Eureka weekly sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1887-1902, 1888-08-11
MIR. wRrS.s oPINIOS
Regarding the Alleged unis~f"i
Cutting Of Governments Timber.

FpIroR SENTINEL. For some weeks
mast our community has been somewhat
exercised over the report Of a timber agent
sent out here to spy out timber derssda-
tions. and his ridiculously absurd report
that our two principal mining companies
had purchased and we're liable for wood cut
upon the public land valued at several
millions Of dollars. Many, no doubt, have
been at a loss TO understand how it hap
pened that a timber agent was sent here at
all.
A reference to section i751 Of the Re-
vised Statutes Of the United States reads
as follows:
"AIl penalties and forfeitures under the
provisions Of sections 246l, 2462 and 2463,
title, THE Public Lands shall be sued
for. recovered, die tributed and accounted
for under the direction Of the Secretary Of
the Navy, and shall be paid over, one
half to the informers, If any, or captors
when seized, etc.
Sections 2I6I, 2462 and 2463 relate to
cutting timber upon the public domain,
fixing the penalty, etc. One-half Of all
these millions to be recovered from our
ululnS C1uHahieS hVeS W shc hhioiAhei vi
inform. rs.
Who is the happy informer, or the happy
informers? What lucky dog living
amongst us IS the prospective millionaire.
Can any one guess? What fun it is to be
the fortunate fellow, no doubt, but twill
be rough on the companies to have to pay
all Of these millions.
I But compelling the mining companies to
pay all these millions is only the beginning
of the end. Every one who has burned q
cord of wood in Eureka is equally liable,
if the COMMISSIONS of the Land Office be
correct in regard to the law. In fact. so
far-reachiDg is this new departure that
| nearly every mining company that has OPP
| Grated in this State for the last thirty
years is liable to the Government for the
wood they have used. as well as most of
the citizens Of every town in the State.
| There are partial exceptions along the east
base of the Sier-as, and not elsewhere.
Why not go a step further and commence
action against every company and indi
vidual who extracted gold and silver from
the public domain prior to the passage OF
the law of 1866. They are equally liable.
The original license to cut timber from the
public mineral lands of the United States
dates from the same period, 1S4S, that the
license to extract the precious metals dates
I " anu % SttI1eaA ia = At'ISSN
it. In 1866 the license to extract the pre-
cious metals from the public lands, and to
appropriate water thereon, was crystallized
into law. The license TO take timber was
not mentioned but continued as thereto
fore until 1873, during the Administrative
| Of President Hayes, when Carl Schurz,
| then Secretary of the Interior, seized,
through his timber agents, in the dead oil
Winter, all of the wood in Helena, Mon
tana, and peddled it out to the freezing
citizens for a dollar a cord. For this act
he was denounced in the Senate by one OF
the foremost Of American statesmen, and
a law was Immediately passed to cover
all such cases and prevent future troubles.
Blu Notwithstanding, under some strained
construction of the law, the Commissioner
Of the General Land Office, reversing
the policy Of the Government, a policy
settled when Ewing was at the
head of the Interior Department, and
| Clay, Webster, Calhoun and their CO.
temporaries were in Congress, after able
and exhaustive discussion, now proposes to
prosecute cr~ininally, as well as civilly all
parties who have cut the scrubby pine and
cedar from our mountain sides for domes-
tic use. l am sure the Secretary has been
misinformed in regard to the real facts, or
he never would have entertained the idea,
and some one in our midst is responsible
for the misinformation
Senator Stewart has already taken steps
to stop this something worse than folly,
and with fair hope of success. Yours, etc.
THOMAS WREN.