Arizona weekly citizen., 1885-04-18
CLoUD.O TITLES.

.-st could possibly occur under any cir .,-s:ances, Is encountered Tn the many .spgine aul forged Mexican grants that ,--s to ltgnt al a time when the proper .-.5yel.d by them has become valuable. r-3s- tle trea;y with Mexico a. the ..-,s A-lz ma was purchased from that .-rab.ic, the title conveyed by all pre- -ss, grants of land were to be respect b, the United States, and where the ..sla ut title has been carefully and -,1;!u.ly preserved, but iittle difficulty s., been experienced in securing tue --,ss,ary confirmation by c ngress.
 O.r5c=nt years many suspicious doc -4gts. yellow with the decay of time, nave been brought forth from the mys- ,sri,us somewhere, by speculative some 5,dles. just n time to stay the progress a.d prosperity of some favored section t7c.slng ci0ud upon the title to the .suJ.
 Many of these so-called grants nave ueger been heard of before they see brought forth to blight the hopes q a happy community, and 1t s al- .e,t too sweeping a charge to denounce men. al as fraudulent in their terms. s-hJu-l a large proportion of them are s--er.r- lis not au uncommon method e. ra,ca.lty to alter an original grant, zii-l lts boundaries and entirely .ssu.r tue locus thereof, and thereby .-aa.' q upon pr 'p-riy that pOssesses g-ear value. The records are full of .-ca attempts a5 robbery and there are -e ot them awaiting a .yorable op- -y-.uu.,y tJ ex;or5 blackplall from un- s1,yzc;il- communities butt up to prOs- ys-,y uy long and patient industry. Some of these alieged claims are not permitted uy tle!r cunning manipula- ,5-s t1 ,r beyond tue IDitiatory steps of 1-airm.tiuu, aud they are there kept as lzrpe, .al cloud upon the title and 7-Ele -enacs to the enterprise of the --,t-- always re:aTding the growth al O rr.spgr.:s of the area claimed and work .1- irr-pa-a ole injury to the whole Ter -.ecy.
 Aa instance of the gravity of such a tar e. progress, Is brought to our atten- uoa ty M7. q. GInocchlO, vino has been D iLl- eIty for several days for the pur- F7se 9i catering large tract of land oI -eC..t-aJo river, few miles below lle town of Yuma. This land had been sel-c,rl ilr the establishment of colony Of Italians and wlth view to the culti- vs11l oi i.uIts, particularly grape cui- tlre It was the design of the pro .-7.J-s to purchase a township of land, q-1yl !e water for irrigation and % p5e Ts-ed to plant the trees and vine. dur ls the coming winter. Italian lmml .-sats who come to California without sly fixed idea of their future pursuits, --laccustoned largely to the cultivation d. the grape. were to be given the Rd T8l'ag-s afF,rled by the new colony l. -.sUlre a home and competency, and a.tae same time enjoy the companion sup 1f thelr kindred and cOuntrymeu -l- scheme was not entirely specula- c7- nor was iJ thoroughly philanthropic, aa. happy medium between both mo- u.es, and an enterprise that would bring -1to a highly productive condition a large tract ot now worthless and arid ald.
 Inquiry revealed no dispute us to u'le, and the projectors of the en- ieFprlse prepared to perfect 1t. ul4or that a Mexican g-ant had o1ce been claimed somewhere in n that neighborhood led us. Surveyor General Royal A. Johnson to investi gate the matter more closely, and the Result k, letter from the department st Washington showing that a claim Lad been made years ago for the "Paso He las Alyoiones" grant, near Yuma, Ind covering about half of the tract de- sl'ed 'a- tue Italian colony. The claim lad been reported upln adversely by Slrye.or General John Wasson, and the matter Was at once placed before tue House oi Representatives for acton. 4--re IS a rumo- that the parties to thIs Clam became alarmed at charges Of -aoi and flrsery in the documents, and Tied Co recall Jarir action uu,il d more favorable opportunity. However this AA! be. they obtalned permission to "illraN al. tue papers from the House "' presentatives, on February 10th, -'>l' since which time no further efforts lave been made to remove the cloud.
 I4iS unfortunate state Of affairs at olee euds tine Italian colony scheme, ead thr emIssary of that company, now -t'e. will return to San Francisco; re- '-li the money advanced by his asso- '.4'=s' aud explain to them as best he 1aa the uncertainty of land titles m A' zona and the great rIsk of invest -ent' here. He Is really embarrassed '! Ills unpleasant predicament, for al '-o Sh ho exercised due diligence ln -'oAIng up the title. and a knowledge u '-e cloud was not general, some may attach ame to him.
 There are many other similar grants 'oTkinE as great injury to other parts '. 'ur Territory, and 1t is time our peo- Fe should form some organization de- sshed 10 bring these contests to an carly issue and to secure from Congress general law of limitation in these dau- Ne'ous grants. We may laugh at such -'snts a> claim a portion Of the city of tucson, but vague and uncertain as '-el are they impair title to all the p'operty within the area claimed until tue grant Is either confirmed or rejected 'y act Of Congress.
 Oar own protection, an well as the welfare of the Territory at large aud its s''|th aud pro perity. demands the 'prtuN of Al