Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1890-03-26
SETTLE OUR LAND TITLES.

In another column will be found the
substance OF the provisions Of bill Tor
the settlement OF private land claims i'll
New Mexico that has been prepared by
Surveyor General Hobart at the request
OF Hon. l.. b. Cass ell, chairman OF the
house committee Oh private land claims.
We believe that Gen. Hobart bill is the
first really practical measure that has been
proposed for the speedy removal OF the
deadly blight OF unsettled land titles from
this territory. The land court measures
now before congress are radically defect
i've in that they require an impossible ex'
pense from the small holder 10 get into
appeals and legal delay That the present
generation would not see the matter set
tied by that method.
Equally futile have been the methods
OF the past, constituting a most powerful
example of how not to do it. Almost
every move has lett our titles in worse
state Of uncertainty than before. 1t does
no good for the United States to say to
the inhabitants Of large tract OF coun-
try, I'VE wash our hands OF this thing;
fight it out among yourselves" For i'll
stance, a patent vas not long since is
sued to The Town Of TecoIote" for Il
tract OF land near Las Vegas. The rail-
road passes through it Tor several miles
along a fertile and attractive valley Of
which not one-hundredth part is occu-
pied. The inhabitants OF the tract are
few and scattered and nearly all Next
cans, and they have reached condition
Of absolute despair. They see no way of
getting title to their homes and cornhelds
because there is no town OF Tecolote to
issue to them deeds or be served with
process from any court where they
might demand their rights. They see
Americans and wealthy Mexicans fencing
tracts to which they have no right, and
cutting all the timber from the woodlands
of their grant until, as one OF them said
the other day, "of all the free pastures
and woods aud waters that our fathers
said were ours, we lave not place left
to water our burros."
1t is no light matter for the government
Of the United States by neglect and
injustice to iniure the prosperity OF
the people Of New Mexico and to
retard the material advancement
and progress OF this territory. Some
thing must be done for its land titles
or this territory with all its natural re-
sources will never again see prosperity.
The United States by solemn treaties
agreed to protect each Mexican citizen in
the possession of his property. The man
who owned strip but fifty feet wide run
ming back from the stream to the hill had
just as great claim on the government
for this protection as had the largest grant
owner. But for forty-two years this right
of the small holder has been utterly ig-
nored.
If you establish land court he can not
hire lawyer to come into it. The whole
value Of his holding would not pay the
fee. The government is under the most
solemn obligation to protect him in his
right. To redeem that obligation you
must know what that right is. He can
not come into court and tell how his land
IL situated in respect to the public sur
veys, but it is the duty OF the government
to 20 to him and locate his holdings.
It is believed that the titles to all lands
that have not yet been patented by the
government can be readily adjusted under
ths provisions Of this bill Il