Bedford inquirer. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1857-1884, 1860-03-23

A Bill has been introduced into the Legis
iaiure, by Senator Hall, Of Blair, providing,
that coal and ore rights snd mining privileges,
owned by any person or corporation.
this Commonwealth, shall be assessed and tax
ed according TO iteir value, and the taxes col
lected IS real estate taxes uog ere.
To THE bill newspaper called The "Mining
Record" objects, i. seems. We afe not sure
but hat the s'MiaiDg Record" may be some-
what in tie iu,eres. of the eoa!-fight speeula-
tors. At any rate, We regard the proposed law
as eminenly just and proper.
Il is not very many years siGce the Sehuyl-
kill County farmer h&GIed bis black diamonds
into Philedelphia, and found no sale fer them,
people having 30 faith in his assertion that the
black stones would burn. Ten years Of so
ago, the Broad Top coal field, surface, coal,
ore and ALL vas regarded as of very little valne.
The whole mcuafsiB ccnld haye been puseAa-
sad probably at an Average Of Two or t4ree dol-
lars an acre, and coal rights were purchased at
a mere song Ii VIC mistake not, u 1913, or
thereabouts, citizen CT this place bought the
exclusive right to ihe coal and ell other mine
rails of ever one thousand acres on Broadtop,
for one bundled ami fifty dollars, which en-
the completion Of the raii read was worth from
thirty to forty thousand dollars, and this is
not solitary case.
Now, what is The surface or farming light al
Broad Top lands vorth About as nearly
nothing as land can be-rougb, rocky, steep,
and poor as it is But the coal aad ore rights
are valuable- will be tmmsnssty vatuabts inany
Of them, no doubt, whom trade and times re-
viye
Bat, as ,he law stands now, the laud is Is zed
10 he poar man owoing the comparatively
sorthless surface right-!he mere shell whilst
the specalaior having the coal aud mining
rish', tie really valuable kernel, pays 10 tax
whatever.
Ard the object of this bill, as we understand
it, is, that tie owner of she surface right shall
be taxed for What he actually has, according to
its vaiae, aui the owner OF the coal right shall
also pay his duo proportion of taxes 10 support
tho goveFnneni, which protects hin in aud Sc
cures to him his rights and pFiViliges.
Bedford County as wellas Blair is interested
<tsf this tbiog should be done.
There has been, within the last few years, in
,oapy of he mineral Counties Of the Safe, q
good deal of speculutipg 10 mineral rights and
mining privileges. Keen. shreBa sFeculatoTs
have travelled among the farmers along the
iines Of projected public improvements, and
purchased for a iiae, frota uusutpicious and
anknowipg men, coal and ore rights, worth
many times more than the whole land besides.
And il seems there is no provision for taxiug
these rights We are at icss to understand
how sDy oae can doubt the proPrietS Of doing
it. II any one is TO escape taxation, let it RAJ
tier be TIC owner oi tie poor mountain sur
face, than the owner Of The coai. But let each
pay their fair proportion. Let the assessor
value the whole tract, coal aud ali, and then
divide that 7alue fairly between the respective
interests. Gan any reasonable mau object TO
sbisi A property, whether it be coal right or
surface, is generally regarded as being worth
whs, il will bring ~ fair cash sale.
The editor of the Bedford Gasette heads a
paragraph on tho subject of this bill, sMore
Protoc.ioL,n aud asks, as this the kind of
s'Protection RepubIicanism is in favor Of Civ
sing Pennsylvania coal and iron! It's Tariff
stf.,rns oak IN he t,xa,;.,
la wba: way tho bill introduced by Senator
Hall is connected with protective tariff, we
carnot understand. Does the Gazette map
mean 20 SAY that the oRneI OF GOAL rieh,
should no, pay bis fair share Of TAI On i.'
Blu, suppose, Nr. Gazette, you dehoe your
position on ;hsssubject of protective tariff