Eureka weekly sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1887-1902, 1888-09-01
THE TIMBER QUESTION.
what VIII ResaIt in n Event OF
the suits Beisg Commenced.

EuEKKA, Aug. 80, 1SsS.
Enron SENTINEL: 1t appears from the
Congressional Record of the 22d inst.
that upon the recommendation Of the
Commissioner Of the Land Office that
suits have been ordered against the Eu-
reka Con. and Richmond Companies for
wood cut upon the public mineral lands by
parties engaged in the business and sold to
those companies TO enable them to mine
and reduce ores.
Senator Stewart, when informed of the
arrest Of parties for cutting wood on public
mineral land for mining purposes in the
central part Of the State, offered an amend
ment to the Sundry Civil Appropriation
bill, then pending in the Senate, providing
that no part of the appropriation made by
that bill should be used for the prosecu.
ton of any person for cutting for mining
and domestic purposes "dwarfed or
scrubby timber unfit to be sawed into lum-
Der of commercial value" on the public
lands. This amendment was proposed
in the Senate, but vas not concurred in by
the House Of Representatives. In order
to prevent the House from adopting the
amendment the COMMISSIONS of the Land
Office wrote a letter to james w. Burns,
a member Of the House, attacking the
mining companies and Stewart violently.
On the Goth inst. the New York Herald
contained an editorial based upon the letter
of the Commissioner. also violently at
lacking Senator Stewart. On the 22d
inst. the Senator, speaking to a question Of
personal privilege, indicated himself from
the charges made by the Commissioner and
denounced the statements made by him as
untrue, not holding the Commissioner re-
sponsible, however, for the false statements,
but his infoTmers, and SO the matters stood
At last advices. Now, If the Senate
should recede from Senator Stewards
amendment the suits will undoubtedly be
commenced at once. In hat event all
smelling and mining operations must i'm
mediately cease in Eureka District. There
is no timber in Central and Eastern Ne
vsda except the scrubby pine, cedar and
mahogany growing upon the public min
eral land. The public mineral land is re-
served from sale and is not surveyed except
in cases where mine owners have had sur
veys made for the purpose Of procuring
patents, and could not be sold except as
mining ground if they were surveyed, and
there is no way in which the title to any
considerable portion of these timber lands
can be acquired from the Government.
Under the law, as construed by the
Commissioner, it will be his duty not only
to commence the contemplated suits but to
seize all wood now cut upon the public
mineral lands and prevent all persons from
cutting for these companies in the future.
The mining companies can only in part
procure the necessary fuel elsewhere to
carry on their smelling and mining pur-
poses. Our ~citizers will realize ct once
the extent of the disaster impending over
them. The ruin wrought by our great
fires will be as nothing compared to it.
Hundreds of our citizens are dependent
for their daily bread directly or indirectly
upon the operations of our great mining
companies. Stop their operations and
what are all of these poor people to do!
Many Of them nave not even the means to
seek employment elsewhere. And where
are they to go to get it? The construction
of the law by the Commissioner applies to
all other parts of the State and the condi.
Jon are the same throughout middle and
Eastern Nevada, Austin, Taylor, and all Of
the other mining camps in the middle and
eastern part of the State are equally in.
fortunate with ourselves, except, perhaps,
that there has been no one found in thei
midst as despieable as the lying wretches
who have brought this trouble upon us by
their Misrepresentation.
We may repose full faith that Senators
Stewart and Jones and Representative
Woodburn viii do all they can for the best
interests of the State, but it is difficult, as
1 found while in Congress, to make East
ern Representatives understand the real
state of affairs in the mining regions Of the
Pacific States and Territories, and while
we hope for the best let Us prepare for the
worst. Yours. THOMAS WREN.