Vicario, February l, 1835, giving an account of Indian relations and suuue,tinu a camnaiun :1uainst the Tau 0 uacanos. J ee ~ c- rt:> -o
[32)
[BARRAGAN to UGARTECHEA)
[Manuel R. Barragan, Guerrero, to Domingo de Ugartechea, Bexar, February l, 1835, on military affairs in Coahuila.]
[33]
[SMITH to GOVERNOR]
Chieftancy of the Department of Brazos
I herewith transmit to your ExceUency, a copy of the petition of the citizen Benjamin R. Milam, who states he is acting as Expresario to fill out various contracts of colonization, and considering the candor and honesty with which he sets forth facts, praying an investigation, I deem it worthy the attention of your Excellency, and the honorable Congress. That the term Ex presario is justly considered equivalent to that of swindler- that the situation of the land titles in this country is a matter in which the · people feels much interest that an investigation of the conduct of all public agents and particularly that of Empresarios, is loudly called for & a matter of right, that their conduct has ever been reprehensible, that their contract have generally been turned entirely to the promotion of their own pecuniary interests, that they have greatly infringed the rights guarantecl to the settler by the munificence of the Government, that they have made exactions of the settlers contrary to law, that their course of conduct has generally been calculated lo swindle hoth the settler and the Government, that the course pointed out by the petitioner could not effect the Just rights of either settler or Empresario, that without some such course of investigation authorised in a proper manner litigation in land titles which become greatly injurious and almost interminable- that the Government on their part have used every precaution lo prevent litigation in land titles, but owing to the management of their agents they are in many instances involved in much incertitude & difficulty, that the country is fast filling up,
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