National Republican., 1883-11-02
HUNGRY HOLLOW TEETH.

Senator Stewart says tt Will Produce
Universal Bankruptcy TO Fiji Them ALL
Uncertainties OF nIinlng--Row Between
Farmers and Miners in California.
Hon. William NJ Stewart, formerly senator
from Nevada, and now practicing law in San
Francisco, is visiting Washington. He was
found last evening in his beautiful residence
on Dupont circle, and inquiry was made Of
him about the condition of the controversy in
California between the valley farmers and
the mountain miners over the debris question
"a question Of vital Importance to the people
of tho state.
"The war on the miners by the people of
the valley is very disastrous TO mining" said
the ex-senator. ut has stopped many mines
and prevented the opening of others The
annual product of gold in California for the
last ten or fifteen years has boen about $l5,-
100000 This year it will probably not ex-
coed $40 900, 900, and il will continue to grow
less each year unless something is done to
harmoni2e the conflict between the farmers
and the miners. Congress has made au ap-
preparation for building dams to restrain the
debris from the mines, and prevent it flowing
down into navigable water courses. Mr..
Cadwalladcr, the lawyer who has charge Of
the farmers cause, and who requires them to
accept and advocate his views, has informed
tho secretary of war that it would be a bad
thing for him TO use the money appropriated
by congress for building restraining dams"
Replying to the inquiry why the miners
could not themselves construct the necessary
restraining dams, Senator Stewart said:
There is an accumulation in the rivers
from thirty-four years mining, and it would
be Improbable for The persons now engaged
in that business to take care of the debris
from their own washing, and also to protect
the lower rivers from first accumulations
now remaining in the upper rivers. The
ase we have just tried in the circuit court is
very important. If tho injunction which is
the object Of the suit, is granted, and the
miners are restrained from discharging their
debris into the rivers, hydraulic mining will
be stopped unless congress or the state
legislature provides some remedy whereby
the conflicting interests can be rec
onciled. Mining in the aggregate
is not and never has been profit
able. The few who make money arc the
lucky exceptions. They are the few prize
winners who induce others to hunt for mines.
The gold and silver mines of the United
States have not yielded on an average over
rs cents per day. The lowest esti-
mate of tho number of people engaged in
mining for the last thirty-four years is 300,-
900, including those actually working in the
mines and those supplying materials for the
miners. The highest estimate Of the aggregate
product of gold and silver from all the mines
in the Pacific states and territories does not
exceed S2,000,00 100000"
Then why not stop mining?"
''Tho world uses gold and silver for money.
No citizen is regarded as quite respectable If
he suggests any other method of doing busi-
ness. Tho result has been to prevent tho in
tellect of the world from devising any other
money except gold and silver. Tho gold
miues of California produce moro than all
other known gold mines in the world The
production of gold is moro uncertain than
that of any other metal, and that of silver
comes next The Romans mined most ex-
tensively during the prosperity of both the
republic and the empire Gold and silver
mining was practically suspended during
tho dark ages. When gold and silver were
discovered in Mexico and South America
there was not in Europe moro than
S50,000,000 Of gold, aud not more than $1,000,-
100000 of both silver and gold. The gold and
silver of the new world created a new civili-
zation in the old. About the commencement
of the present century the product of the
precious metals began to decline. Times are
hard, as they call it, when money is growing
dearer and property and labor cheaper. The
discovery of gold in California aud Australia
revived commerce and enterprise throughout
tho world. The United States, being the
largest producer of gold, was able to sustain
her credit through the trying crisis of the
rebellion. The outlook for the future is bad.
All the gold now produced in the
| world cannot possibly equal the consumption
of that metal in the arts and industries. 1t
is perfectly certain that if all the people of
the world had their teeth properly filled with
gold it would produce universal bankruptcy.
Whatever is done there will be constant con-
traction from this time forward IL gold con-
tinues to be the standard of value A 2 per
cent. bond running fifty years ought to sell
at largo premium.