The semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1882-1886, 1885-11-14
AN EAkNESr PROTEST.
Montana Miners and Business Men on
the Wood Question.

Yesterday a number of leading citizens OF
Butte who are interested in the question
prepared and circulated among the mining
and smelling companies a petition address
ed to the Secretary OF the Interior in re-
gard to the recent manifesto OF Land Com
missioner Sparks. promulgating rules rela-
tive to the cutting Of timber from the
public domain. The petition was signed by
the representatives of all the leading com.
ed among the business men for their appro-
val. The gentlemen in charge Of the move
ment think they will have copies prepared
and sent to all the principal points in the
Territory. in order that when it is sent to
Washington it will be a formidable docu-
ment.. At their request Governor Hauser
yesterday telegraphed Secretary Lamar
and asked that the order Of the commits
sioner be suspended until the people OF
Montana could be. heard from on the
subject.
THE PETITION
is quite a lengthy document, and begins by
stating that the petitioners have heard
with regret that it is the intention of the
department to put upon the timber laws a
different construction from that accepted
and acted upon during the last few years,
and to prescribe new rnles upon the subject.
Then follows q series of reasonsfor the pro-
test:
There are now in Butte and it's vicinity,
about 10000 people who are dependent
for support upon the mines OF Butte
There is paid out by the mines OF the
camp, monthly, nearly half a million OF
dollars for labor, supplies and improve
ments.
The mining output of the camp for 1885
will be nearly SIS, 900, 900,
The earnings Of the Union Pacific Com
pany from Butte and Anaconda alone is
one-tenth OF the whole earnings of the great
Union Pacific system.
There are now in operation, in Butte,
eight quartz mills having $50 stamps, and
a capacity Of 1000 tons per day. In addi-
ton to this there is near by the Anaconda
smelter, the largest in the United States, if
not in the world. -
That Butte ore generally is not high
grade, and must be worked as cheaply as
possible. Most of the milling ore has to be
roasted and the copper ore has to be
treated by smelling and concentration
For this reason large amounts of timber
are required. and unless it can be OBJ
tanned at reasonable rates the mining in
dustry must come to an end. Large
amounts of timber are also necessary to
ouPPly II HCCuo VI PCOPlC uOAAVoCAV
and building purposes.
The timber used for the purposes is taken
from the public timber lands, which in this
section are, as a rule, mountainous and
have no possible value, except for the tim
Der or as mineral lands.
None of the timber cut is exported from
the Territory, but is used e~xclusi> ely to
sustain it's mining industry and develop it's
resources, and for this reason the rue re-
quiring each man to cut his own timber is
unjust and should not be enforced.
Under the old rule which the people be-
lieved would be continued, they have built
up the most populous mining camp in the
world, but if the Government takes SUCH
action, as it is reported it maydo upon the
timber question, our labor is in vain, our
capital is valueless, our mines must be shut
down, our mills and smelters closed, our
business suspended and from the most
prosperous community for its population
in the United States we must relapse into
the uncivilized wilderness which we found
here q few years ago.
In conclusion the document protests
against any rules, that will prohibit the
cutting Of timber upon public lands in
Montana, to be used for mining, milling,
smeltinp or domestic nurnOaea.