Evening star., 1914-12-09
LAND TITLES.
X.-Texas and California.
BY Frederic ]. Haskin.

| The war between the United State:
and Mexico, which folE@wed the inde
ipendence of Texas. and Resulted IN the
annexation of California to the United
States, grew out of questions of title:
to land. Such questions have frequent
ly been the real moving influences ir
wars and revolutions, but in none more
distinctly than in the Mexican war
which grew out of the following cir
cumstances.
| In 1925 the Mexican government de-
sired to encourage immigration into the
eastern part of the country, and an act
was passed offering inducements to
settlers. The action taken was not a
new departure, as founders of colonies
the Spanish system, but the terms
offered were unusually liberal.
Anticipating immigration from the
United States, the Mexican government
endeavored to provide against political
complications by restricting twenty
leagues of territory adjacent to the
border of the United States and ten
leagues on the gulf coast, within which
no grant could be made without spe-
cial permission of the government.
Under the law of 1925 contractors, or
"impresarios." who should settle 100
families on Texan lands were offered a
bonus of five leagues of grazing land
and five "labores." The limit to each
impresario was fixed at the bonus
corresponding to that for seating eight
such colonies. Each married member
of colony was promised "labore' of
lif he intended to follow agriculture,
or a league of 4,251 acres of grazing
land if he intended to become a herds
man, and in case of qualifications to
har hon nd n
herdsman ne was promised both al
lotments, amounting to 4,428 acres,
which constituted the league and
lahore" famous in Texan annals.
The exceptionally favorable terms on
which land could be obtained in Texas
created something of
Terms Create a furore through
Furore in U. S. su. States 'ae ana the un,eea hos
tility of the Indian tribes, which had
made the eastern lands of Mexico of
little value to that government, had no
deterrent effect on the adventurous
spirits of the frontier of tho English
speaking states. Colonies were quickly
formed, either on the cooperative plan
or under the leadership of men of en-
Iterprise, and the seven years following
the announcement of the terms of colo
nization saw the first exodus to the
southwest.
In 1882 the number of colonies from
the United States and the active par
lticipation of the new settlers in the
political affairs Of Texas had become
so threatening to the Spanish Texan
supremacy that the act of 1925 was re-
pealed and a policy was inaugurated of
insisting strictly on the fulfillment of
all the terms under which the colo
nists already seated had obtained pos
session of their lands. Wherever pos
the Anglo o-Americans, and efforts were
made to check their increasing power
In spite of its increase in population,
Texas was kept attached to the state
Spanish in population. and relief was
denied the Anglo-Americans from
measures which they felt to be op-
pressive and unjust in view Of the in
vitatiOn under which they had come
into the country.
In 1885 the leaders of colonies took
advantage of situation resulting from
a revolution In the central government
of Mexico and declared that the COM
pact which had previously united the
Mexican states had been dissolved by
treason of this revolution. A govern
ment of Texas by yAnglo-Americansw was
set up and land grants within Texan
| territory were suspended until a per-
manent arrangement for a land Office
on the plan of those in the United
States could be made.
| A sympathetic movement in favor of
the Texan colonists and political con-
siderations led the
U. 5. Recognizes United States to
cto+us of Tevo. affirm the inde-
| pendent status of
ITeXas. This later brought on the war
Only On. "BaoMo eu1N1NE.r