St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1885-08-29
OPELOUSAS /:
Saturday August 29tIn, 1855.
The Backbone Land Grant.


him is, whether or not patents shall is
sue to the New Orleans Pacific Railway
Company for some three hundred thou
sand acres of land, which they claim as
the builders of the road.
1t will be remembered that Secretary
Teller during the last week Of the Ar
thur administration, awoke the DOR
mant energies of the country in this
matter by an unexpected and unparal-
leled exhibition of executive swiftness;
issuing in the short space of seven days
patents for seven hundred thousand
acres of the public domain to this same
company. This was done by coalescing
the forces Of the Interior and working
them night and day Sunday not except
ed. Mr.. Teller, no doubt thinking it
would be useless to have day of rest
during that week as he and the employ
ees would have plenty of time to rest in
afterwards.
This state of affairs being accident
ally discovered, Messrs. Lewis, Jonas,
Gibson and others protested and this
protest was handed to President Arthur
in person by Mr.. Lewis. The protest
failed of its purpose and the press get
ting hold of the matter made it public.
AS soon as Secretary Lamar was in
stalled he revoked the order of his ener-
getic predecessor, refused to issue any
more patents and thus saved from the
grasp of Gould 100000 acres of land now
in contest
On Aug. 18th, Mr.. Lewis received the
following dispatch:
WASHINGTON, D. G.
Hon. E. T. Lewis, Opelousas, La.
On Tuesday next argue for Compa-
ny the Backbone grant case, Lamar will
hear you there; personally or through
counsel.
E. JOHN ELLIS.
Mr.. Lewis Immediately telegraphed
to Sectary Lamar asking him to with
hold his decision until he could for
ward brief on behalf of the settlers,
and received the following answer:
WASHINGTON, D. c., Aug. 10 1885.
TO E. T. Lewis, Opelousas, La.
We will withhold decision until we
receive your brief.
T.. Q. C. LAMAR,
Secretary.
Sometimes since Mr.. Wheelock dis
tributed circulars in this Parish, to the
effect that he was now prepared to sell
lands to the settlers at So per acre, and
agents are now being sent out through
the country for that purpose.
We would warn the settlers that the
New Orleans Pacific has not received
patents for more than 5000 acres of land
in this parish, and that it is mortgaged.
The bonds are probably at this time i'll
the hands of third parties, while the re-
seryation in the mortgage is of such
character as to afford no protection to the
settler. Thus the Company could not,
if it would, give anything but a clouded
title, even to the lands for which they
have patents. AS to the other railroad
lands in this parish, they are inluded
in the three hundred thousand acres,
the title to which is now being discuss
ed before Secretary Lamar.
Mr.. Lewis concludes his brief as fol-
lows:
AS is we'll known to you and the cOun-
try, strenuous efforts were made during
the 48th Congress to restore, to the pub
lie domain and to the people, their COM
mon patrimony the millions of acres of
land recklessly, if not criminally, grant
ed away to railroad corporations. The
result, pitiful indeed, of these efforts
is familiar to all. AS an experienced
legislator you are aware of the means
and appliances brought to bear to defeat
all such legislation, and how easy it is,
under parliamentary rules to delay aud
POSTPONE action. It is idle in my judy
ment to expect Congress to apply the
needed remedy. The pressing nature
of the questions involved in the matter
of these land grants is not disputed.
Their speedy solution is of vital impor-
tance to the country and demanded by
every consideration of craftsmanship.
They cannot be finally and effectually
solved except by the courts of the c0un-
try. Why not remit them to those tri
bunals
In this case there are two questions
involved, the determination of which
would go far, very far towards solu
tion of the chief difficulties of the stu
alton.
/ One is, whether time is of the essence
in such grants, that is, whether, where
Che law makes grant of land npon con-
ditiOn that the road shall be completed |
within given time, the grant can be
lawfully earned by construction after |
the time has elapsed.
The other is, whether the Executive |
branch of the government, in such q ]