The Placer herald., 1871-12-30
1INERAL on AGRICULTURAL.


this county declared mineral by the late order
of Commissioner Drumnond. Ia another
column will be found en article from the San
Francisco Bulletin ON the subject Of this
order. That this order works a hardship,
and an onero1s one, on the agricultural set
tier, is true, as the Bulletin states; but that
under the circumstances i. could not be
avoided, without working greater hardships
to another class, is also true, as we will
show. The lands reached by tho order in
this county, and largely in tho other cOun-
tea, have all been returned as agricultural,
no matter how rich aud yart tho mnes and
mining Improvements they contained. Why
this was dono Is an important question to be
ascertained. Wo havo been Informed by
ono .opographer who was connected with
surveying party subdividins landa in these
mineral hl., that no was directed by bis
CHIEF not to nose any lands "a mining, DO
matter wha. their character or value for
mineral waa. On one occasion he had stop
ped and talked to soma miners, and they
told him they were making So per day. He
noted the miro end what it was yielding.
Soon lie came up with the contractor, who
asked now he had noted the place, and was
answered. "Mining, paying $8 per day"
The chief then said "Did l not tell yoa not
to mark anything mineral?" eyes," said
the topogapher, :" but am sworn to give
the true character of the land" "Never
mind that" said the contractor, " but do as
l tell you" The topographer had to mark
the best iaining land in the State as asrcul-
tural or quit, and be quit. Tho best mining
lands in this county-and we have as good
as any on the coast-have been by such
means returned as agricultural. The late
surveys of which the BuHetin speaks were
mainly made, and the plats returned as asri-
cultural, at the instance of Interested parties.
OF all these lands lying within the railroad
Iimits-twenty miles on each side Of the
track Of the Central Pacific, Western Pacific
and Oregon roads-one half Of them, the odd
sections, when returned as agricultural were
to be given and patented to these companies.
Had not these companies vast interests in
having our rich mines returned as agricul-
tural? Ninety days from the date Of fling
the plats the railroad agents walk into the
land Office and ask that all odd sections not
filed on be returned to Washington as vacant,
unclaimed agricultural lands. The work is
done; on goes the report to the General Land
Office, and there another agent appears and
asks that these lands be at once certified
over to the company and patented, and his
demand is complied with at once; and thus
acres and thousands Of acres Of rich gold
gravel hills, and miles and hundreds of miles
Of rich quartz mines are gone, gone forever.
All this is legal; the law in every respect has
been complied with by every officer Of the
Government, except the topographer, and he
only made a misiatc in forgetting to note
the mineral character Of the land. The
miner rests easy, because he knows his
claim will not be sold, for the law iorbids
the selling Of mining land except to the
miner; but now he wakes up and finds that
the railroad company has a patent for his
mine as agricultural land, with all his
machinery, tunnels and the proceeds Of long
years Of toll and priva;on. This is what is
now going on in this mineral belt, and this
is what Commissioner Drummond's decision
will stop, at least for a while. Let the
Bulletin look at this phase of the question
before it asks Sargent to interfere in aid Of
the robbery of the Miner We are as strong
y in favor Of selling to the settler his 100
acres of land in these mountains as the Ba}te-
iia can be, but to hasten this we would not
give the railroad company onc-haf of all our
mining lands and all the improvements on
them Perjury has been committed in the
return of much of this land as agricultural,
and the Government owes il to itself and the
toiling miner to investigate the matter and
determine what the real character Of the
land, and each particular tract, is, and this
decision of the Commissioner opens the door
to this investigation. The Government and
people have both been wronged by the sur
veyors, because it is their crime that has
compelled this sweeping order from Com
missioner Drummond The order makes
nothing mineral but what is in fact mineral;
and while it does this it only delays the
time when The pro-emptor viii get his land
There ought to be more land Offices in the
mining districts, and a cheaper mode provid-
ed for proving the character of the land, and
if Sargent wants to do anything for both the
farmer and miner, let him move in that d-
rection.
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