep solicitude
to tho authorities of Louisiana to protect these
honest settlers III their homes, and 1t constltu-
ted one of the main points of consideration IN
tho contract which Governor Wilt made with
John McEnery. Mr.. McEnery has been sue
cessful IN securing decision IN favor OF these
and hngitl
service alone is worth every dollar he has re-
ceved under the contract which has been the
occasion OF so much acrimonious criticism.
Without entering for the present upon q
discussion Of the point made by our Baton
Rouge contemporary in behalf of the prin-
cipal beneficiary Of the now notorious
"McEnery land grab" we will remark
that, according to our understanding Of the
matter, the question of the title to that por-
ton of the Houmas grant comprised in the
William Conway tract has already been de-
cided in favor OF the government. from
which settlers who have not already done
so may obtain clear titles; and that the
another tract of the grant, comprising 49,,
582 19- 100 acres, is now pending before the
Supreme Court of the United States on ap
peal from judgment revoking the patents
issued in 1874 to VIM. Donaldson and Jno.
W. Scott, rendered by Judge Billings in the
United States Circuit Court at New Orleans
on June II Of the current year. We further
understand that, even if the decision Of the
Sunreme Court be favorable to the heirs of
the patentees, the settlers will be able to
secure their lands ut government prices,
most of them having made written con-
tracts to that effect with the counsel for
defendants in the pending suit.