Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1896-12-19
LAND TITLES CLEARED.
Report of Gov. Thornton Upon That I'm
portant Subject.

portant Subject.
Governor w. T. Thornton, in His Last Annua
Report to the Secretary of the Interior
Spoke as Follows Regarding the Task o
Clearing Titles to New Mexico's Lands:
II am happy to be able to again com
mend the most excellent work of the
Court Of Private Land Claims, which
has during it's existence done so much
to lift the cloud of uncertainty that for
half century has hung like shadow
OF death over vast areas of land held by
Spanish and Mexican grants, with titles
so uncertain as to practically prevent
their sale and occupation.
Large areas OF the finest grazing, ag-
ricultural and mineral lands have been
held by these grants with underlined and
uncertain boundaries, and in many in
stances by fraudulent titles which are
of no value.
"This condition of uncertainty of ten
ure of title has done much to retard the
settlement and development of the ter
ritory for long series of years, and
until the final settlement thereof no
great influx of immigration can be ex-
pected.
For forty five years after the acquisi-
ton of the territory there was no trib-
unal in existence with jurisdiction to
determine the rights of claimants in
said grants, either between conflicting
claimants or between the claimants and
the government, the law simply provid-
ing that such claims should be exam
ined by the surveyor general of New
Mexico, who should report his conclu-
sion to congress for final action, which
action in a majority of cases was never
taken, and during this long series of
years all of the lands claimed as hay
ing been granted either by Spain or the
Republic of Mexico were by the act of
congress reserved from sale or location
until finally acted upon by congress.
The surveyor general of New Mexico
might, and as matter of fact, frequent
ly did, examine into and report certain
claims fraudulent in whole or in part,
but this did not affect the status of any
portion of land claimed until congress
sional action was had.
ut is not surprising that when such
condition existed for 80 many years that
the territory has not in the past filled
up with settlers as rapidly as could be
wished. Only those who have been
present and witnessed the continual
troubles and difficulties occasioned to
the would-be settler by this condition of
affairs can fairly realize the incalculable
injury which the territory has sustained
and the great injustice frequently done
to the citizen"
IT,, 70 tho tipoo tho rorort IF tho now
ernor was submitted the Court of Land
Claims bad confirmed title to l,846456
acres and rejected claims to 4,954.21
acres. Since that time the celebrated
Peralta- Reavis claim lying partly in New
Mexico and party in Arizona has been
judicially declared fraud. 1t had held
12,467, 1856 acres under cloud for thirty
teen years.
Within a few years the fraudulent
land many of them are frauds) claims on
New Mexican lands will have been dis
posed of and the soil of which clear
government. title may be had will be
ready for taking by the emigrant.
Plenty of such tracts are now available.
Xxx
Court of Land Claims.
About year ago a New England
farmer, by name Solan P. Richardson,
disgusted with the barren, rocky soil of
Yankee land and the scant returns
offered to the agriculturist under the
serene conditions, climate and other
wise. existing in this section of our COM
mon country, decided to pull up stakes
and in the far west to seek an environ
ment more favorable to the pursuit of
his chosen avocation. With this end in
view he opened correspondence with
farmer friend who, dozen years before,
had settled near Las Cruces, and had
prospered beyond his most ardent ex-
pectations.
This farmer friend gladly furnished
very full information on the agricultural
possibilities in New Mexico, explaining
the various methods of irrigation, cost
of land. climatic changes, prices obtained
for agricultural products, cost of labor,
etc.
The easterner seemed favorably i'm
pressed and wrote his informant that he
had about made up his mind to locate in
New Mexico.
So far, so good; but now comes the
climax. Less than two months since,
the man at Las Cruces was surprised to
get letter from the man in New Eng
land, in which the latter said that he
had changed his mind about coming to
New Mexico and decided in favor of
Montana. 81 have only recently
learned" continued the letter, "from a
man who was all over New Mexico sew
eral years ago, that the titles to land in
your territory are not worth the paper
that they are written on. and that on
account Of the old Spanish grant system
titles are always liable to be defective,
and that man may lose the money he
puts into land there at any time; that it
is always matter of luck and chance,
and never safe investment"
The Las Cruces farmer FASTENED to
explain that this was mistake, and
backed his statements by the most posi-
tive proofs. 1t was no use. The i'm