Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1864-01-27
GRANTS AND FRANCHISES.

beyond the probabilities OF HE Oh 'he
grantee, are very fine thing; but the
baautx of the system Is more clearly ap-
parent to the recipients of these Legislative
favors than to the mass Of the people
whose common property is thus gcner-
ously parcelled out to few " influential
persons. Two sessions of the Territorial
Legislature have been held, and the
statute books of the country are already
filed with Acts authorizing A, B and
c, 10 construct q toll road" or " ID, E and
F. to maintain a tol-bridgc," until at this
early period of our history every wagon
track, mountain trail, and every route
where a track or trail is possible, has
either ton-sate upon it or is covered by
franchise. The traveller, from long Gus
tom, has contracted the habit OF putting
his hand in his pocket whenever, IN the
track before him, he secs . man standing
with a shovel in his hand. When he
,eaves the sand and sage-brush tracts, and
strikes a timbered country, he finds that
vast tracts of country are claimed in par
GELS of from FIVE thousand to thirty thous-
and acres, by this or that individual or
company. The reason, justice or common
sense of these claims of vast portions OF
the public lands, it is difficult to perceive.
The whole range of Palmyra Mountains,
which form the great woodward Of this
portion of the Territory, is claimed m such
huge tracts BY a few individuals. What
.Aese men have ever done to give them an
exclusive domain over the few scattered
and sparse gifts which the Almighty has
dealt out so grudgingly to this corner OF
his footstool, can any man tell: Yet we
win venture to say that thxe Is not pine
tree within two days travel of this point
that is not the sacred private property OF
some lucky beneficiary Of this unreason-
able character OF legislation for the few at
the expense of all. This Territory Is
probably the most barren and least favored
of all the countries of the world where
civilized population has taken up its
abode. The few absolute neceSsarics OF
life which its barren soil affords, are pro-
duced so sparsely that something like a
fair and equitable distribution of its natu-
raj resources would certainly seem to be
demanded. As might be expected IN
country so situated and circumStanced,
there has been from the first great
scramble to secure monopoies Of the few
good things, and there has been at the
same time very suspicious disposition on
the part of the lawmakers, to give these
rapacious cormorants everything they de-
sired. In illustration of the point In
question, we cannot do better than quote
the following proceedings in the Council
on Monday last:
To-day while the bill to encourage the dis
coyery Of minerals was under consideration,
an interesting discussion arose on an amend
limit SURVEYS to ten acres instead of one hun
d-ed and sixtv, as provided in the bill. he
believed that allowing the location of so much
land containing salt, coal, alum or nItre,
would only lead to speculation and not ncour-
are the actual development or yield OF such
minerals. Indeed it rather led to monopoly
and the aggregation of this kind Of wealth IN
the hands of few.
Mr.. waldron opposed the amendment on
the ground that it was illibera!-too small To
amount to an encouragement; IN order to Sc
cure the investment Of capital in the way in
tended by the bill, we must be liberal. Out
west peoples ideas are large, and they could
not be limited to i small fraction and deem 1t
encouragement.
Mr.Hall said his object in introducing this
bill was to counterfeit monopoly; he wanted
possessory Law that would protect pioneers
and prevent unlimited surveys This was
kind of mining combined with manufacturing
which had as vet received no Legislative ac-
ton. The bill is liberal while not UNJUST;
less than one hundred and sixty acres would
not encourage any one to hunt out ana en-
gage in the manufacture of salt, nitre or alum.
We want vast quantities of nitre and sulphur
TO manufacture into blasting powder for the
use of miners, without having to freight them
from long distances. This is the greatest
mining region in the world; let US endeayor
TO make il self-suStaining.
Mr.. Flagy wanted to know If the extent Of
our coal and salt fields was great enough to
give lccators one hundred and sixty acres.
Mr.. Hall said the salt fields now known
were monopolized BY unlimited surveys. This
bill aims to prevent such monopolies In fu-
ture, and he would not object to limiting sur
vey to one hundred acres.
Mr. Waldron said nitre had at times been
4 hel
enough at the beginning to carry on this war;
even now there is scarcity of manufactured
poyder, In the location OF nitre and sulphur
grounds there might be a smaller limit to sur
views without Encouragement, because OF its
value and scarcity. But Of salt the matter
was different
Or. Chamberlain moved to amend the
amendment by substituting one hundred acres
instead of ten.
Mr.. Daesett moved to amend that amend
nent BY making it eighty acres.
Mr.. Waldron's opposition to the pro-
posed amendment contains the whole logic
of this swindling franchise system. "CArI-
TALL" That is the God, before whose
mighty name, parcel of crawling lick
spittles are ever to be found, ready to bow
down and worship. 1t Is natural. II Is
~capital" that makes and unmakes such
sycophants, and moulds them like clay in
the hands of the potter. 1t is very good
God for such men to worship, but it is not
such benefeent Deity as to deserve the
alteration of the people at large. Capital,
as applied to the schemes of which we
have been speaking, works much good to
itself, but it achieves no beneficial results
TO the people. In the early days Of
country like this, capital is ever ready to