Arizona weekly citizen., 1894-04-07

ths labor of the homeseeker and the
husbandman bless the land. The des
ert has forg tten its barrenness and the
grain waves in the pass breeze aEo
orchards bloom where the deadness o
desert desolation had hung since time
was Young and an earlier civilization
had passed away. But Southern Ariz
ona neither moved nor spoke. The
hand of the grant claimant was on her
| throat and her limbs were shackled by
their ever-increaslng rapaciousness
For years she struggled in vain to free
herself of her oppressors and now the
time has come when through the proVl-
dence of God and the judges of the land
| court she is to be free.
In saying this We have no desire to
deprive the grant claimants OF one single
acre of ground they legliimately and
honestly possess Property rights IN
grants are as sacred to the grantees as
the homestead is to the individual set
Arizona has been ridden to death by
grant claimants whose only show OF
ownership vas shadow Of title" and
an audacious claim. A very small be-
ginning satisfied them, but every
mineral discovery and every far field
wrested from the wilds of nature by the
toiling husbandman invited them lit
tie farther. Then lines were made to
lap lines till the claimants, standing on
the mountain tops bluffingly exclaimed:
"All that We see is ours" And certain
ly it was, so far as money and persist
ence could confirm their right. But bill
creating a land court passed congress
and became law. A court, composed
Of five judges taken from the best legal
talent OF the country was created, and
the wheels of adjustment began to move
with its organization.
The result has been splendid, the
achievement grand. The claimants,
who for years had clamored for set
tlement of titles VIXEN offered the op-
portunity refused, except in the case
of the San Rafael de la Zania, to enter
court, but held back and asked the gov
ernment to compel them 10 go IN. This
was done and as a proposition OF law
the legality of the acts undsr which
these so called grants were created were
exhaustively submitted to the court.
and by the court found void and inop-
erative.
Yesterday a decision was handed down
which sounds the death knell to
grant pretensions in southern Arizona.
The grant claimants have thousand
times averred that they waited on'y
what was right. "if," said they, thee
grants are ours we want them, but 9th
erwise not" The otherwise" has been
decreed by the court and a half way
house has at least been reached. Most
of the cases, We presume, will be taken
to the supreme court of the United
States for final adjudication, but a
great and glorious beginning has been
made.
For this the court and its officers
have the everlasting gratitude of the
people OF southern Arizona. To be
enabled to reach these conclusions an
enormous amount of labor was involved.
The records of old Mexico had to be
searched and the laws of that country
studied in order to determine the true
status of the grauts. The burden OF
this devolved largely On the representa-
tives of the government ard the people,
Hon Matt Reynolds and his associates.
The stables had to be cleaned, but they
cleaned them and cleaned them well.
Mr. Reynolds has genius for the bus
iness. No occasion rose that he did not
rise equal to 1t and above it. His
knowledge and Interpretation of the
many-si ided laws at issue were surprising
even to bis friends. but it was evident
from the opening of the chapter that
master mind and master hand had
risen for the occasion. He deserves
we'll of the people of southern Arizona.
w. H. Barnes was his associate in the
case and contributed largely to its sue
cess. For the past year he has been an
indefatigable worker IN the cause aud
has left nothing undone that would con-
tribute to- the success of the people.
His Spanish law library is one of the
finest in the territory and his researches
therein have been most valuable. He
held from the begiUning that the laws
under which the grants claimed title
were not valid and the result has ver;-
fed his judgment in the matter.
In summing the grand results the ser
vices of Lieut.. t'lipper must not be for
gotten. His versatility and Knowledge
of the Spanish language enabled him
to reach laws and unearth records that
were invaluable in the proper presenta-
tion Of the matter to the court. He is
deserving of the highest praise for his
ab iiy and fidelity in the cause OF the
people.
Electric Bitters.
This remedy is becoming so well
known and so popular as to need no
81. hn hox