Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1891-08-19
To establish Court of Private Land Claims,
and to provide for the settlement of
private land claims in certain States and
Territorinc

| AN ACT
|
To establish Court of Private Land Claims,
and to provide for the settlement OF
| private land claims in certain States and
| Territories.
| Be IL enacted Jp the Senate and House Of Repre-
| Sentatices Of the United states of Americd in
| Congress assembled.
| SECTION l. That there shall be- and hereby
Is established a court to be called the Court
of Private Land Claims to consist of chief
| Justice and fOur associate Justices, who shall
| be, when appointed. citizens and residents
of some of the States of the United States,
to be appointed by the President, by and
with the advice and consent of the Senate,
to hold their offices for the term expiring on
the thirty.first day of December, ammo
domini eighteen hundred and ninety-dve,
any three of whom shall constitute a
quorum. Said court shall have and exercise
| Jurisdiction in the hearing and decision of
| private land claims according to the pro-
| visions of this act The said court shall ap-
| point a clerk who shall attend all the sessions
Of the court, and deputy clerk, where
regular terms of the court are held. The
court shall also appoint a stenographer who
shall attend all the sessions of the court and
perform the duties required of him by the
| court
The said court shall have the power to
adopt all necessary rules and regulations
| for the transaction of its business and to
carry out the provisions of this act to issue
any process necessary to the transaction of
the business of said court, and to issue com
missions to take dispositions as provided in
chapter seventeen of title thirteen of the
Revised Statutes ofthe United States Each
OF said justices shall have power to admin
lister oaths and affirmatiOns. 1t shall be the
duty of the United States marshal for any
district or Territory in which the court is
held, to serve any process of the said court
placed in his hands for this purpose, and to
attend the court in person or by deputy
when so directed by the court. The court
shall hold such sessions in the States and
Territories mentioned in this act as shall be
needful for the purposes thereof, and shall
give notice of the times and places of the
both the English and Spanish languages, in
one newspaper published at the capital OF
such State or Territory, once week
for two successive weeks the last OF
which publications shall be not less
than thirty days next preceding the
times of the holding of such SEES
sions, but such sessions may be adjourned
from time to time without such publication.
by the President, by and with the advice and
consent of the Senate, a competent attorney,
learned in the law, who shall when appointed
the United States, to represent the United
States in said court. And there shall be APP
pointed by the said court, a person who
shall be when appointed a citizen and resi-
dent of some State of the United States,
skilled in the Spanish and English Ian
guages, to act as Interpreter and translator
In said court, to attend all the sessions
thereof, and to perform such other services
as may be required OF him by the court.
SEC. 3. That Immediately upon the organi-
cation of said court the clerk shall cause
notices thereof and of the time and place of
the first session thereof, to be published Tor
period of ninety days in one newspaper at
the City of Washington and in one published
at the capital of the State of Colorado and
of the Territories of Arizona and New
Mexico. Such notices shall be published in
both the Spanish and English languages,
and shall contain the substance OF this act.
SEC. T. That it shall be the duty of the
Commissioner of the General Land Office of
the United States, the Surveyors-General
of such Territories and States, or the
keeper of any public records who may have
possessions of any records and papers re-
lating to any land grants or claims for
land within said States and Territories in
relation to which any petition shall be
brought under this act, on the application
of any person interested or by the attorney
OF the United States, to safely transmit
such records and papers to said court or to
attend in person or by deputy any session
thereof when required by said court, ans
produce such records and paperR
SEC. B. That the testimony which mas
been heretofore lawfully and regularly re-
ceived by the Surveyor-General OF the
proper Territory or state or by the COM
missioner OF the General Land ONCE, upon
any claims presented to them, respectively,
shall be admitted in evidence IN al tflaiS
under this act When the person test1tylng Is
dead, so Tar as the subject matter tneIeoI
is competent evidence; and the court snail
give 1t such weight as, in its Judgment I'M
der all the circumstances, 1t ought to nave.
SEC 6. That it shall be lawful Tor any
person or persons or corporation or their
legal representatives, claiming lands within
the limits of the territory derived by the
United States from the Republic of Mexico
and now embraced within the Territories OF
New Mexico Arizona or Utah, or WITHIN
the States Of Nevada, Colorado or Wyo-
ming, by virtue OF any such Spanish or Mex
lean grant, concession, warrant or survey
as the United States are bound to recognize
and confirm by virtue OF the treaties OF
cesson of said country by Mexico to the
United States which at the date OF the
passage OF this act have not been confirmed
by act OF Congress or otnerWise, hnally de-
clded upon by lawful authority, ana Whlch
are not already complete and perfect in
every such case, to present petition in
writing to the said court in the State or
Territory where SAID lana Is situated and
where the said court holds Its sessions but
cases arising in the states and territories
in which the court does not hold regular
sessions may be instituted at such place as
may be designated by the rules OF the court.
The petition shall set tofth July the
nature OF their claims to the lands. and
state the date and form OF the
grant, concession, warrant or order OF sur
vey under which they claim, by whom
made, the name or names of any person or
persons in possession OF or claiming the
same, or any part thereof otherwise than
by the lease or PERMISSION OF the petitioner,
and alsO the quantity OF land Claimed and
the boundaries thereof, where situate, with
a map showing the same as near as may be,
and whether the said claim has heretofore
been confirmed, considered or acted upon
by Congress or the authorities of the United
States, or been heretofore submitted to any
constituted by law for the ad-
justment of land titles within the limits of
the said territory SO acquired, and by them
reported on untavorably or recommended
for confirmation, or authorized to be sur
veyed or not; and pray in such petition !
that the validity of such title or claim may
be inquired into and decided.
Ana the said court is hereby authorized
and required to take and exercise iurisdic-
ton of all cases or claims presented by pc
tition in conformity with the provisions of
this act, and to hear and determine the
same as in this act provided, on the petit
tions and proofs in case no answer or an.
Bwers be Tiled, after due notice. or on the
petition and the answer or answers of any
person or persons intares ted in preventing
any claim from being established and the