The Colfax chronicle., 1904-01-16

the compromise. This compromise
or agreement bears date of January
4, 1882, and stipulated that settlers
or occnpiers of any of these lands up
to January 4, 1882, ''shall be given
the right within twelve months from
the registry of the patents issued by
the government to the said company,
or its transferers, for said lands, in
the Office of the clerk of the district
court and ex-officio recorder of con-
veyances and mortgages of the
parish where the land wanted by
such settlers are occupiers is stu
ated, to file their applications with
the railroad company, through
agents to be designated by the COM
pany for the purpose, for the land
claimed or wanted by them," etc.
After the Backbone" company
transferred it's land grant to the
New Orleans Pacific Company bill
wns introduced by Senator Gibson in
the United States Senate to confirm
the land grant to the New Orleans
Pacific Company. This was desired
by people who were furnishing the
monev to build the road. They were
afraid that the transferred title was
not good. A section of this bill pro-
vided that oil the land in the grant
held by settlers should be exempt
and left out of the grant, and that
settlers should take their holdings di-
rect from the land department Of the
United States, under the homestead
law. This bill passed the Senate and
Judge Blanchard looked after it in
the lower house OF Congress. and it
passed and became n law. Thus the
bill conferring the land grant to the
New Orleans Pacific Railway Com
pany still further protected the set
tiers by authorizing them to take
their lands under the homestead law
to the extent of 16O acres. They
were first protected by the Blanchard
Robertson agreement, alluded to in
the foregoing, and afterwards pro-
tected by this bill got through Con-
gress by Senator Gibson and Con-
gresham Blanchard This act of
Congress speaks for itself.
The Town Talk has given consid-
erable space to this concise and accu-
rate history of the Backbone land
grant for the purpose of showing
just what part Judge Blanchard
took in the matter, and to show by
the actual records that his course as
a representative of the people 0f
Louisiana, in this, as in all public
questions, is open and straightfor-
ward. Nothing to hide, nothing to
be ashamed of, but much to be 'ad-
mired, is his public record as Con-
gresham, as a Senator of the United
States, and as an associate Justice OF
the Supreme Court of Louisiana.
We have shown that the Back
bone" land grant passed Congress
nine years before Judge Blanchard
was elected to Congress. We have
shown that repeated attempts were
made in Congress to repeal the grant
prior to Judge Blanchard's election
to that body. We have shown that
after his election strong attempts
were made to repeal the act giving
this big land grant. But oil of these
attempts we're futile. We have shown
that the United States court decided
that the tranfer OF this grant by the
Backbone" railroad to the New Or
leans Pacific railroad was legal and
proper, and that it should not be
repealed.
Finding Congress against repeal,
and the courts with the Backbone"
railroad people, and not much longer
delay possible in keeping the United
States land Office from issuing the
patents, Congressman Blanchard and
Robertson, after mature reflection
and a close study Of the situation,
decided to save what they could for
the people, therefore thought of the
compromise or agreement, and the
railroad people agreed to it-not
from love Of the settlers, but because
they feared that Blanchard and Rob
ertson might be able to cause more
delay in the issuance of the patents
by the land Office. And as they,
the railroad people, we're in the mar
ket to sell their railroad bonds, nr be
compelled to stop construction OF
their railroad, they accepted the
Observation-Disclosures the railroad
people youl5 not have been willing TO
give the settlers anything.
No public man has ever been SO
abused by certain people as has
Judge Blanchard in bis action in this
Backbone" land matter, aud it is
very unkind. Instead of abuse he
deserves praise. Every action, every
deed, all the work he did as Congress-
man in guarding the interests Of set
tiers, shows that he had the ability
to see the situation and act for the
best interest of the people he repre-
sented.
We learn that Hon. C. M. Brannon,
representative from Grant parish,
last week offered to wager with Judge
w. F. Blackman 500 that Blan.
| char would heat Jastremski alOno