Butte semi-weekly miner., 1888-03-14

erals. The grant is not to be suspended
indefinitely: waiting for miners and pros
pectors to make explorations, but when
the Government surveys are made such
OF the sections included in the grant
ing act as at that time are not
known to contain minerals are patented
to the company. That settles the matter
80 far as title to those sections is con-
cerned, and no future discovery OF minerals
invalidates the title" He asserts that
Government surveys progress very slowly,
and as fast as they are made it is only lair
that the railroad company should receive
title to the lands Congress enacted it
should have in order that it may sell them
and that the settlement OF the country
may not be longer retarded" He admits
that minerals may be found on any section
OF the Northern Pacific grant in the mouD-
tain district OF Montana. but thinks it
would be "manifestly unjust to the coun'
try and highly detrimental to the interests
OF the Territory" if the whole grant for the
mountain district, belt OF country 3Oo
miles long, were to be withheld until all the
discoveries of minerals that it contains
were made, which would take an indefinite
time to ascertain, and withhold that por-
ton OF the Territory from settlement for
that period.
The people of Montana are un'er obliga-
tions to Mr.. Oakes for this candid presenta-
ton of the Northern Pacific's case. They
can now feel assured of the company's
nd
| above. board avowel 30 far as they are
concerned, the mountain lands OF the Ter
ritory are not believed to be valuable for
any purpose comparable with their mineral
development. The settlement which the
Territory is still open to and will be for
many years is not expected to ambrace
these mountain lands. They are not OF
character to attract settlement when
there are thousands of acres alsng the
river courses and on the table lands OF the
Territory presenting attractive opportunl-
| ties for the settler. Mr.. Oakes admits that
Montana has been searched for minerals
for more than a quarter of century, and
| this search has resulted in the conviction
that the more those mountainous lands OF
| the Territory are prospected, the more
| they develop the incalcuIable riches they
are believed to contain. Mr.. Oakes en-
phasizes th&2pinion 'known to contain
and lays great stress on the word known
as though that settled the matter.
But in the Interpretation of the act OF Con
gress making the grant it is absurd to re-
strict these words to actually developed
mines, as Mr.. Oakes seems to intend. Any
one not utterly ignorant OF the nature o'
mining ground knows that where mineral
has been found more is certain to remain
undiscovered. and that the inference may
be drawn with almost absolute certainty
that where so many rich inns have been
discovered within comparatively small
areas there remain yet to be discovered iii
amount of minerals whose richness can
| only be conjectured. And the only value
| that these mountain sections of Montana
have for it's people is this undiscovered
wealth. The discovery has truly been
going on for twenty-fiv years but the de-
velopments are only in their infancy. What
has been developed, it is believed, is only
an indication of what still remains
Undiscovered Granite Mountains and
Anacondas and Drum Luminous still re-
main in the bowels Of these m ountains as
surely as these enormous producers existed
for ages before they we're discovered. In
order that the prospectors who are des
/ tined to make these discoveries may have
a free and untrammeled field to work in
it is an abeolute condition precedent that
| the land in which he looks for hidden treas
ure shall remain in the possession OF the
Government. Then he can perform the
| legal preiminaries, stake out his claim and
go to work developing. certain that if he
finds it such as he desires to patent he will
be able to procure his patent on paying the
Govern ment the fees legally prescribed. Il
the land belonged by patent to the com
pany he would be asked such figure for il
as the company thought it was WORTH OF
perhaps he would be compelled to be con-
tent with a lease at an exorbitant percent
age on his labor.
In short, to do as Mr.. Oakes claims should
be done with these lands would simply be
to put an effectual check on prospecting in
the Territory for all time. The company
is not suffering for the want OF these lands
1t has already made an enormous sun
from it's land grant sales elsewhere and is
besides in prosperous running condition
No. The company want these lands only
that it may serve others as it has already
served men in this Territory. Only the
other day ]. J. Town, Of Red Bluff, Mon
tana, forwarded to T. C. Merrill, Secretary
of the Montana Mineral Land Association
an instance OF the results that may be ex
pected from the Northern Pacifc's owner
ship OF the mineral sections OF Montana.
There are locations OF two quartz mines al
Red Bluff which is in section Z, township 3
range l east, which have been worked fol
years, and on which mines are at work now
improving AMI developing. The Northern
Pacific had an expert in that region some
two or three years ago. who could not helE
seeing these men at work, and yet this land
was certified to the company and patented
to it and by it sold to Judge Henry N
Blake. Thousands OF dollars have been ex
pended on the mines, but it all goes fol
nothing, and the labor OF years practically
l
worth OF labor INTO the work. This is not
an isolated case.
The work of the Montana Mineral LanG
Association was we'll begun and cannot be
pushed to completion any too soon. With
the array of facts which they will present
to the Interior Department in opposition
to the corporations demand for patents o.
alternate sections for forty miles on eact
side of their right OF way, it will be seer
whether known mineral lands should ap
ply only to land on which development has
been begun or whether it does not include
all land which may with almost absolute
certainty be assumed to contain mineral
afti dts stith be exempted FROM patent tt
the road,
LIVINGSTON is holding out inducements te