The Shasta courier., 1872-02-24
Earnest Talk to Miners.


The success which has attended the
schemes of the wealthy and influential
land -grabbers by which they have acquired
possession of the best located agricultural,
timber and swamp lands in the State, ap-
pears to have emboldened them to make
desperate efforts to obtain the incidentally
valuable mineral lands also, before the peo-
pie shall be awakened to the importance Of
the question.
There are number of bills before Con-
gress and the State Legislature now in
session, designed for this object. The
most dangerous of which. and that to
which we desire to call the attention of the
miners Of the State, on this occasion, is the
Bill or Resolution, asking Congress to
grant all the unsold mineral lands to the
State, or in other words, to place them
within reach of tie land -grabbers. As the
quantity of these lands sold is not the one
thousaDdth part of the whole, the magni
tude of the grant asked for becomes
apparent
The pretence for this insidu rus scheme
to deprive the miners and other classes,
the only free field at present existing for
exercise Of their enterprise and the en-
ployment of their labor, is, that existing
Legislation is too cubersome to acquire title
to the mineral lands
To those unacquainted with the
Ways that are dark,
And the tricks that are vain "
of the California land speculator, the advo
cacy of their scheme FIR obtaining the
mineral lands, by some of the papers pub
lished in the mining districts. would ap-
pear to express the views of the miners on
the question. But appearances are not al
ways to be relied on in such cases.
The proverbial carelessness of the mi
ners on all matters except such as directly
pertain to the working of their claims the
arduous character and protracted hours of
their labor; the distance from newspaper and
post Offices of the majority of mining claims,
cause the miners very rarely, if ever, to
express their opinions on any subject
through the columns of the local press
1t was knowledge of this trait in their
character, derived from many years ex-
perience among them that induced US to
commence this series of Earnest Talk to
Miners" to obtain their opinions on ques-
tiors of the greatest importance to their
interest.
The land -graboers are also aware of this
trait in the miners character. and thus
Knowing that no miners will take the
trouble to contradict any statements which
appear in the local papers, they manage to
induce the over worked mountain editor to
publish, as editorial matter, articles written
by the land Spectators agents There is
scarcely one editor in twenty, in the min
ing districts, who can spare the time to
go among the miners to obtain their
opinions, consequently they are but too
glad to accept the opinions of those who
assume to speak for them. Such articles,
published in good faith by the country
editor, become formidable weapons when
used in Congress, or in the State Legisla-
ture; because they are received as the
opinion of the miners in the locality,
while in truth they only express the
views of the land grabbers.
What advantage would the miners gain,
should Congress grant the unsold mineral
lands to the State? Absolutely none,
while they would lose much more than
many of them suppose, and every interest
in the State, except that of the land spe-
culators, would suffer an irreparable injury
Under the existing state of affairs, the
miners claim, being part of the public
domain, is not taxable Should the State
obtain the mineral lands, every claim would
be subject to taxation. The poorest, as
usual, paying the largest portion. Estima-
ting all the mines iD the State to be worth
only 50,000,000, at three per cents, the
current rate of taxation, these mines would
be taxed S1,500,0O0 annually, which
would be direct loss to the miner, and
but little benefit to any other class of people,
except office holders.
The miners in every district now enjoy
the privilege of making laws to regulate
their own affairs. Were the State to be-
come owners of the mineral lands, special
legislation would give the capitalist such
advantages over the working miner that
the latter would be compelled to work for
such wages as the employer Of his labor
wonld dictate, or seek for other employ
ment.
The miners, during twenty years of free
mineral lands have obtained enormous
quantities of the precious metals, which
has circulated among every class in the
community. What probability is there
that the product would be increased,
should the lands be owned by few CON-
panies Of capitalists
The strongest arguments advanced by
the advocates of the proposed disposal of
the mineral lands, in large tracts, is that
such disposition of them would increase
the product Of the precious metals, BY
inducing capitalists to erect costly machin-
cry and to emp.oy large force of organized
laborers, exposes the aim of those who
seek to obtain these lands, and explains
the loss the miners and the State at large
would sustain, should they succeed in gain
ing their object. The whole tenor of the
legislation sought, is for the benefit of capt.