St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1890-11-08
and Y. railroad of March Sd, 1871. No
fair minded man can contemnlate with

and Y. railroad of March Sd, 1871. N,
fair minded man can contemplate with
out indignation this outrageous inva
sion of the peoples rights. Thus wa.
an attempt to be given away, withou1
any return, strip of land so mile.
wide and 230 miles long over four mil
lieu acres, homes of 16O acres each fol
%, ,O00 families, embracing in this par
ish alone los, GOO acres.
It is claimed that this Act OF Febru
I Iary 8th, 1887, is unconstitutional, be
cause first, its title was fraud ,tand be
cause it gave all this land without any
consideration. Thus is it seen that
previous to the Act of February Sth
1887, this claim of the New Orleans
Pacific railway company to these lands
had absolutely no foundation in law
nothing to support it but the unlawful
acts OF executive officers OF the Land
Department..
Contrast the reception by them OF
Mr.. Nheelock's purchase for one dollar
OF four million acres OF land, with that
OF the Homestead Or Preemption Ap-
plication of settler, himself one OF
the absolute owners of the soil. Mr..
Nheelock is politely asked to come in,
the regular business of the Department
suspended until this sale can be reeor-
ded in prominent place and the lands
selected by the railway company, while
the settler is coolly and curtly notified
that his land is claimed by the n. O.
Pacific railway company.
A selection was again made under
the Act OF 1887, in October 1889. This
selection, like the one of 1883, cost the
railway company two per cent on the
price Of the land, SIG for section in
Indemnity Limits, and $32 fora Sec
ton OF 64O acres in the Granted Linz
its. Why was this selection of 1889
made? Was not the making of said
selection an admission on the part of
said company that before the Act of
February Sth, 1887, they had no law
full right to the land?
Now no selection within Indemnity
Limits could be made until the loss of
odd sections within the granted limits
had been ascertained. This has not
been done, and as consequence the
selection within Indemnity Limits is
null and void, and under the general
land laws Of the United States settler
who goes ON this class of lands cannot be
deprived of them by law.
In August, 1887, the Hon. Secretary
OF the Interior decided that the selec-
tions within Indemnity Limits we're
null and void, and ordered that the
lands should be restored to settlement
entry, and he caused to be published for
30 days in the New Orleans Picayune
the following notice:
United States Land Office, New Orleans,
La, Oct. %, 1Ss7.-Under authority and di-
rections from the General Land Office, by
letter dated Oct. 13, 1887, notice is hereby
given that all lands situated in the New
Orleans land district heretofore Withdrawn
for indemnify purposes under the grant to
the New Orleans Pacific Railway Compa-
ny, assignee Of the New Orleans, Baton
Rouge and Vicksburg Railroad Company,
under the act of March 8, 1871, are restored
to the public domain and open to settle
ment under the general land laws, except
such as may be covered by approved selec-
tions-i. e., approved by the Commissioner
of the General Land Office and the Secre-
tary of the Interior.
Applications to make filings and entries
on such unapproved selections will be re-
ceiyed at this Office on and after the first
day of December, 1887. No application or
filings for the lands in question can be en-
tertained previous to said date.
THOS. ]. BUTLER, Register
j. AIAsSIE MARTIN, Receiver
This action was based on the decision
of the Supreme Court Of the United
States in the case of Northern Pacific
Railroad VS.. Guilford Miller.
This notice thus published was an in
vitation to all duly qualified persons to
go on the land, and it has not yet been
revoked, and as no lawful selection with
in he indemnity limits has been made
it follows that such lands are still open
to settlement.
Senator Gibson has introduced bill
to confirm the rights of the settlers to
these lands and allow the n. O. Pacific
Railway Company to take other lands
in lieu of those taken by the settlers
The Railway Company will do well to
support this bill, as it will be final set
tlement of a question which otherwise
may last for years.
GEORGE o. EIMs.