Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1897-05-26
TIMELY TOPICS.
Land Court Matters LIcweIlyn
Touched-Capitol Binding Rumors
Canon de Chama Grant-Passing
Reflections.

Specidt correspondence OF Inc OpHc.
SANTA FE, N. NJ, May 18th, 1897.
Much to everybody's surprise, the
Uoi,ed States supreme court, yester-
day, reversed the decree OF the court Of
private land claims in the alleged
Cochiti grant case and remanded it to
tho latter court for further proceedings.
This is a big victory for John II.
Knaebel, of Denver, ard bis Boston
client, Joel p. Whitney, who lays claim
to all the rich mineral territory about
the towns of Bland and Allerton under
the pretense that 1t is a valid grant,
whereas. according to the papers in
the case, the original grant was for but
a small area Of valley land in the
Cochiti canon, and given, as ii is ex-
plicitly stated, for the purpose of en-
abling the grantees to raise 'a few
fsneeas of corn and beans.m What is
meant by ''fuTsher proceedings" can
not now be stated, owing to the meagre
| information at hand from Washington,
| but il is pretty safe to conclude that
the land courts decision will stand in
the end, and that zone Of the mineral
lands will be included in the grant
confirmed to Whitney. 10 the mean
time, however, the action Of the SUI
preme court will continue to tie up
some Of the most valuable mines in the
Territory aud wore q serious hardship
to many miners At least two sales,
involving over $500, 900, are also tied
up Indefinitely by this decision.
On the other hand the supreme
court, also, yesterday, rendered a de-
cision that will open a new and prom
ising field to mining p~rospectors in
Rio Arriba county. In rejecting the
Canon de Chama graft, nearly half a
million acres Of land are added to the
public domain. Some 200, 900 of it is
grazing land. In 1885 John Gerard
Potter, of Darwin, England, came to
New Mexico 10 search Of a cattle ranch
which he proposed running on a mag
nificent scale. He bought out claim
ants in this grant 10 the extent of 217,-
600 acres and returning TO London he
organized the Rio Arriba land and
cattle company, limited, with a capital
stock of $3.50, 900. Then the ranch was
stocked with fancy clttle under the
control of a high-oriced English man.
agement. and, OF course it went to the
wall in a few years. Ia '89 or 80 one
OF the managers, a dainty South Am
erican gentleman, had a little fun
poked at him when wearing kid gloves,
he led a polled angus bull about the
Santa Fe plaza. lie had paid Gov. S.
Goldlng, of Denver, $3, 900 of the CON-
pany's cash for that bull. Now the
corporation finds that it does not pos
sess title even to the lands.
Well, Llewellyn has quit Washington,
and the fellows who have been boost
ing him for the governorship are all
chopped up about 1t. Their talk about
Llewellyn's chances is as thin as is
Llcwellyn's talk about supporting
Perea. He simply apes Catron
IN this, and doubtless considers it a
good thing for native home consump-
ton.
Two-thirds OF the citizens of Santa
Fe are up in arms because the capitol
board has decided to have the new
capitol front face a narrow, dirty,
dingy street toward the west, rather
than have it face toward the east, open
ing out on a new, broad avenue and
tbtiiuging it pracsIcally one block neare
the plaza and business center. Mr..
Staab aud Antonio Ortiz are gwen
credit for influencing the action OF the
board, but that doesn't make it right.
Common sense, not personal favorit-
ism should govern in these things.
Three petitions have been numerously
signed, to-day, asking the nboard to
exercise q little common sense. II
would be a pity to start the new
capitol off on such a stupid, blunder-
ing proposition. Like the Pueblo
Indian on his house top, we are all
looking toward the east, that hallowed
spot whence some day shall come our
Montezuma, then let the new capitol
catch the first warn rays of the sun
| with a full clean front facet
John 4. Kelley, the Golden miner,
| who died OF so-called heart disease,
yesterday, is the fifth person to be thus
suddenly summoned ia the Territory,
during The past few weeks. Neuralgia
and rheumatism, a sort of q la grippe
aftermath, are most common ailments
these days, and the disease should be