St. Landry democrat., 1885-07-18
OPELOUSAS, La. SATURDAY, JULY u, 1885.

pie are required to take notice of an
order Of withdrawal the very existence
of which they know nothing. Surely
the public is entitled to be Informed
when any part of the public domain is
withdrawn from entry, and especially
is this true of the settlers in whose in
terest as far back as 1871 Congress, in
the preemptiOn act, declared that
"All lands belonging to the United States, to
whieV the Indian tit e has beeu or may hereaf-
ter be eXtinguished, shall be subject to the
right of preemption."
No one questions the right of the peo-
pie to settle and build on the public
lands and thereby acQaire a homey and
as to these lands they had been sur
veyed by the Government many years
ago, and were known and recognized as
public land by the people for more than
fifty years, and as such open to entry.
Would it be just that q citizen, who
goes upon the land under these circnm-
stances and builds himself a home,
should be ousted under the operation OF
an order filed away in the Land Office,
and the existence of which he is totally
ignorant
But pass to other facts
Under the law relating to homesteads,
the Register is required to keep a rec
'The Register of the Land Office shall note
all applications under the provisions of this
charter on the tract books and plats of his Of
fee, and keep a register OF all such entries and
make return thereof to the General Land Of
tee, together with the proof upon which they
have been founded" - Stat. 399 r. s. 2295.
had occasion to Inquire at the Land
Office in New Orleans, in behalf of some
eight or ten of these settlers, during
the month of May last, whether any
record had been kept of their appliea-
tiOns, as required by law.
70 my astOnishment, neither | nor
the efficient clerk in the office could
find even trace of them, and but one
entry was found on the tract books,
that of John Chevis, upon which no ac-
ton appeared to have been taken, but
Immediately under this entry appealed
the selection of the same tract by the
agent of the railroad company, and for
which, together with thousands of
acres besides, selected by them, they
are now demanding patents ! In no
other instance could any evidence
whatever be found that any record had
been kept or entry made upon either
tract book or map, nor, presume, has
any return been made to the General
Land Office, since such returns are
made up from the entries on the tract
books and maps. At my request the
clerk made special search, and writes
me that he was unable to find any trace
of such applications, and yet the par
ties swear that they We're made years
ago.
I cannot say what has become of the
many other applications for home
steads on these lands, but think that |
can safely assume that the General
Land Office is not in possession of any
return for a title of the applications
filed, or rather sent, to the Land Office
in New Orleans, and necessarily is not
in possession of the information that
would be needed to give protection to
the settler in the event patents are to
lands. With the best disposition to
save the settler, the department. cannot,
do SO until it is informed of his claim.
Let me give few cases within 10 Y
personal knowledge:
John Chevis, the one above me n
toned, settled on the S. E. quarter of
section 35, T. rs, r. 8 E., twenty ye ars
ago, built himself a home and has lived
on this land cultivated it continuously up
to the present time. He applied to en-
ter it in 1870, a year before the land
grant was made and eleven year be-
fore the definite location of the road.
He has made repeated efforts to enter
the land and repeated failure hS Is dis
heartened him.
Theogene Daigle settled on tle S. E.
quarter of section 5, T. 8S.. r. 8 E, on
the 4th of January, 1869, and in good
faith has established a cor nfortable
home where he has continue to live
ever since. He also applied t o enter his
land in January 1870, and has made re-
peated efforts since.
E. C. Gardner settled on the N. w
quarter of section 8, T. s S., R.9 E., in
1869, and applied the same year. It il
his home now.
Christoval Chevis settle ID on the N
w. quarter of section g., II. 8S., R. 3 E.
in 1865, made applicati0 in 1870 ant
1878. He occupies it as llis home.
Gustave Delahousay isettled on the S
w. quarter of section g., T. S., R. BE.
in 1870, and has occupif ID the same al
his home ever since, but in common
with the others failed to get even E
hearing of his case.
] could give many other cases bu
these will be sufficie Mt to illustrate the
hardship this class g f citizens have beer
uduo W buhCA' ~ lS easy GO say Gn6J
had right to az peal and secure {
hearing. but whf re were these pool
men to tet the me- pney to pay the ex
pense Of appeal merely to obtain {
hearing4 Woul d hearing be granted
upon the settler s pri1DG tdcie showing
If SO why does the Register force The
settler to appe' d to the Commissions
to obtain it. Why not grant it himself
and let the CO Sc go up for final adjudi
to put him tfo this useless delay and ex.
pense. But, besides this, there is no
one in ten rSho knows anything what.
ever about the rules of the Land Office
l.,