The miners' express. (Dubuque, Iowa) 1849-1854, 1851-10-08

| Ss@"eA OWt s0f go pOenns
SArr DE ST.. MAa,E, Sept. 2, le5l.
| Mn. GRAy :-Yeu are aware thatin ls45 and
9, great part of the mineral lands Of the Lake
Sup rior country We're leased by the Unisssi
States Governmcn mt to spectators who expectnd
very easily to make rtunc from thcn With
out risk or labor. These lcases gave thsir ow-
ners the privilege Of holding the land by giving
to the United States certain portion e the
mineral taken from il, and OF purchasing tbs
lands when they came into mark IT, but the leas-
ers were to occupy the land, fscssess and work
the mines, NC. Nc,--tllere Iltv:n. been many
PROVISIONS which the leasers were to fulfil 4
very few persons went 10 werk the lcasrs.
and spent some money; bslf general thing.
i--indeesis il may be said to have been universal
they forfeited the leases, and abandoned Tia.
lands and the country in the burst up Of ~ and
4s, and wherever s.nce the lands icass have
been within district which the Government
We're ready TO sell, they have bp-a invariably
Offered BY the Government. ana he m ner SJs-
Propriated 10 Government use. Many persons
have bought lands covered By these old leases,
and have paid their money others (pcrsons
who have been exploring the country since,
have pre-en,ptcd portions Of th- land, and mons
have dreamed of these old leases until lately
Public attention has, bv .hc success OF the
Cliff, the Minnesota. and other r, ncs, again be- n
turned in this direction. and some of the lands
covered by these old leases are supposed to be
OF great val',c, and presto mp comes the old
leases, and sonc Of them arc found in the hands
of Wing L. s. S; nator, some in sac h> nss If
executive officers, q don't an connected with
the Land Office. do |, Mr.. Bu:tcriield p others
in the hands of rich Connecticut Copper Coal-
panies-not one OF whom ever owned dollar
originally, but who, for u son, have Fought them
uP,-the Government officials, who own in
them, OF course, receiving their shares fnr the
influence they are expected to exert, in .lcci-
sions on the forfeited leases, and We already
beginning to see how the influence works, fpr
orders and decisions being already made hv
Mr.. Commissioner Bu,tericld, and forwarded
here, altering and overthrowing former decisions
and regulations all tending to the suhstauiiation
of the leases. understand that there was
hearing had the other day, at the Land Office
here, ono of these old forfeited leases, where
the Hon. Truman Smith, of Connecticut, ap-
pearcd rs the nurse Of the lease. His claim was
SO bad that the officer here could no. help decid-
ing against him. However, he gathered Up his
papers, and appealed to Washington, where,
presume, his influence will reverse the matter.
and confirm the lease we all knew what the
right sort of influence will do in this adnnstsa-
ton when pecuniary affairs ara touched-vids
Galphin, Gardiner, &c.
Should the forfeited lr,scs ~ confirmed.
some who have gone 10 work on Ian.ls for which
they have paid five dollars per acre to the go-
must now abandon their works, and
receive back their money without interest or
damages while others (who have been the
pioneers of the country, and without whose ex-
plorations the country would possess little
vaiue) who have pre-emptcd occasionally
quarter section and stuck by it, must give mp
heir little Improvements, and the hopes that thu,
law has heretofore held out TO ihenl, to a band
If official plunderers, and rich companies and IN
lividuals, who have influence sufficient at
Washington to warp law, justice, and former re
yulations to suit their purposes.
II IL u.ssa-ssaaad- in the upper country, that
here will some blood be let, sooner than tl,rsc
hings shall be. Yours, Nc..--- Is