Butte record. (Bidwell, Butte County, Cal.) 1853-1858, 1857-03-28
FERNANDEZ VALLEY, Butte County,
March 0lst

Mr.. EDIToR-Dear Sir: As your numer-
Gus readers are mostly honest miners. we
have hiterto felt delicacy in troubling
you with communications from the Valley.
but since we every day see the miner, armed
with shovel. pick and pan, passing from the
town of Columbus to Burts ferry and Yates
town, prospecting the high and dry bars,
and even picking up in potato patches,
chuncks of the orc, weighing three ounces:
hear the latter place, we begin to think we
are sonle pumpkins, and address you with
confidence, as we believe you to be a friend
to the miner as we'll as the settler Especi-
ally do we believe this of you, since in your
last weeks issue you say in substance, that
the minerals are reserved by the govern
ment of Mexico, and are not included in the
Spanish grants covering our mining country
from dan to Barsheba." In the North
Californian of March 18th, Mr.. Larkin in
letter published in that paper says, g The
rejection of the bill by the Senate of Callfor-
MIA by large majority, has settled the
question whether one party can own the
land, pay taxes, and other expenses inciden-
tai to the ownership, and q second party,
free from these expenses, have all the beue-
fit of the land. And such law passed,
taking the mineral from the rightful owner;
tutionalty of the act would in another year,
be as APPARENT as that of the act Of last year."
sc. Now, here seems to be a slight difference
of opinion in fact, material differance of
opinion between doctors but doctors will
differ. Further on, Mr. Larkin says in his
letter, g. newspaper war is continued
against the owners of large tracts of land,
who are charged with refusing to sell, but
such is not the case Here Mr.. Larkin is
mistaken, for in our case the pretended pur-
chasers will not sell to settlers at any price;
and | venture that for all Mr.. L has sold
agricultural lands, as he says, for fifty cents
per acre, he would not take fifty dollars per
acre for some hill land not three miles north
of Oroville, where there are some quartz
lodges cropping out Philemon Herbert also
says in late speech of his in Congress, that
it would be the greatest blessing that could
befal us if all the Spanish grants were con-
firmed Immediately, forthwith, as the grant
holders were ready and waiting to take less
than Congress price; and as the people of
the Bay would probably keep him from COM
ing up to whip them, the owners of rich
claims at Dickson's Ravine would say that
he was mistaken, and knew better, when he
asserted such thing. In short, Mr.. Editor,
we are pleased with the stand you take in
defense Of the rights of us miners, in the
face of such wealthy and honorable and in
huential men as Mr.. Thos 0. Larkin. We
mean to exhaust all our resources in Oh
tanning our just rights by law-for we are an
order loving and law abiding people, bnt
there is point at which forbearance ceases
to be virtue, and unless our government
protects us in what we believe to be our just
rights, we would as soon be under the pro-
tection of Costa Rica, Madagascar or old
Russia's government as Uncle Sam and might
be induced TO join the settlers or the vigil
antes, aud try them few rounds from the
shoulder. Since the election Of old Buck,
like ''ths rest Of mankind" we breathe free
and easy. and sleep sound o nights. believing
that justice will be done to all parties.
MINER on FERNANDEZ BAR.