The weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1878-1881, 1880-04-27
A FRAUDULENT COMMISSION,

The more carefully the recommendations OF
the Public Land Commission are examined
the more does it become apparent that the
excursion to the Western States and Terrific
ries last fall was made at the dictatlon Of Col
orado capitalists tor purely personal ends.
Senators Teller and Hill, of the Centennial
State, and many other prominent Leadville
mining operators, whose position and money
give them political influence, would be mate
rally benefited by a change in the existing
law governing the locations of mines, since
they are extensively Interested in blanket
lodges, but they well knew that the introduce
ton OF a measure in Congress witl,outLhe form
OF a previous inquiry as to its general result
would arouse suspicion, and that in all like
lihood the proposed legislation would be
defeated when it should come to be finally
voted upon. They therefore, it appears,
made a seemir ely fair proposition for the ap-
pointment Of a commission from the land
office whose duty it would be to visit the
mining districts Of the West with a view of
personally examining the requirements of
mining men and Of asccrtaining the drift of
public sentiment upon the question OF chang
ing the existing laws. There can be NO doubt
that all investigation Of this kind, if honestly
conducted, would prove OF very material
benefit to the mining interest, for beyond dis
pute the present regulations are deficient in
many important particulars. This fact being
recognized throughout the Western States
o,t 1N,,tto,;1, 49, -- ..lv
received everywhere, and were cheerfully
afforded every facility for gathering correct
information in regard to mining.
In Salt Lake, Virginia City, (Nev.) and
San Francisco they devoted Il great deal of
time to the taking of testimony, and on its
becoming known that they were inclined to
fayora square location law, prominent mining
men neglectins their business, waited upon
the government representatives and protested
as a unit against the proposed measure, the
outrageous character Of which they plainly
proved. MI. Donaldson was sent to represent
the commission in this Territory, and during
his stay in Butte held a conference with a
number of leading mine owners, at which
the subject of square locations was exhaust
lively discussed. Mr.. Donaldson was furnished
with all needed information, and like his
brother commissioners in other places, took
copious notes upon which he pretended to set
great value. 1t is learned that in other towns
of the Territory which he visited he also took
voluminous testimony, and in no instance, as
far as can be ascer:ained, did he elicit one
single opinion which could be construed as
favoring a square location law. The expert
ence of Mr.. Donaldson was identical with
that of his co-laborers in other sections of the
coast. The prevailing and only sentiment
was and is opposed to any violent changes in
the present law. The mining men Of Cali
fornia, Nevada, Utah, idaho, Montana and
the Black Hills country earnestly protested
against 4 nIoposed modification. Leadville
alone Mas iTfFSr of il, but it seems that the
claims of Leadville outweigh every other
consideration. The inference is plain: If
the commissioners were honest men, and
were acting for the general good, their infa-
NOUS bill would not now be pending in Con-
gress. Their whole expedition was a job and
farce got nv to prepare the way for a lot Of
dead beat capitalists to swindle the miners
out of their well earned rights.