The record-union., 1893-05-03
DOING GOOD SERVICE.
forcfble Remarks From n Southern
California Paper.

Los Angeles Daily Times.
The Sacramento RECoRD-UNIoN has
undertaken TO expose a gigantic system
OF land frauds perpetrated probably
through the Surveyor-Generalis office at
sacramento. To this end it has COM
menced mandamus suit to compel the
state Register of the Land Office to file or
reject the nlings III his safe. This action
has created hubbub in certain official
circles. and every effort has been made to
caJole or bulldoze the paper or its attor-
neys into withdrawing the suit and hush
ing the matter up.
ears ago the United States granted to
the State of California each sixteenth and
thirty sixth section, or one-eighteenth OF
the entire area of the State for school pur-
poses. AS much of this land fell in mount
alnous and desert regions, and was practi-
calIy worthless, a bill was subsequently
adopted by Congress granting to the
state other lands in lieu ofthese sixteenth
and thirty-siXth sections where the latter
were found 10 be mineral. The lands in
place could, OF course, be found by any
| one. When the State offered its lands at
81 % per acre-that Is, the sixteenth and
| tnlrty-slNth sections at that tigure-any
settler might find the land. But the ex-
erclse OF lieu is more complicated mat
ter 10 find just what Land has been lost
to the State, that the allegation of lieu
IN place OF that lieu, is matter requiring
intimate knowledge of the lands of the
State, knowledge not possessed by the
| home-seeker as rule.
At this point the good offices of the
! Surveyor-General were demanded. The
publication of lands TO be lost under the
operation OF the Acts granting lieu, and
! the reservation OF that loss for the eXer-
else only of the lieu right by those en-
titled to take land, would have promoted
the settlement Of the lands Of the State.
But no such publication was made; no
| interest whatever was taken in the sub
Ject by those in charge OF the land policy
OF the State of California. On the con-
trary, the entire lieu right is being alb
sorbed by shrewd attorneys, who, secur-
ing TO the dummies of their own selec-
ton the absorption of all the lieu right
hold its exercise for sale at an approxi-
mate valuation for the land located in lieu
OF the loss.
The Sacramento paper is doing good
service for the honest land-seekers of
California in pressing this suit and eX-
posing the whole land-grabbing system
as fostered by State officials. There are
no less than 800, ,000 acres of land involved
in this matter, and certain agents and
favorites of State officials are trying to
absorb it all. The State Register has his
safe stuffed full of applications which he
lOItSoS ~ IlO lOT lear Oh giving uDo zeal
away before it is fully consummated.
The RECoRD-UNIoN serves notice on
all parties Interested that whatever may
be the decision of commissions, or the
judicial conclusions of courts, the ulti-
mate result of the manner in which the
lieu right is exercised in this State will
be thoroughly exposed. There must
necessarily come a time when land will
be selected by the allegation of loss, and
the information as to who made these
selections, as to what land was alleged to
have been lost, what land taken in lieu,
must become matter of public record,
and when that record is made it will be
accessible for publication.
OF course it was not the object of Con-
gress in passing the lieu land bill that all
this land should be gobbled up by cor
rupt ring, but that it should be made
available for actual settlers at low price.
A more infamous plot to loot the public
domain has never been exposed. it JUS
titles the charge that has been made
against one Surveyo yor-General, that when
he left the Office he was monarch of all he
had surveyed. We hope there is way
not only to make the schemers show
their hands, but also to throw out all the
fraudulent filings.