Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1906-10-19

The matter has gone through the
courts Of this territory AMI thfoagh |
the supreme court u the United
States. The4e are stil n number Of
legal questions TO be settled. For In
stance: Did the territorial statute Of
limitations begin 10 run against tho
grant before the patent vas issued
II the present board of trustees
bound by a decree qnleting title ne
cured before the appointment Of the
present board? These are questions
that win be settled by the court this
fall. Other legal questions viii arise.
How could the people. or a political
board elected by the people. settle
such questions? They couldn't. as
Mr.. Lucas very clearly showed the
convention.
Now, another word as TO the doings
of the present board of trustees and
their administration. Already more
than a hundred claims for land have
been presented 10 this body. A ma.
jority Of these have been approved.
Wherever a claimant has shown un-
disputed possession ~ u tract NJ land
which he used as hts home for a snf'
flcient length of time. he has been
given n title TO the tract. Wherever
substantial improvement 0f land has
been shown. the board viii doubtless
make liberal terms with the claimant,
regardless Of the time of possession.
though that class of claims has not
yet come mp for adjudication. wher.
ever u man has any substantial
right 10 land on the grant, that right
will be- fuiiy protected and defended
by the hoard. but at the same time,
the censure Of the present generation
and the generations which are tn
come. would d~rservedly apply to th"
trustees. IL they should allow the
lands 10 be d~issipated among those
who have done nothing that would
give them the sestige of a claim I"
title. In many cases two or three
people claim the same lands. These
rival claims have been referred di-
rectly to the court for adjudication.
The meetings of the grant hoard
are public, The records are public.
They are MI court documents and
open TO the world, In addition every
title granted by the board, every cnn-
tract made by the board. every sum
Of money received by the board has
been listed for publication. As the
doings OF the grant are matters OF
great public interest the newspapers
should. unquestionabIy. have repre-
sentatives at each OF the meetings to
secure complete reports. Sometimes.
they have done so. at other times. a.
volmminous reports as the papers will
accept as news have been sent for
publication by the grant officials.
Some say, The minutes OF the
meetings should he published. The
reports of the inspectors should be
published" Perhaps so. IL Is Ger
tain, however. that no newspaper
would give its news space To the pub
LEGATION Of such reports as the follow
ing from the last inspectors report:
September |. | drove to San Geroni-
mo. Aqua Zarca and Mineral Hin. re-
turning by Romero. | found no ii"
cutting timber Illegally, no stock
grazing illegally on the grand and no
cutting of fences. September ., l went
TO Las Conchas. Canon del Burro and
Encierro. Mr.. A.. had a band OF
about G.ooe sheep grazing on the
grant and [ Instructed him that he
must pay royalty on the extra 1000
aad - o. 10 the end Of the days es
the months.
This Is what the grant trustees
want to hear. but II these reports and
the minutes of the meetings were pub
iished In several newspapers 1t would
cost the board a large sum every
month. Would this be a wise eXpen-
diture9 We believe not, What would
be of news interest to the people he-
ing ON the grant should be published,
tn $ includes the land sold. the mo-
MES received and discussed. the cou-
tracts made. Possibly the newspa-
pers have not covered the financial
features closely enough to please the
people. The Optic for one, intends to
make absolutely full reports In this
respect In the future, helieveing that.
owing to the interest taken In grant
matters. arrays Of figures. always dry