The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1911-08-26
Newspapers as Well a. Congressmen
Should Line Up.

Bentley, La, aug. Al, ASAI'
Editor Colfa1 Chronicle:
We notice the fight for the lands
that was settled on prior to the
filing of the final location of the
New Orleans Pacific Railway Com
pany, which was Nov. II, 1882,
and resided on until the 9th day
of February, 1887, the date of the
passage of the act to declare for
fixture of lands granted to the New
Orleans, Baton Rouge and Vicks-
burg Railroad Co., and to confirm
titles to certain lands, and for
other purposes, is getting warm,
and people are being arrested and
put under bond to appear before
our next grand jury, accused OF
trespassing on some OF this land,
notwithstanding the fact the Gen.
eral Land Commissioner and the
Secretary of the Interior have
both decided in the settlers favor.
1t seems that some of the large
corporations have made the mis-
take to acknowledge the rights OF
the settlers, in paying them a
small sum in the way of COM
promise. and in doing this they
have admitted the lands claimed
were excepted from the grant,
therefore it did not belong to the
New Orleans Pacific Railway Co.
at any time, and the title under
the railway company's claim is NOT
worth the paper on which it il
written; and inasmuch as the
| United States has never parted
with the title to those lands, the
settler or any one else has not hao
or has now any right to sell the
lands, and all the settler can Of
could have ever sold, until suct
time as the lands have been re-
conveyed to the government, ant
patent issued to the proper parties
is and has been possession and th'
improvements on the lands; an(
, this land having been excepted ex
T pressly for the settler, no corpora
, ton can ever secure title to an,
of it until it has been reconveyet
: to the government and patent is
sued to the settler. Therefore al
, money paid to settlers with tb
. intention of perfecting title ha
been lost, except where the cor
| poration has cut the timber, ant
, in several cases this has been done
> We know of cases where the col
: poration has cut the timber, an
9 in several cases this has been done
We know of cases where the Col
T poratien has given the settle
o 5000 or $500 and cut eight or te
4 thousand dollars worth of timber
III In those cases the corporatio
came out ahead, but where til
timber remains on the lands th
e corporation has lost the sma
S amount paid. We would call thi
Y gambling in futures. The corpol
s alton bets that the settler woul
v not awake from the long sleep b
il has been in for years. They we
u knew that if he would wake up b.
:. fore they had gotten away wit
e the goods, they stood q GOO
d chance to loose the small amour
IS of hush money they had paid.
e We have been wondering VIII
n it is that great corporations do NJ
d have to conform to the laws, ju
II the same as common people. If
man makes a homestead entry fl
100 acres, he must comply wit
the conditions laid down by Il
government, otherwise his patel
will be Cancelled. If a corporation
% as In this case, receives graz
: from the government for million
= of acres on certain conditions, ar
r. fails to comply with the condition
A. on which the grant was mad