The Placer herald., 1873-03-29
SUM EiliiNG NNKUNG.

We see it stated in our exchanges that
Commissioner Drummond has made an order
appointing the Stockton hadependela the
official paper for the Stockton land dis
trict, and making it obligatory on every man
doing business in that land office to publish
all notices in that journal, and pay it them
in tie conor of the district, and one hundred
and fifty miles from portions of the land re-
quired to be located, advertised, proved VI
aud paid for there The district contains
over 600 600 acres of land, and frlnishe-
territory enough for nearly $4,000 home-
steads and vastly more in mining claims
The object of advertising land and furnish
ing proof of its character is TO notify the
people in the neighborhood Of the land, and
to prevent swindng in buying mineral lands
AS agricultural, thereby cheating the Govern
ment, miners and all others, and with this
view the law requires the advertisements to
be published in the paper nearest the land
sought to be purchased, so hat those most
leeply interested may read tie advertisement
and be advised of what is going on To rliis
Law a provision was added, providing that
where extortion was practiced by isolated
papers, the Commissioner could name the
paper and price to be paid. The clear inter
pretation of the law is, that the notice shall
have the largest circulation possible in the
immediate locality of the land, and at the
least cost to the applicant obtanable. When
The Roman edicis were hung SO high they
could not be read by those who were to obey
them, it vas no worse than this order Of the
Commss ioner, that land notices shall b,
published in "A paper hundred and ffy
miles from tie land, aud in one that has no
circulation in the neiehhorhood affected bv
them, The Fresno EJposior says ,hat no.
copy Of the independent is taken in its
county, and yet by this order of Commis-
soner Urummond the people must obey and
act on It's contents, though they never see it
We defended Commissioner Drcmmond, al
most solitary and alone Of the papers on thi>
coast, when he made the order that pre-
vented the railroad and othcr land grabbcrs
and schemers from sobbling up all the
mines as agricultural lands in tie mineral
belt, simply because surveyors were brbcd
to return them as non-mnerl; bat uncs-
| there is more reason than we know of fol
making this outrageous order in the Stock
ton district, we must condemn it rs an out
rage that should cost linn his official hcAr
without IA single day of grace The law au-
thorzed him to pronulgaie an order fixing q
limit beyond which no paper should chare,
per square for these advertisements, will
he alternative that where "A violation wa,
attempted, another paper would be named
We have always published these advertise
ments at less than half our usual rates fol
other matter, simply because we take deel
interest in securing population and hayin.
every sett er AMI miner the owner in fee OF
his farm, homestead and nine We hopl
there is some actual or apparent excuse fo,
this unaccountable action of the comnis-
sioner, and when the truth is found out, We
believe it will be shown that Commissioner
Drummond has been deceived by false rep
res ntations Tie facts or representation,
leading to this action by the commissioner
requires thorough and immediate investiga-
ion. We care nothing for the papers, ms
they can fight their own battles, but the
toiling settler and miner has done nothing tc
demano this outrage on their rights, land,
and pockets, and if persisted in will rob the
Government of half its receipts for land, the
country of its bes' producing population o,
bring back the days of the regulators in the
! Western States.