The Placer herald., 1868-08-29
SARGENT'S DEFENDERS.

judging from the way the author speaks Of
the friends and enemies of the bill 10 Oon.
gress. The author says:
"By continually appealing to party Pleoges
the bill had been forced through both boueeT,
The opposition 10 it came largely from 'lie Ism
ocratic members, but was not confined 10 .nem
IT the House was induced to nOr-concur III me
amendments, there was danger of losing Tue oiil,
etc. Under these circumstances, so nraf me
close Of the session. the bill was ai0Ued ~ PoSs
With some impcrfectons, it is true, &c
Who could know all these inside matters
but Mr.. Sargent himself! Very well. No
one has better right to defend Mr. Sargent
than Mr.. Sargent himself.
We said 10 our last issue that Mr.. sargent
advocated and voted for bill granting the
alternate sections of public lands on strip
twenty miles wide, and about one bundled
and forty miles long, and that when said
odd sections contained minerals, the s'noer
thereon was granted to the railroad, ana Ia
ken away from the miner, every woro of
which is true. Mr.. Sargent wac member
Of the committee on the Pacific haiiroad,
and when Campbell. the Chairman, reported
the bill, with the Senate amendments, one Of
| which was that granting the timber on the
mineral lands, be said: II now report back
the bill, and beg leave to say that the Conn.,
mittee have instructed me TO move concur
renee in all the amendments of the Senate"
Here we find Mr.. Sargent as one OF the
| in
the House TO concur 10 this very oehate
amendment. granting the timber on the
mineral odd sections, and on demand Tor
The ayes and nays be voted for this same
amendment.
Now with more than three fourtbs OF both
Houses voting for the bill, and twenty''bree
have been to have copcurred in all the other
amendments, and to have let this umoer
grant gone to a committee Of conference,
where it.could have been reported against,
and the report been adopted without oPpo'
siton. This every sensible man knows and
especially those that have had any egls'a.
tive experience. Cradlebaugh's amendmen;
was as follows -
Excepting from said conveyance. all minerals
in the lands conveyed. and reservng to the Puoiic
the right to prospect therein for minerals ana me
working OF the mines thereon; the owner VI the
. lands to be compensated for such injury as may |
be done to his improvements thereon. or 10 MS
lands considered agricultural lands which CON-
pen5aton shall be assessed by jury. in such man,
ner rs may be provided by law, and shall be paid
10 ln coi1 ". -
Page 1909, Congressional Globe.
Here Cradlebaugh proposed to reserve the
minerals in the lands granted to the railroad
under such limitations and restrictions as
could have worked a hardship to no one,
and leaving it to such future legislation as
would be just and equitable, but Sargent OPP
posed it-made speech against it, and 1t
was beaten. But says the writer Tor me
Union: "This exception of mineral lands
was deemed by Sargent as better Than
mere exception Of minerals
We explained in our first article what the
effect Of simply excepting mineral lands rom
the grant amounted to.
The rules and regulations of the General
Land Office in this regard are in substance
| these: The Surveyor General surveys the
lands and returns the Township Pla1s' and
if the miner fails, within ninety days, 10 hle
atfidavits Of two persons, both swearing 10
the fact, that each forty acres contains val
liable mines, and are more valuable tor MI
ming than agricultural purposes, then The
lands are certified over TO the company, and
lands, mineral aud timber, are gone forever.
But if the miner does file the afiidavits win
in the ninety days, then the company lakes
the timber. When, therefore, Sargent pre-
ferred to reserve the mineral lands, be re-
served nothing but what was developed and
paying, and not even those, unless the
miner was quick enough with his aiiida'
Wits, but he reserved no updeveoped mineral
lands. The very hour the lands are patent
ed to the company, all the minerals 'hey
contain 60 to the company, and no miner
ever dare touch them, though they may
contain mines as rich as the ComsIock
ledge, and Sargent, as lawyer, must have
known that this is the decision OF all our
Courts, when he made the speech against TIE
Cradlebaugh amendment.
This same writer for the Union says, The
miners have not yet been robbed Of the TIN
Der on their claims. This we also explained
in our first article, and will now only say
The Railroad Company is not green enough
to stir up a muss about this vast and valua'
bic grant Of mines timber, and lands, until
it has obtained its patents for the whole me
Of the road. 1t has got too good 'h'ng,