Wisconsin tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1847-1854, 1848-04-07

be-inyolved in 1t. They say =
TO arrive al a correct knowledge of |
their extent, it is importan, TO observe,
that the lead region of the Upper Mis~is-
sippi Is, for the most part,a prairie coun-
Try. destitute OF large and connected bod
les of timber and OF coal and, although
the soil is Of great fertility, yet, deprived
of Its ores and of its wood for smelling
them, it would be comparatively valueless.
The timber lands are reserved as contig-
nous lands for fuel for smelling establish
Inoats, and those who use such tracts
nader government leases or permissible
ing tenants OnlySor one year-have DO
seii-Interest prompting them to It's econ
omical use; aDd II Is, therefore, not sur
prislng that lis destruction should be I'M
mence. Accordingly, 1t is found, in the
process Of few years under different ten
ants, many otherwise valuable tracts are
entirely dcnuded OF their timber and eX-
Hausted OF their ores, and in this condition
revert to the government worth eSs pos
session aad unsaeable. What the loss
10 the government may certainly be In
this regard, your Committee have no
means precisely ascertaining, but, from
the extent OF operations there for the last
tWenty-iour years, they could not est
mate 1t at less than one hundred thousand
dollars.
This Is upon the suppostion that the
lands VIII not, thus deprived OF all that
made them valuable, sell a. the minimum
price at any time, and is therefore stated
as total loss Ii to this be added the en-
HANGED price they would have sold for
before they were despolled, under the in
Huence OF that sometimes wild and unrea-
sonab!e excitement and speculative views
OF which the desired ownership of such
lands Is alike the author and the object
the loss is great y Increased, and may be
safely estimated at four-fold the amount
above stated. To all this Is 10 be added
the interest OF the money which the gov
ernment woUll have received on the sale
OF large proportion of the millions OF "a
ores reserved, the purchase money for
which would probably have bcen receiy-
cd long before this time. Tnesc elements
OF loss amount to more than half d mil
Hon OF dollars, subject only to such dcduc-
lions as the rents for the use OF such land
by the government. OF these, the infor-
nation Is more certain and authentic"
The amount of rentiead received by
the United States for twentv.four wears,
from November % h, 1912. to the 3Olh,
OF November, / SIS, was 5,545, 729 pound;
and the amount OF money received IN lieu
OF lead was 5,54l Is. The amount OF
expenses dunog that time, was S6S, AGA
%. Estimating the price of rentlead re-
celved as above stated, al s. 30 per hun
bred, and adding the amount received In
cash IN lieu of lead, the total amount OF
cash received within that time, is li5, Ia
40. Deductlng the expenses during the
same Time, being is, 46l so. balance is
found IN favor OF the United States OF SIC,
iO0 90, which, distributed over the TIVE. :
iy-lour years, gives an annual product Of
only $ 1916 p 20 the government
Those receipts, small as they were, ;he
Committee understood 10 be more apnar.
cnt h m real the fact being that q great
part OF the lead thus stated as received Ev
Inc government, was appropriated BY some
ofihe agents 10 their ownuse. Tae CJm.
mIJtee concluded that branch OF the sub.
JecE rs tolDws -" From the best inlor.
nation, however, which YOUR Committee
can obtain, they are SAT- tiet that, under
thu leases executed withiI he 'ast fifteen
yeas, the expenses of every description
have nearly cqua!,e1 the receipts, leaving
entirely out of view the positive and ire
parable injury done to the lands. -
The President Of the United States. in
his ahpya rstnrrpi ~ TINS
adverted TO The system, lis revenues and
expenses for the years 1871, 1912, 1913,
aud lS44:
The present system OF managing the
mineral lands of the United States Is be
leved 10 be radically defective. More
than million of acres ofthe public lands,
supposed TO contain lead and other min
eral, have been reserved from sale. and
numerous leases upon them have ben gran
ted TO individuals upon a stipulated rent.
The system Of granting leases has proved
TO be not only improbable to the govern
mant but unsatisfactory 10 the citizens
who have gone upon the lands, and must,
If continued. lay the foundation Of much
future difficulty between the government
and the lessees. According 10 the oftic-
Ill rec ,rds, the amount of rents received
by the government for the years lS4I.
1912, 1913. and lS4i, was SIX thousand
three hundred and titty-tour dollars and
seveuty-four cents while the expen5 e
Of the system during the same period in
Guiding salaries of superintendent, agents
clerks. and inciuental expenses, were t,ren-
fvsiv thousand one hundred and elercn dol
lars and elerel cents the income being
less than one-fourth otthe expenses