Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1865-07-06
sENAroRsrEwARTm COLORADO

AS our readers are well aware, Senator
William NJ. Stewart, is now on his way
home, and will be here in a few days. He
will be warmly. welcomed BY his con-
~stitucnts, for whom he has rendered most
excellent services, and who have a very
lively appreciation Of them as they were
about the only beneficial acts ever done
for Nevada by any of her representatives.
Mr.. Stewart is accompanied by the Hon.
James NJ. Ashley, Chairman OF the House
Committee on Territories, and two or
three New York gentlemen-(we are not
certain about Vice President Foster being
in the party, as stated yesterday in the
NEws.) In returning home from Wash
ington, he concluded to paya visit to the
sister mining community Of Colorado, for
the purpose OF comparing views with her
leading men, that o common understand
ing might be arrived at with regard to the
future. When the party arrived at Cen
trail City. Colorado, which was on the
18th of June, the people there fully ap-
preciated the honor Of the visit, and in
the evening of that day, a large concourse
of people assembled-and, as Mr.. Colfax
remarked at Placerville, they exercised
their usual ~prerogatiVe as Americans, by
exacting a speech. We cannot help max
ing the following extract from the speech,
as we are just now living in a sort Of
summer series Of speech-making. Mr..
Stewart was introduced, and spoke as
follows as we find his remarks reported in
the Black HawS Journal:
He was glad to find himself among miners
and felt quite ut home. Would not attempt
q methodical speech, but simply a plain,
blunt talk about the mines. Congratulated
US that q new era was about TO dawn on the
mining regions. The great rebellion which
had retarded the progress and threatened the
life of the nation, which had seemed at one
time to so ieopardize FREQ Institutions as to
make us all tremble for the future, had been
crushed. The nation was now q unit, and
free labor respectable from ocean to ocean
and from the Lakes to the Gulf. The disad.
vantages arising from the war would now be
removed. Unfriendly legislation on the part
Of Congress would no more be thought Of.
The Pacific Railroad would be built. There
was no Southern interest left to oppose its
building and the development Of the West.
There was no longer any jealousy Of our
growth and greatness. We had an opportu-
nifty to bring the mining States and Terrific
-, ka.aNhar uaPafNfnro ~ haA oonf mon
from California to the Capital who wanted
the continental railroad only for the South.
Such were Gwin and Weller, men devoted to
but ono interest-slavery. Now we were
sure of the help Of a great nation. When
the war broke out, little was known Of the
silver of Nevada or the gold of Colorado.
The seward slope OF the Sierra Nevada then
constituted our gold-feld Quartz-mining
was almost unknown. During the war we
had demonstrated the existence Of a mining
country sufficient for eight or ten great
States, equal, when fully explored and de.
yeloped, to the production Of more bullion
per annum than comprised the circulation OF
the world fifty years ago. The nation stood
in need Of this bullion, must have it, and its
discovery at this particular time SCENE. like
n direct intervention Of that Providence which
peculiarly guarded our high destiny.
To make this discovery beneficial we had a
great work to do. Ours was a new interest.
Upon going East, was astonished to find how
new it was. Accustomed to the good order Of
mining life, the fair. adjustment Of titles and
regular administration Of justice, and IN
clined to think we had done something, was
unable at first to realize the ignorance in the
East Of our condition. They knew not that
we had laws: that fol-. the last seventeen years
three or four hundred thousand men had
been traversing these wild mountains and in
hospitable plains, discovering their incon-
ceivablc wealth and enhancing the value Of
every acre OF land in the United States. Sup.
posed this was not attributable to neglect so
much rs to absolute ignorance. But two or
three men in Congress had either been in this
country or heard Oft. On the day Of his ar
rival the question Of mining titles arose.
The Supreme Court Of the United States
would not entertain jurisdiction in questions
concerning the public lands until Congress
had provided for the disposal Of those lands.
They ruled us interlopers, trespassers, with
no rights here. At the time Nevada became
a State, several causes, before appealed to
the Supreme Court, we're pending. Neither
the organic act OF the Territory nor the act
admitting the State, provided for the disposal
Of these causes. A bill was brought forward
to organize a District Court for the State OF
Nevada, and the judiciary committee report
ed an amendment providing that these causes
should be determined the same as all others
which might be taken up TO the Supreme
Court. The effect Of that would have been
to make US all trcspassers, therefore unable
to bring an action concerning titles into
court. Protested during two whole days.
Claimed it was unfair for Congress to send
causes before the Supreme Court without
making a rule for their disposal. Sena-
tors finally gave up their purpose, and
decided that actions in the Supreme Court
should not be affected by the fact that
the fee.simple vas i'll the Government, but
should be determined by the. law Of possess
sion. This applied to all States and Terri
tories carved out Of the mineral lands. In
deciding these causes the Supreme Court
must follow the local mining regulations Of
the particular District in which the contest
originated. All the mining States and Ter
ritories had adopted and confirmed the min
ing regulations of the several districts.
| Which action Of the States and Territories
and of Congress gave the dignity and author
ity of constitutional law to those regulations.
| There was no disposition in Congress to do
wrong, but men who knew nothing Of the
subject thought they knew it all. They said,
" sell the lands, divide them into sections
SNA
and quarter sections the same as any, tax
them half the proceeds; we had no business
here anyhow" They meant well, but being
ignorant, talked at random. As to our best
policy, it was q question Of grave importance.
We must counsel together and come to an
understanding both as to defense and offense.
In New England every man knows her ira
ditional interest aud how to foster it. We
must take example by her-determine what
we want, and work together for it as one
man. We must adopt the right policy and
transmit a knowledge Of it to our children
an hereditary equality, as it 10 in New Eng
land and in Old England. .r
The man who took the chances, roamed
the hills, slept out, bravedt the Indians, starv-
ed and begged, and all but sacrificed his life
to find q mine, should haze that mine: Was
clear on that-.a fundamental idea not to be
departed from. Who finds a mine adds more
to the wealth OF the nation than fifty who
make farms. To illustrate how much we
would confer on the country by developing
| the mines, The value Of everything was