The Shasta courier., 1865-01-21
Sale of the Mineral Lands.

c
stood that we do not claim to possess the
talent to discuss this question with our more
highly accomplished cotemporary. We are
willing speak ON the subject as it presents
itself to us after long and practical knowi-
edgeo the mining interest. This practical
knowledge IF the mining system leads US
to oppose any and every measure that tends
to change the present system Of working
the mineral lands, believing that in so DO
ing we are advocating the best interests'of
the Government and of the miners.
After stating what has been ATTEMPTED and
recommended on the subject, the Union
says:
We are not able to perceive evils in such
a measure of sufficient magnitude to over
ton the und)ubted benefits which would HOW
| from making every miner the absolute mas
ter of a mining claim with title IN Zee
simple.
The gist of the above, and all articles we
have read on the subject, seems to be 6enett
to Tie miner, by giving him fee simple to
his claim. This whole thing is in nut
shell.-the miner wants no title in fee SIM
ple. The title BY possession is as good under
existing laws and rules as United states
natent. and further, the miner wants no.
other: and to make it obligatory on miners
TO purchase the land they work, would be
10 stop prospecting and the working of poor
ground in the hope that something may be
| discovered. We know of thousands of acres
of gold bearing ground being worked to day
which the miners in possession would not
paw one dollar per acre for fee simple
title to. All claims that are valuable are
occupied and worked because it is profitable
to do so. What better title do those occu-
pants want than they have? What better
title does a purchaser want than simply
surrender of possession? Come out at once
and say, We want the miner to pay dl
rect tax to the Government in its present
need" If necessary, let him be taxed, if
way can be devised by which such tax
will yield revenue over and above the ex-
penses of collection but divest the question
of the hmsy veil of I" benefit to the miner
by title to a claim that he hardly considers
worth holding without price, but works,
obtaining for his labor a precarious living,
stimulated thereto by the hope that he may
vet "strike it." Thousands upon thousands
of miners in this State are working upon
Just such claims-ground that has been
worked over and over by different persons,
each in turn having left for better diggings.
The discoverers of such claims were perhaps
well paid for the first working, the second
would make wages. the third would answer
an inquiry as to how they were doing, by
saying 1--WE are making grub" the fourth
works it for want of something better to do,
and being strapped, must DO something
This last party are subsisting on short ra-
tions, and the hope of finding some little
point or creyice of new ground from which a
small sum may be raised, to take them on
to better diggings.
Now we will suppose the first workers of
this mine had by law been compelled to
purchase the same from Government at q
nominal sum, and thereby had obtained fee
simple title to the ground, would not the
ratural consequence be that after the pur
chaser had worked off the cream and left for
better mines, the claim would then lie idle
its golden sands hidden, which, under the
present system, are brought to light by a
succession of workers? Adopt the system
of fee simple" and every enterprising
prospector will own from ten to fifty mining
claims whic. have been skinned. and then
must lie idle unless sale could be made,
which, under ordinary circumstances, would
not be done once in ten times but, on the
contrary, tke claim would be left dismantled
to lie as worn out lands lie that are owned in
fee. Under the present system the ground
in placer diggings is first skinned and
abandoned, then ,corked by some one else
then left to answer as grub diggings for the
next company of wandering strapped miners,
and by them abandoned to Cinnamon who
go in and make China wages" and per-
haps work it for years, extracting all the
precious ore from the debris.
We regret that the Union should yield a
recQDmenuuJlOu Vi luis mehSuTe, because the
Democratic party propose to make capital out
of a contrary course. thus making party
measure of what should be considered in q
spirit Of fairness: and when a correct con
cuson can be arrived at from the evidence
adduced let tie verdict be in favor of the
right-even though such verdict be in ac-
cordance with Democratic suggestion.
That g the question is surrounded with
dificuties.' the Union asserts most truly ;
but when steps are taken to divide up into
small parcels the lands in the vast mineral
regions of this coast, and elsewhere in the
United States, by law, and by law to sell
such parcels to the occupants, it will be
found that the forceof Government EMPLOYEES
necessary to carry out the law will entail an
expense fully equal to the revenue to be de.
rived from such source The Government
revenues from the sale of the farming lands
have never amounted to but little over the
expenses of sale. Take that fact, tn, n. as a
basis for calculation, and judge. if Won can
what the net revenue from the sale of tho
mineral lands would probably amount to-