Albuquerque daily citizen. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1895-1903, 1902-03-12
BEAlES GRANT.
Scheme to Steal Big Part Of Chaves
ard Eddy Counties.
WASHINGTON

fishes a full accoun of the movements
at Washington in regard to the Beales
grant. the bold scheme to steal a big
part of Chaves and Eddy counties, and
the article is interesting reading here
where everybody knows the history of
the attempted steal:
THE Interstate Land company. of
Kansas City, an incorporation that in
cludes in it's membership a number of
well known Kansas and Missouri poll
ticians, is pushing for consideration
before the house committee on private
land claims a bill that involves the
title to over 90. 1000. 900 acres of land
in New Mexico. The case has been be-
fore the United States supreme court,
where the claimants were unceremoni-
ously turned out of court and their
claims declared without a shadow of
foundation. The Interstate company,
however, is bringing all kinds of pres
sure to bear to secure a favorable con-
sideration of its measure. 1t is charg-
ed that the promoters are even threat
ening to oppose. through their friends
in congress, the admission of New
Mexico to statehood. unless the friends
of statehood, who have been in Wash
ington pressing their bill, withdraw
opposition to the land grant measure.
The bill in the Interstate compaby's
interest was introduced in tie house
some days ago. 1t provides that the
claimants of the Beales-Royuela grant,
lying within the territory of New Mex
leo, may institute proceedings in the
court of private land claims to estab-
lish their title to the lands. 1t provides
that, in case the title is decided in
favor of the company, it shall not af-
feet the sales of lands that may have
been made in the grant.
when the New Mexico delegation
that was in Washington in the inter-
ests Of their statehood bill learned of
the introduction of the Interstate
measure, they promptly started a
movement in opposition to it's consid-
Grafton. They were met with the
threat of the men here who are work
ing in the interest of the Interstate
company that the New Mexico state
hood bill would be opposed if obstacles
were placed in the way of the Inter
state bill. The matter was dropped
temporarily, but interest has been re-
vived by the announcement that the
Interstate bill will be called up soon
by the house committee on private
land claims for consideration. Oppo-
nents of the bill have requested that
they be given an opportunity to oppose
it before the committee and IN inter-
ssting controversy is expected over the
measure.
Jose Manuel Royuela and John c.
Beales claim to have a title to a grant
of 20, 900 900 acres of land in New
Mexico that was made by the Mexican
government in 1882. Their claim is
based on one of the colonization
schemes of the government at that
time. Opponents of the grant assert
that the area, which is o claimed by
the Interstate Land company, was sim
ply designated a. the limits of a tract
in which the grantee might establish a
colony, but that it was eve intended
that the entire tract should constitute
the grant.
The case was decided, however, in
the supreme court of the United States
in 1891. The Interstate Land company
at hat time sought to prevent the
Maxwell Land Grant company from
taking possession of the Maxwell land
grant in New Mexico and Colorado.
! The case was argued and submitted to
the supreme court. The decision was
! that the Beales-Royuela grant was ut
terly worthless. The court declared
that the grant was a conditional one in
the first place, and that none of the
. conditions had been complied with;
that rhe grantees had not established
/ the colonies provided for in the orig
inal contract, and that the original
| grant had simply been what was then
known as an impressario promise, and
| had never had the sanction of the
Mexican government. II was further
held that the treaty of Guadalupe Hi
dalgo between the United States and
Mexico specifically provided that these
conditional grants should have no
standing and were worthless.
The Interstate company, it Is charg'
ed, have nominal possession of a