The mountain Democrat., 1863-11-14
rTE MOUNTAIN DEMOCRAT.
CoWn1y Assessors Report.
PLAcERvILLE, Nov. 9th, 1858.

ing report as as ASSeSS0' VI ~
the Se rss Of land claimed, 2l2 500 agricultural
"a al 900; grazing land, lSl 500; 10 wheat,
,cs. in barley, 1875 in oats, 2,lOO; IN grass,
100: number OF apple trees, l.loOI OF peach.
o0ISI0; Of plum. $500; of cherry, l,4V0i OF
onipce, l,lAl; tS ain,yT1. Ae5; At Fg. ~ :
u t Sdrapeyines 7g4, ,535. Money OF band, t2O5.-
., 81 gnld dust, I,2l4; money at interest,
00lni IRI. solvent debts, $l55, ,430 s>stnck OF
S.oods. S2s9, 9,34l furniture, $4S,e6l: Number
wagons, 969; of buggies, st; OF carriages,
1a nf harness, ,495; OF horses, 1852; OF colts,
aI, of mules, ,S4l of jacks, Al; Of cows. 2,I92;
Ef.,sIves .Ol2; Of oxen, ,270; Of stock cattle,
y AL. of hogs, 3,l6o; ct sheep, l,742; OF goats,
~. stands nf bees, 2y0 steam saw-mIs, "a /;
o4I ,,r nower saw.mils, l2 feet of lumber for
va Iae00, 900; value OF lumber, $2S3, 500;
.r"ter pnwer grIst mills, 9; value OF $500; run
IF stones, 4 bushels OF grain ground, $500 /;
oa,,,s Of a2S .00O; number Of toll roads, l7i az
..agsts length in miles, l25 number Of canals
sJ ditches, 60; aggregate length in miles, 665;
lis of telegraph line, 300; number OF toll
hr;dges. 10; steam quartz mills, 4; water power
Jo .. cement mills, steam marble muls, /;
sndl factories, brewerirs, 10; marble quar-
yies. 5; EOundries, !; machine shops, J.
Tntal assessed value of property, % ,3o4, 80;
vaIue of real estate, $436,0l5; vaue OF improve
vents. 81, ,264, ,655; value If personal property,
a. GoI. il0; decrease from 1862, $j59,669.
IL will be seen from tie above STATISTICS that
thsre has been heavy decrease IN the assess
n,ent of 1868 from that Of 1862. This Is manly
a. hs attributed IN my opinion. to the exodus
If onr population TO other localities, and the
larye amount of capital which has been invest
ID IN the variOus mining districts OF Nevada
Tarritnry by many Of our weaithlcst citizens.
From last February up To the present tinc, mo-
ney with ut1er classes of property, has been
lsArinH our county III crntlnuous sreath'
seeking investment andnew heldsot enterprise
with our Eastern neigLbOrs. This has Caused
a General deprrciation Ot the value OF property
with US. Next wear We enter upon a new SNs-
tom. the assessing and collection "f revenue tn
be done bv Township officers elected f'r that
purpnse, aud | have no doubt ot the Wisdom 0i
ihe change.
which, perhaps, were | guided by c'nsldera-
unus OF policy, would av"ld nr pass over; but
de.pulng that Il is - ddtv enjmnrd by the "ttre
/ h.Id which 10 neglect on mere personal
grounds, would Le cUNa ardly as we'll as cuipa-
IIr, proceed To It's Icti"Inante.
The sugxrsii"mS may make would prefer.
however, 10 eucuate from s"tme hlGhtT "r more
authoritative Suurtr, :" that thy nIS Shl receive
that nttrutiun due Ia the Ri4gnIt,Idr al the sub
i.cttn which they refer. The dcCadcncc al the
ininInI counties Is a TACT at once undcnidb!c ana
alarming, which the STATISTICS at eao b succe~d
lrL wear sufficiently demonstrates. Aud even
III ,,e cuunties that MAINTAIN pdrtiat rtUsieri.
tv. owe It IN u great measure tn other pursuits
tu4n that ot miu.ng IL tAcI, the Industry ct
the reri,le ot the mining counties has lnst its
.li .nd distinctive character. Particularly Is
tbs the ease with placer mining, inT whctc II
has not ceased altogether, TIE hltle remnant If
ul>crr!ed IN by the Chin .Se. Tue best placer
tn,uins has ceased Ia tr II lcLdIUg and control
in. Inttre>t--va>tlv Ini.rnT I" The farming,
Et,ziug. gLrdenin. AID other TelLr'e ag'Irn!-
Ia Al interests, aud >h.u'I h"i, "a any grounds
a.: rt,,Iumv "r rnOiic 1" ityN, b H"fiurrd At
th.l, expense. N,uin clnntGE ordinary lore.
Ai.t, can t.ii tp see uui Interests pei pie Ih
tue id;"re drren"> PtlGCtPA!!' "n tie y oducls
e.; The sal. aud lhc t"iitr lrnbiic encourage
u.,nt II cAtcut.cd tn tnI, rud, lh- better. How
IN. h nay G- due can b. lr,turd from what
has been done already. Th"trohIr d. aud tiuI-
yaIds winch today aie "hr prii aud boast,
have gruWn up ih the very teeth Ui policy
particularly dl>,nurAg'ug.
The great iinprdime"t tn the prosperity and
dsveL.I.mcHt q! The mining cnuutilrs i mean
that d-veinpment which brings IN It's tram u
thrifty population. The cultivation "t farms, or.
chafdS and VlnrNards, the building up "t
tuwnS, pleasant homes. churches aud school
hos e.--arIscs from the absolute uncertainty
and udt;crmlnale uttuIc ot land titles III
tact, from the absence "t any iitIe at all, Here
tarll, nr orchard ur vineyard, Is occupied, II
= not owned. The manifest I"ju Justice of the
present system NAV br appreciated hen ~e
reflect that miner eau enter any place where
he lrnagines thcr4 is gid >lulce a cut through
All "rthAtd or farm tdPriug ITS very lite. II an
ofchIrd, he pays few ,liltS Il tree; nothing
'r destroying the unity Grc"npe'curss "t the
place. II a farm, portion ni the cr"p destroy.
ed. and nothing for the land ruined Tor ever
-a0h thas NreYAyA biv pHtl'ltc and prtvat- luss
i effected. while Il possible mruirptarv inter
est Tor the miner Is scared. ask. then is II
not high time new policy should be adopted
aud nAugr'ited in tee4id 20 tie 81 called min
rrul Lands. and thit HE Prr>cnt ruin"uS, un'
il<t. blind aud lnc.ii zen; POLICY, worthy altre
u ruIe, turbulent aud uncI, lliLrd state "t So
c!etv, sh lutd b. abaHdrn-d, Perhaps il was
proper ur t"crabe enough while any great pnr.
IInn ui the people wctc beuthtted by It., that
the mineral lands shnuld be open to most un-
trammelcd enterprise. ButWhr nnw continue
policy to govern state "f things which has
passed away; when all HE growing interests
of the 50 called mining Regions admoulsh us
that wholly different ohe ought To obtain.
would. therefore, recommend rs u proper
and wise policy, Que that Will bring wealth, or
der and prosperity IN lis train, that the ltgls-
lature through our Representatives in Con
EreSs ask that all the public Lands, or at least
all the mineral land now owned by the Gen
eral Government, be donated t. the State, and
that then the Legislature should prnvlde for
their sale, in quarter, halt or whole sections, as
might be deemed best at cheap and uniform
rate, say ,nmelhing merely nHmimSl TO cover
the cost Of surveying and patenting, with sur
plus, il any, tn 60 into the common school
tInd. am aware this is bpld and radical
proposition, but blind indeed is he who does
not see the necessity for such a scheme.
Against il, | have no doubt there whOmld be u
great outcry. The drnagogueS would ring
the change about oppression, monopoly and
Governmental tyranny; the opposition would
come from that class of small pnliticiLus, ,stran-
gers to public spirit, TO whom any change is u
gudseud and WIN would Iearlrssly ride the top
wave Of cOmmotiun into power. | think, how
ever, it would find earnest support among the
thoughtful aud rejecting OF all classes. This
change, while it would secure the farmer ur
gardener in his Improvements, prevent him
from being disturbed in his labois, give him
feeling Of security and spur t" eXertIon he
does not feel now, does not involve any DIM
uniuOn of mining enterpriSe The purchase
money would be SO Insignificant that few
would be found too poor 10 purchase the land
enclosing or cunIerIninHus to their claim
Quartz, geld and copper mining would soon
accommodate them selves Ia such systen.-
The lead mines i'll WISCONSIN and her states,
were once as common To every body as the
gold mines Of California, but the government
changed its policy and >uld the lands, and we
do not find in that manner it was public evil,
and so far from the proposed change leading
to mon"p"ly of the mine> it strikes m"Sl
enectual blow at snch AN evil. The puSsessi"n
aquarter, II half, or even whole section Of
land could give no very great monopoly of any
mine which might possibly be ON it. Indeed
1t stands in marked contrast with ;he system
now prevalent, where few men can mnnopo.
ilze leagues Of gold, quartz aud copper lpdes.
1t may be thought, in what have said, have
proved too much; that have exposed the
weakness OF the system | adv"c tie; that 1t
would offer too great an impeachment to the
developments of those great and increasing
III
mining. 1t takes organized companies to
work such mines now; and surely because