Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1891-03-30
CLAMoRlNG FOR SETTLEMENT

CLAMORING FOX 6El lLEMENl'
The necessity for the creation OF this
court has become more and more urgent
from year to year. Great interests were
camoring for settlement OF disputes in
order that they might proceed with safety
to develop and expand themselves. The
175 cases mentioned as before congress for
confirmation had been accommodating any
where from fifteen to twenty years. 1t
has been more than fourteen years since
congress last acted upon one OF these
claims, and the prospects Of the claimants
began to look very dark. The startling
disclosures and counter disclosures OF
bribery, forgery, theft and general crook
edness in the McGarrahan.New ldrla
conflict early in the 70s, and in two or
three earlier Mexican and Spanish land
grant cases which were still fresh in those
days, seem to have made congress, as a
BODY, regardless of political bias, suspic-
ious of these shadowy and much-disputed
titles and claims, and it became evident
finally that to meet the difficulty judi
cial body of weight must be created in
whose acts confidence could be placed,
with the right to either party to appeal
from it's DEGREES within six months to
the supreme Court Of the United States.
In the fiftieth congress a bill similar
to the one which has just become law
was passed by the house, but failed in the
senate in the final hours OF the last ses-
sion Oh account OF demand made by
Senator Hampton, who was known to be
the mouth-organ merely OF Mr.. Cleveland
in this matter, that the Republicans should
agree to confirm in a few precious re-
naming minutes, and without reference
or discussion, the five judges of the pro-
posed court, whose nominations were
ready to be rushed in the moment it
should be made to the president that the
Republicans were willing to do this. Ot
course such proceeding was too absurd
to be thought of for moment by the he.
publicans, as they would have violated
their high obligations as senators, and
would have unnecessarily assumed also a
very grave responsibility by consenting,
without investigation Of any kind, to the
appointment of five judges who would
probably adjudicate within the brief dura'
ton of the court questions involving
greater values than we're ever considered
by minor court in the history of ]uris'
prodence in a like period. So tor this
purelty political and mercenary reason,
enforced by the mandate Of the man who,
professedly, never allowed political con.
siderations to interfere with his sense o1
public duty, a large element OF the coun'
try's population and wealth, which vas
then, as it is now, in distress, was denied
the relief which Republican congress
has just now afforded, and which it wa'
then ready also to afford, except ior th'
attempted revolutionary coercion OF th'
Republican senators by Mr.. cleveland il
the closing hours of his presidency.
In addition to the claims before noted
there will be before the court large mum
Der of petitions, many of which no doubt
will be contested, which have no
reached congress or the general land Of
fee. Among these are between 4,O0
and 900 Mexican squatter cases, MANI
in New Mexico, in which the occupant
of the land have no written or record It'll
whatever for their homesteads, but who
in a majority of the cases, hold the Ian
as the representatives of two, three G
10uf generatlOuS paCh' IL ~ oh"ii
found by the court that these squattel
would have have had good title under la
or custom of Mexico or Spain, notwitf
standing they have nothing but the
occupancy to show for it, they will I t
awarded patents for not to exceed 1t
acres in each case. The sections in th
new court law covering these cases wei
r embodied in the bill at the instance
Q Surveyor General Hobart, OF New Me;
9 leo, who foresaw that il all these O.
Mexican and Spanish titles were to
= settled up on strict lines OF law a va
amount Of trouble and suffering might :
: suit to the large Spanish-speaklng popui
ton which makes up this squatter ei
ment. AS things are now, therefore, II
/ squatters will be taken care of.-Corr
n spondence Globe-Democrat.