The Nevada journal., 1858-02-12
FRIDAY MORNING. FEB. 18th, 1858.

Judge Williams made few suggestions
which we deem eminently worthy of no.
tice. The Judge is practical miner
and as such his suggestions should claim
attention from our Legislators. By the
local laws ofalmost every mining district
the owners are required to work upon
their claims one day in ten in order to
hold them. A failure so to do renders
them liable to be jumped. Judge Will
liams proposes that an act be passed by
the Legislature providing that tax of,
say ten dollars, be levied upon each
claim by the payment of which the mi
ner shall be exempt for the period of
one year from the operation of the local
laws requiring him to labor one day in
ten upon his claim. The payment often
dollars, or a less sum if deemed advisable,
will, under this proposition, give the mi
ner title to his diggings for one year
without further trouble to himself
1t is well known that under the local
mining laws the owner of claim during
the dry season is compelled to lie by it
perhaps FIVE or six months, compelled to
spend the half of what he obtained from
the diggings in the few mining months
Of the year, for broad and other necessa-
ryexpenses. The sole object of all this
may oe to keep possession of a claim he
deems valuable All this time and mon
ey might be proftably employed in some
other place could the miner be protected
in his rights during his absence
The local laws seem to encourage
idleness and dissipation. They compel
a miner to spend one half the year in
doing nothing but wasting the money he
may have earned during the other half
This should not be so. Laws should en-
courage industry, and as the law-making
power is vested in the Legislature ex-
clusively it is but right that the power
be exercised for the good of the people.
So long as the miners are willing to see
the suggestions of Judge Williams car
ried out, and not only willing but desi-
rous of it as we conceive they must be,
we can see no good reason why the Leg
islature may not act 4ecisively sin the
matter The plan is not, perhaps unac-
companied with some difficulties, but
none can arise that the genius of our
legislators can not overcome. The plan
carried out will assist materially to keep
the State and many of the counties out
Of debt; it will save the miners the
lazy duty of standing guard to their
claims six months in the year and afford
them an opportunity of developing the
resources of other parts of the State
when they cannot work their claims
successfully, and it would be healthy
contribution for the encouragement of
industry and consequent morals of the
people. Ten dollars year is trihing
sum for miner to pay for the protec-
ton of claim. If the claim be good
and valuable he can well afford it es-
pecially as his time is wholly at his
disposal for other enterprises several
months without fear of losing his rights
If the value of the claim be doubtful,
better to pay ten dollars for the good of
.tfe country than spend an entire sum-
l.. e i
possession of worthless property. The
suggestions of the old miner commend
themselves not less to every member of
the fraternity than to our legislators.
WILD SHUoIING.-Thc frail occu-
pants of a house on Main street got on a
general tear Wednesday night, and
were arrested for breach of the peace
on the following morning and brought
before the Recorder, who fined two of
them SIT each. The damsels proceed
ed down stairs from the magistrates Of
ice, when the boss of the bevy drew a
pistol and fired at a chap who had been
playing pimp around her establishment,
and followed up another of her sex and
kind fling at her through the door of a
barber hop in which she took refuge,
on Broad street. much to the terror of
the small barber and his unc-remouious
visitor. Three shots were fred in all
by the boss, Gus. Ridgeway, none of
which took effect except on floors, doors
and sidewalks. The anger of the afore-
said Gus. is said to have been raised in
consequence of her Haunting robes hav-
ing been maliciously hashed up by her
companions. Two of the damsels were
sent to the lookup for four hours when
the affair was investigated before Justice