The climax. [volume] (Richmond, Madison County, Ky.) 1887-1897, 1890-12-24
UNITED STATES LAND COURT.
From the Congressional RecOrd.l

The Committee of the Whole resumed
its session.
Mr.. Caswell. 1 yield ten minutes
to the gentleman from Kentucky Mr..
McCreary.]
Mr.. McCreary. Mr.. Chairman, this is
very important bill, and hope it will
receive the careful consideration of the
members Of thss House, 1t IS very sim
liar to a bill that was discussed at some
length, of same title, in the Fiftieth
Congress, which l had the honor to in
troduce, which was reported from the
Committee on Private Land Claims,
passed by the House of Representative
and sent to the Senate, but was not acted
upon by the Senate.
The object OF this bill is TO establish
United States land court and to provide
for the judicial investigation and sttle-
ment of private land claims in the Ter
Titories of Arizona, Utah, and New Next
co and in the States Of Wyoming, Colo
RADIO, and Nevada.
The importance of this bill is shown in
the large number of land claims that it
proposes to settle.
The Commissioner of the General Land
Office states that there are now pending
in Congress and awaiting confirmation
the reports Of surveyor general upon
| private land claims as follows:
In New Mexico, 107 claims, covering
! 8,7O4,765 acres; in Arizona, Is claims
covering 414,S33 acres; in Colorado,
claims covering 229,814 acres making a
total of 9,349, 433 acres. The number of
acres for which no claim has been filed
and Che number of acres for which no
claim has been filed but which have
been rejected are not included in these
figures. 1t is, however, estimated that
the total number of acres claimed under
private land grants in New Mexico is
about 100000, in Colorado,
about 100000 acres in Arizona, about
100000 acres making in all the enor-
nous territory of 13, 100000 acres, which
Is nearly equal to the combined areas Of
the States of Massachusetts,, Connect
cut, and New Hampshire.
90 into these details, Mr. Chairman,
in order to show how important this
measure is and how long Congress has
been tardy in doing justice TO the States
and Territories named in the bill. The
provisions Of this bill are demanded not
only by the people who live in the
sections to which it appeals, but they
me demanded in justice to our Govern
ment and also in justice to treaties thai
have been made between the United
States and Mexico.
was asked the question a few min
utes ago as to the difference between
private land claim and a public lanC
claim. l will define the difference
- According to the rules of this Hous,
= public lands are the lands that are own
ed by the United States. These privat,
- land claims to which we refer in Thu
, bill are claims owned or controlled by
2 individuals or corporations. Now
5 strange as it may seem, although durin!
= the last forty years Presidents of tn,
5 United States, Secretaries of the Interior
I and various Commissioners of the Lane
f Office have asked for the passage of som,
D kind of a bill to settle these private Lane
- claims, yet up to this good hour no Law
e has ever been passed that was adequate
D and effective for the settlement of sucl
) claims.
/ In this regard Congress has been un
Q fair and unjust to the States and Terri
T tories, named in the bill, acquired iron
!. Mexico. Congress has been more IN
J. erOus TO people residing on other land
:. acquired by treaty or purchase. In 1906
q when We acquired the Louisiana terrific
S ~ from France, consisting OF 100000
e acres of land, very soon thereafter W
# sent out two sets of commissioners
settle these private land claims.
When We acquired Florida from Spair
containing 100000 acres, we soon Of
e gained a board of commissioners, an
t, these private land claims were settled
IS but in 1913 when, under the treaty {
Y Guadalupe Hidalgo, we acquired 334, 90
e acres from Mexico, and when in 1858 W
n acquired, under what is known as tn
o Gadsden treaty, 100000 acres, nothin
l. was done except to pass an act in 1856
t which has been simply a stumblin,
n block in the way, and has not led to tn
1t settlement OF these private land claims
II Mr. Blanchard. VIII the gentlema
It from Kentucky allow me to ask him
question?
If Mr.. McCreary. Yes, sir.
d Mr. Blanchard. The gentleman state
II that after the territory embraced in whs
g was known at that time as the Louisian
e purchase was acquired, commissioner
Is were sent out; and the private Ian
S, claims included in that territory acqui
If ed by the Government, from France an
a Spain, had all been settled? In tn
n State Of Louisiana, to my knowledge
IS there are a number of Spanish an
It French land claims remaining to thi
e day unsettled; and many of them hav
l. been reported for confirmation by tn
n General Land Office, but it has been in
possible to get Congress to act upo
b them.
: Mr.. McCreary. The gentleman fror
t Louisiana misunderstood my remark.
> said that in 1903, when we acquire
q the Louisiana territory, immediatel
: thereafter two boards of commissioner
n were appointed to examine and settl
O the private land claims but that fort
O years have elapsed since the treaty G
t Guadalupe Hidalgo was made betweeI
D the United States and Mexico, and up t
this good hour l said no board of com
0 missioners has been appointed and sen
+ out for the purpose OF settling the pr
s vate land claims in the Territories an,
= in the States named in this bill.
q Mr.. Blanchard. think my friend sal,
= that a commission was appointed to lool
! into these matters in the Territory G
t Louisiana, and had settled these privat
land claims; when in point of fact man,
of these claims at this time remain un
settled and are unconfrmed by Con
gress, notwithstanding the recommends