Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1866-06-22
rHE NEW M1N1Na a111.

We this morning received from Senator
Stewart a copy of Shermans' original bill
" to regulate the occupation Of Mineral
lands, and to extend the rights Of pre-
empdon thereto" with the same in its
amended form, as reported from the Com
on Mines and Mining. The first
and second Sections of the Bill as amend
cd, read:
SECTION l. The mineral lands of the
public domain. both surveyed and unsur.
veyed, are hereby declared to befree and
open to exploration and occupation by all
citizens of the United States, and those
who have declared their intentions toSbe-
come citizens. subject to such regulations
as may be prescribed BY law, and subject
also to the local custom or rules of'miners
in the several mining districts, so far as
the same may not be in conflict with the
laws Of the United States.
SEC. .. Whenever any person or asso.
citation Of persons claim q vein or lode OF
quartz or other rock in place, bearing gold'
silver, cinuabar. or copper, having previ-
ously occupied and improved the same
according to the local custom or rules OF
miners in the district where the same Is
situated, and in regard to whose possess
sion there is no controversy or opposing
claim, it shall and may be lawful for said
claimant or association Of claimants TO
file in the local land Office aplat OF the
same so extended laterally or otherwise as
to conform to the local laws, customs, and
rules Of miners, and to enter such tract
and receive a patent therefor, granting
such mine, together with the right to fol-
low said vein or lode with its dips, angles,
and variations to any depth, although It
may enter the land adjoining, which land
adjoining shall be sold subject to this con-
dition, and upon the further indefeasible
condition, both to be fully expressed in
the patent, that the owners and occupants
| of the mine so appropriated and held.
shall pay into the Treasury Of the United
| States, in each aud every year until the
national debt shall have been paid, three
per centum of the net product Of said
mine, vein or lode, which shall be in lieu
| of the stamp tax now levied upon bullion
extracted from the public domain.
The 4th Section provides:
| Tha, no location hereafter made shall
exceed three hundred feet in length along
the vein for each locator, with an addi-
tional claim for discovery to the discov-
erer, with the right to follow such vein to
any depth. with all its dips, variations and
angles, together with a reasonable guam
tity of surface for the convenient working
Of the same as fixed by local rules.
The 9th Section provides:
Whenever, after the passage Of this act,
any person or persons shall, in the con-
struction of any ditch or canal, injure OF
damage the possession of any settler on
any public domain, the party committing
such injury or damage shall be liable to
the party injuredfor such injury or damage.
The bill. as amended, is far preferable
to the act submitted by Senator Sherman
and so far as we have heard, meets with the
approval of mine owners and mana
gers in Gold Hill and Virginia.
Senator Conness, in reporting the bill
from the Committee On Mines and Mining,
says:
By this bill it is only proposed to dis
pose of the vein mines, and to provide for
the segregation of the agricultural lands
living within the mineral regions. The
proposition contained in it is TO transfer
the title Of the United States to the pos.
SCISSORS at a reasonable rate, and as a part
of that rate to secure the payment OF a per
eentage Of the net proceeds Of the vein
mines into the treasury, until the present
b%urdensome public debt shall be paid ;
this per centage to be in lieu'of all tax
imposed upon bullion at the minis and
assay offices urder existing laws.
II is not proposed to interfere with or
/ impose any tax upon the miners engaged
in working placer mines, as those mines
are readily exhausted and not generally
remunerative to those engaged in working
them. "
The mass Of people living in the mines
feel that the mines should be left free and
open TO and within the reach Of the hardy
explorer and adventurer without tax OF
impost whatever; nay. feeling the many
disappointments and failures to which
they are subject in their efforts to acquire
wealth from this source, they believe tina,
the Government Of the United STAGES,
which they love, should rather offer re,
wards from the public treasury for ths
discovery Of mines, than that such discov.
cry should be but the signal for measure:
of taxation.
They also fear all systems Of sale, lest
any which should be adopted might result
in a monopoly Of the mines and their con
c~entration into few hands. They ART
Jealous of all systems for the disposition
Of the mineral lanos which shall allow TIT
lands to be bought by the fortunate pos
SCISSORS Of large capital. in extensive bodies
to the exclusion Of the men whose only
capital consists in their labor. They
nevertheless, will readily acquiesce in any
plan which shall confirm existing right,
at reasonable rates, and which shall b,
safe against the evils to which your com'
mittee have referred.
The amount proposed is five dollars pei
acre for the vein mines and all the land
adjoining necessary for working them, and
the payment Of three per cent. Of the mel
product of all such mines into the treas.
ury of the United States, which shall b
in lieu Of the present impost.
It will be remembered that the presen.
tax was adopted in preference to the Ave
per cent. tax on the gross proceeds Of the
mines proposed by the House Of Repre-.
sentauves in 1864. Any tax on the gross
product Of mines must be purely q tax
upon effort, and must result, as the recent
tax on crude petroleum did, in the ruin o!
those engaged in the business, and q seri-
Gus limit on production.
Another feature Of the bill recommended
is, that it adopts the rules and regulations
Of miners in the mining districts where the
same are not in conflict with the laws Of
the United States. This renders secure
all existing rights Of property. aud will
prove at once a jast and popular feature
OF the new policy. Those "rules and reg.
~lations" are well understood, and form the
basis Of the present admirable system in
the mining regions; arising out Of neces-
sity, they became the means adopted by
the people themselves for establishing just
protection to all.
The CoNINo DRAFr.-Two years ago,
II