The Nevada journal., 1858-02-19
For the Nevada Journal.
Paterson, Feb. II, 1858.

mining interest OF this county generally
and admiring the zeal and ardor will
which you have contended for ther jus
rights and privileges on all suitable oc
casions, and especially in an able edito
rial only few weeks ago, I must con
fess to much surprise at the change OF
opinion on the subject of taxing mining
claims, as expressed in your last week.
issue. But this change. Hthipk, may be
easily accounted for without imputing to
you loss Or even any abatement of in.
terest in the miners welfare.
The information you have received
concerning the local laws of mining dis
tricts generally, is in point of fact, incor-
rect. Instead of requiring the miner to
lie by His claim for four, five or six
months in the year, or to do one days
work on it in every ten, in order to hold
good his claim, these laws generally
might say almost universally--guarantee
that no claim duly registered or record
ed, shall be liable to forfeiture. wi EN- not
in workable condition; and such, no
claim can be considered when impossi
BILE to supply it with water. And even
if i'll some few of the districts this Just
provision has been omitted it is "the
general customs and usages" which the
statute says, "shall rule and govern" in
such cases. II is doubtful, sir. whether
a Judge or jury could be found In the
State who would so grossly violate every
principle of equity as to confrtti to the
Jumper his right(D to any thinning
property thus acquired An old miner
at my side. one well acquainted
with the general LAWS and usages of the
country, says it is remnant of "old
fogyism" to think of cxacting such oner-
Gus provisions as those alluded to-at
the present day. Furthermore. this re-
tricts is generally regarded as applying
to unimportant claims. Public feeling,
or justice if you please, is beginning,
without any specific legislation, to re-
gard the right to all claims on which
two, three or five hundred dollars have
been expended, and no purpose evinced
to abandon or relinquish the same, shall
be held as sacred and inviolable as that
to any other piece of property legally
acquired. In support of my position as
t" the requirements of the mining laws,
customs and usages generally, l appeal
"to the law and the testimony" and on
that of the sacredness of the right ac-
quired by the expenditure of hundreds
of dollars, in either labor or money. to
the innate sense of justics, and honora-
BILE feelings of all high minded and hon
orable men. To prove that the miners
as class are already taxed more heav-
lily than any other in the State, and as
much as they are able to beari l beg
Mr. Editor, to refer you to your own ed
itorial of few weeks past. | am sorry
l have not the paper by me, for certain
l am you can be convinced by your own
or else convicted ON your
own testimony.
But word in regard to the position
and the suggestions of Judge Williams.
lie is a man whom l regard from per-
sonal knowledge as well as the high re-
putation given him by friends who have
known him long and intimately as one
of our best citizens, most excellent
man, good friend and neighbor To
such man / will not impute selfish or
pecuniary motives in suggestion" that
he, an old experienced miner, may have
made at that Cotnty Court House meet
ing. But l will suppose that the Judge
has by his industry. energy and perse-
verance, aided, perhaps, hy some of the
fortuitous results 4 chance. acquired
fortune-that he is one of the rery fv.
California miners who have succeeded
in proving the business lucrative. will
suppose again that he has invested this
wealth in real estate, or in securities
that pay a handsome profit, and all in
such way as to leave no doubt of a
fixed and known value, and none of it
liable to- taxation for the relief of both
county and State. Now, although |
cannot pretend to say what motives
would influence hin, tsnder such circum-
stances, ! can readily suppose how easy
it would be for me, were l In the coudi-
tion supposed, to arrive at the conclusion
that under the very specious and plaus-
able presentation of the mining laws
and usages of the country, it would be