Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1885-05-23
THE MINERS STATEMENT.


Appeal TO the Governor.
We have already published the applica
ton Of the Board of Supervisors OF Yub,
county, to the Governor, asking that suf
fcient force Of the militia of the State be
employed to enforce the decisions of tht
Courts, enjoining the working of hydraulic
mines. To this. ". A Skidmore, Secretary
of the Miners Association, and signing a.
for the Association has addressed the Gov
ernor a reply, in which, after quoting the
resolution of the said Board Of Supervisors
he says;
Acting for and on behalf of q large numbei
of the miners Of this State, whose very exist
ence is at stake in the legal struggle which has
continued for nearly ten years between lin.
tied number OF persons in and around Marys
Vile on the one side, and the entire mining
industry of the State on the other, This AssOciG
ton deems 1t its duty to say to your Excel
lenCy:
Fifst-That the broad statements made by
the Supervisors CT Huba county in the toregC-
ing appeal are untrue, as the miners, q class
are & w-abiding people, and will not, nor have
they in any way Whatever, sransgreSsed any
stCtute law Of this State.
Second-That none of the mines which have
been legally and finally enjoined have, 50 far az
functions; nor has any officer of the law been
resisted in any way WhGteFer.
Third-That the action OF the sO-cailed Board
of Supervisors of Yuba county is in fact an &C
ton Of only three persons as the Board consists
OF five, two OF whom, We believe, are entirely
opposed 10 the proceedings OF the three in this
matter.
Fourth-That there is no necessity for calling
cut the militia OF our State, which must involve
a large expense, to further OppIeSs the miners
who are now, as they have always been since
they first came here, the firm supporters of law
and order. We feel confident that YOUR Excel
lency Will not fail to see that these three Super
vis0rs of Yuba county are not actuatcd by ordi-
nary motives III their appeal to you! for it would
be impossible for sensible men, who know any
thing OF the law OF TINS country, TO expect your
EXceuency to call out an army to make war
upon citizens where no suggestion is made that
any resistance has been offered to any officer of
the law. 1t is hardly possible that these three
supervl sors Of Huba county expect your Excel
lency TO call out the mil tia o tue State to act as
armed spies, to collect information TO enable
them-thcSe three SuperyisCTs-tO deprive the
miners of their means of support. Such an ex-
pertinent. if your EXcellency could be induced
20 make IT, would involve the employment of C.
very large army to spy out the operations of
each individual miner. Besides these three ST.
pervisOrs are not sufficiently explicit as 70 what
disposition they would have the army make of
such miners as might in beir opinion Uransgress
their views of the law. Whether they should as
prisoners OF war, be treated with the humanity
required by the rules Of modern warfare or be
shot on the spot, or be allowed the privileges of
the writ of habeas corpus.
Fith-That the miners, as q class, will stand
firm III aid Of sustaining any statute of our state
OF of the United States without the interference
of our army: nor viii they resist the process OF
any Court. But they do and will continue to
protest against the use OF the army for the pur-
pose OF enforcing unjust and unreasonable con
stTuctlOns OF judgments Of Courts.
SlXth-Ihe gross attack upon The Chief Jus
tee Of our State illustrates the methods of the
81 f,y.f,S,
fuse to become their tools, and the ASSUMPTION
that an unfortunate miner, who has fallen into
their clutches and is being prosecuted and
ruined by them, has not the Bamc TightS-be-
cause he Is miner-to the protection OF the
Courts, as q. citizen of Aarysville would have.
shows TO what extent this anti-mining prejudice
has warped the minds OF these three Superyis-
ors, hitherto doubtless considered to be fair
minded men.
Seyenth-Tnat some Of the hydraulic miners,
believing that they have Just rs much right as
the quartz and drift and other miners naturally
feel injured that their industry should be sup
pressed and their property and support taken
from them, when all the others are allowed to
continue their operations BY paying for the priv
ilege.
Finally, that if your Excellency will person
ally examine the merits of the issue you viii
We feel confident, arrive ut the conclusion that
there Is no reason why mining should not pro
coed as an industry in our State in the future as
heretofore, if the three Supervisors of Yuba
county and their adherentS will withdraw their
l&cL4Ous opposition 10 the CONSTRUCTION by the
miners or the United States Government, or By
both, of protective works such as they are
willing to construct.
In connection with this view Of the subject,
we desire to call your Excellency's attention to
the fact that when the Congress Of the United
states, a few years since, appropriated q large
sum, about SS)J,O09, for such work and which
sum the miners oheredto duplicate if necessary,
the persons now asking the aid Of the army to
suppress mining. were successful, by false state
ments, IN defeating the expenditure OF this large
sum. And this Association does not hesitate to
state that if that factous opposition had not de
feated the expenditure OF the appropriation,
these protective works would have been already
built, and mining would have continued unn-
terrupted, with benefit 10 ell interests and injury
10 none, and there would have been no necessity
for these three Supervisors TO ask the aid of the
army to starve the miners into submission to
their construction Of Judge made laws.
Therefore we pray your Excellency TO pay no
attention to the application OF these three Super
vlsors, feeling every confidence IN the ability of
the Courts and OF our Chief Justice to see that
Justice is done.