The Dallas weekly herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1885, 1885-01-29
That Claim to the city of Galveston.

DALLAS, Jan. D. Editor HERALD. =
The Now York Dispatch of the 10th Inst,
published in this mornings HERALD,
under the caption of "Langwortby's
Land" "Claimants for the Site ftheCity
of Galveston" Is calculated To create a
llutter Of uneasiness, not only among
the uniformed in Galveston, but
throughout tho state. But 1t Is, from
centre to circumference, the the merest
bosh. IL Is claimed that fifty years ago
LangwOrthy surveyed and bought from
the Spanish government league OF
land whoreon tho city of Galveston now
stands. That is the whole claim, witt
the statement that only recently the
held notes of tho survey have
been found, of course among IN
musty old papers Of some prl-
vato citizen of Now York. From the 2a.h
of September, 1871, to the "a of March,
1886, spain had as much right to sell the
capitol building in Washington as to
sell the lands OF Texas. Texas was IN
that period no part OF the Spanish do
minion, but an integral part of Mexico.
Mexico, by her laws and executive act
ions, refused to sell the islands on her
coast, or even to permit the colonization
of her lands within ton leagues of the
coast, except by her native citizens, or,
in some cases, TO foreigners OF the Cath
Ole cher nationaD religion. An ex-
ception to this rulo was finally made ss
10 Austin's colony, covering the main
land, but not the islands, between the
San Jacinto and La Vaca rivers. Ii
Langworthy ever obtained such title
AZ stated, it was in violation of law, and
must have been by collision and fraud,
and therefore void, or, at the least, void
able. But admit moro than
is claimed, viz, that Langworthy
did Ieceiye concession from the Mex
lean government, or even a stronger
case, that he derived it from the Mexi-
can state Of "Cohahuila and Texas"
(Which could make no coast grant with
out the prior consent of the supreme
gOVornmenD then the pretended claim
OF his heirs or assigns must prove ut
terly worthless under the fundamental
law of this state, as distinctly provided
in our constitution to protect the actual
citizenship of the state against all such
| neiariouS means of rObbing those who
legitinIately reclaimed and built up the
country. By our statutes of limitation,
sanctilied by forty-tive years bene.icent
| existence under the facts stated, this
claim must sleep the sleep that knows
no waxing. But its invocation is wholly
unnecessary. There is still a higher
law which outlaws this bogus claim and
denies it standing or hearing in our
., 5, 4, and 5, article Y,
tile, "Spanish and Mexican Land
Titles" of our state constitution.
Among several kindred safeguards, TOO
! long to quote, it is emphatically declared
that: "No claim of title or right to
land, which issued prior to the 18th day
of November, 1888. which has not q: Q:
before April Is, 1866 been duly recorded
in the county where the land was stu
ated at tho time of such record, or
which has been duly archived in the
general land office, shall ever hereafter
be deposited in the general lard office,
or recorded in this state, or delineated
on the maps, or used as evidence in any
OF tho courts of this state, and the same
are stale claims"
A government that would permit the
10000 citizens of Galveston,
after erecting fine city on treeless
law December, 1856 in the year
of it's birth as "a nation, to be disturbed
in their rights by such trumped-up
maChination as this, sprung half CEN
| fury later, would merit the scorn of all
honorable minds. Neither our breth-
rem of the island nor strangers unac-
quainted with our land system and
| laws, nave any occasion 10 lose mo-
ment's sleep by the sensational dis
| patch from New York.
Apropos of this claim, l hold as a
souvenir, worthless except as q curl
osity, q certificate of stock, calling for
10000 acres OF land, in the Rio Grande
and Texas Land company, issued in
New York, July IL, 1884, and based on
the colonial grant of the state of Coha-
hula and Texas, to DR.. John Charles
Beales, of New York, on the Rio
| Grande, Nueces and head of Colorado
rivers. 1t was sent to me as memento
Ivy my kinsman, Hon. William Joseph
Ward, of Baltimore, twelve years ago,
and is worth precisely the quotient OF
the Langw orthy claim-nothing.
j. II. B.