The White Pine news. [volume] (Treasure City, Nev.) 1868-1906, 1885-06-27

History 0T the bzining Laws ~ the
UnitsA states eegiaaiag with abe
Year I585.

Year I5sS.
tLeadviils Hsrald.i
The creation OF the United States
law regulating the acquisition aud pos
session of mining property presents
an interesting history, as will be seen
by the folio y Ing resume OF the grad
uaI growth aud development Of The
mining laws OF this country:
History OF United States mining
laws-In an ordinance of 1875, provid.
ing for the disposal OF lands in the
Western Territory, IL WAS ordered
that one-third part of all gold, silver,
lead and copper mines DO reset ved
by way OF royalty.
In 1897, Congress ordered lands In
Indiana, containing lead mines, TO be
withheld from sale, for future disposal
w the United States, and declared
that any grant of land containing
known mineral deposits thereafter
made, to be void. Toe same law also
authorized the President W lease any
lead mine that had beoen or might
thsrea Ter lle discovered.
lu lol6, All act MAS passed com . ell
ing parties 10 secure tho appro obation
ol the Presideut before working either
lead mines or salt springs.
IN Ioio, President Polk In his an
nuAi Inos,a,.e T,,e.mnleI,ivd .hs repeal
al tie leasing sysioni, " nich " A. Gar
riSd on under the supervision OF Tue
War department., and suggs-ted that
the mineral lands TO placed in the
general land Office, as other public
lands, aud sold, reserving for the
Government an equitable percentage
OF the gross amount of the mineral
produced. lie showed that IN the
years lo4l aud 1874 inclusive, the re-
ceipts from the leasing system were
but VI, 354 "A while the cost Of super
vising tue mines aud collecting the
royalties vas SO, Ill IL.
Nv act t0f 1916, Congress ordered the
sale Of reserved lead mines and con-
tiyuous lands in Illinois aud Arkansas.
and the Territories OF w sconsln AMI
Iowa, at not less than $3.50 per acre.
IN the following year the same order
WAS made In regard to the mineral
lands In the upper peninsula Of Michl-
gan, with the exception that the mini
mum price MAS liked at s..
In lSi9, the supervision of mineral
lands was transferred from the War
department, where IL had been since
100 70 The general land office OF the
IhISrlor department. This change
was followed by radical revolution,
which abolished leases aud su bstiLute
casn sales.
The discovery Of gold In California
In lS4S, necessitated y change in the
mineral laws OF the United States.
Copper, lead and iron were the oulv
minerals really coming within the Law.
Gold and silver had beeu reserved oul
OF abundant caution, but now that
gold had actually been discovered.
Legislation WAS necessary.
In lo4g, President Fillmore, in his An.
nual message, in referring to the gold
discoveries in California, Utah aud
New Mexico, and the disposition of
mineral lands, said: al therefore,
recommend that instead OF retaining
the mineral lands under the perna.
nent control of the government, they
Oe divided into small parcels and
solo, under such restriction as to
= quality and time as will insure the
best price, and guard most effeetually
against com binations of capitalists to
obtain moBopolies.n
December 3, lS49, Secretary OF the
Interior Ewing, transmitted a COM
smunicaiion 10 Congress, calling atten.
tion to the gold discoveries on the
Pacific coast. He cited the Spanish
laws by which the right to the mineral
5 remain with the crown, and contended
that in the transfer these rights were
vested In the government and IL rested
with Congress whether they should
DO asserted or relinquished. In addl-
ton to our own citizens, thousands
sof persons of all nations nock In and