Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1896-07-16

within which claimants were required to
file their applications under said sections
the fact has come to my knowledge that
there are great many settlers in this
district who failed to initiate title to
their lands under the provisions of said
act-some because they did not under.
stard the provisions of said act or how
to proceed Hereunder, and Others whose
lands we're within the limits of boundaries
of unconfirmed private land claims, as
established by preliminary surveys, and
who are awaiting the action of the court
of private land claims in such cases.
number of grants have been rejected and
others will doubtless be rejected by said
court, within the alleged boundaries OF
which there are many settlers who have
lived upon, occupied and cultivated small
tracts of land for years past and whose
ancestors lived upon such lands. These
settlers can not obtain title to the lands
so long used by them and on which they
have made their homes for many years
under the provisions of the Homestead
law, because such tracts of land are so ir-
regular in shape and size that they can not
be described by legal subdivisions.
"The only manner in which this class
of settlers can ever hope to secure title
to their lands is by an extension of the
provisions of said sections 16, II and Is
of said act.
"This law was particularly beneficial to
the poor people in this territory, and
there are many of that class whose homes
are located upon lands that are now or
will eventually become public domain,
who failed to comply with the provisions
of said section by filing their claims
prior to December l, 1894, and who now
desire and earnestly request that the pro-
visions of said section be extended or re-
enacted by congress.
FAMILIAR WITH THE CONDITIONS.
IT am familiar with the conditions that
exist in this district and am satisfied that
as matter of right some action should
be taken by this department and by
congress- to enable the small holding
claimants, who for any reason failed or
neglected to file on their lands before the
expiration of said act, to secure title
from the United States to their respec
tive claims, in the cultivation of which a
large number of such claimants are
wholly dependent for subsistence for
themselves and families.
"Section II of said act should be
amended so as to provide that the proofs
submitted by claimants Shall show actual,
continuous, adverse possession of the
lands claimed for a period of twenty
years next preceding the date of the sur
vey of such small holding claims, instead
r>f wv bc JotD
of the survey of the township, and there
by place claimants for lands in townships
heretofore surveyed on practically the
same footing with those in townships
hereafter to be surveyed.
"Under section 16 of said act, small
holding claimants are only required to
show twenty years actual, continuous, ad-
verse possession next preceding the date
of the survey of their claims, which are
required to be surveyed at the time of the
extension of the lines of public surveys
over the townships in which such claims
are located.
"Under section II of said act, such
claimants are required to show twenty
years actual, continuous, adverse posses
sion next preceding the date of the survey
of the township in which their claims are
located.
ut seems to me that the law is clearly
unjust when claimants under one section
of it can secure title to their lands by
showing twenty years possession, and
under the next section claimants are re-
CURED to show thirty, forty and in some
instances fifty or more years possession
to secure title. l therefore recommend
that said section be so amended as to read,
'for twenty years next preceding the date
of the survey of such tracts which would
place claimants for lands under said Sec
ton practically in the same position as
those claiming lands under the provisions
of the preceding section of said act"
FUTURE EXPENSES ESTIMATED.
After giving detailed information re-
specting the progress made in the work
of surveying confirmed lano grants, esti-
mates of the expenses of the office for
the year ending June 80, 1898, are given
as follows:
Survey Of public lands including
Survey Of o prvate land claims 80 s soSS co
SALARY OF surveyor general ........ 5000 90
Clerical assistance. ............. 1900 90
Contingent expenses. .............. 1870 90
Total. observation-disclosures 1870 co
The salary item is put in at the amount
allowed by law. The present appropria-
tion for the purpose is only $4,000.
Attention is called to the great amount
OF labor and increased responsibility con-
nected with the office on account of the
large number of private land claims and
small holding claims to be surveyed and
handled in addition to the usual routine
work connected with the office Of sur
veyor-generals in other states and terri.
tories.
Appended to the report are exhaustive
and luminous exhibits displaying all the
minor details of the operations of this
great office. Upon the whole the docu-
ment is most creditable and satisfactory.