The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1890-06-10
THOSE MINERAL LANDS
Measures Proposed In Washington fox
Their Protection.
Answers From the Interior Depart
ment to Mr.. Carter's Questions
More kilograms and a
Demand for Guns.
Special to the standard.

Special Ia the standard.
WASHINGTON. June 9.-Intercst i'm Mon
tana on the subject of mineral lands will
he stirred up by the latest contribution to
the discussion. II comes from the interior
department and Is in line with the utter
ances OF Secretary Noble in his annual re-
port. In answer to a letter written By
Mr.. Carter, dated April ~. to the secretary
of the interior. Acting Commissioner
Stone. To whom il was referred replied on
May NJ. The letter Of Mr.. Carter called
for information in regard to his bill ''to
provide for the examination and classifi-
cation of certain mineral lands and for
other purposes" and asked for the num-
ber of acres in the Northern Pacific land
grant and the indemnity limits in Mon
tana and Idaho, the number of acres sur
veyed within the grant, the acres selected
and the status Of such selections.
stones report shows that in Montana
there have been granted IL ,sss,Os0 acres.
,92,OOO are In the l0-mile limit, 4, ,3s6 2S5
have been selected by the company and
IA, ,15s, TO have been surveyed within the
grant. In Idaho /, 800, 800 acres have been
granted, $4,000 acres are in the 1O-mile
indemnity limit, l22,52D acres have been
selected and are now pending and lO3,-
200 acres have been surveyed within the
grant. No lands have been patented to
the company In Montana or Idaho, those
I'm Montana being suspended pending
consideration of the character of the
lands.
MIR. Stone is of the opinion that the
grant should be adjusted without delay
as the lands are largely unsettled, un-
prospected and almost unknown noun
famous lands. III the grant Is adjusted by
patenting the lands not known to contain
mineral, II Is clear that many tracts will
ultimately he found TO contain mineral.
Even n superficial examination would be
MORE satisfactory than to pass upon the
character OF the lands without examipa-
tion or To postpone the adjustment i'm
definitely through an unwillinRness to
patent lands known to contain valuable
mineral, because they may hereafter bs
FOUND to contain mineral. He suggests that
MIR. Carter's bill be amended SO as to re-
quire that an examination be made with
reference to actual selections before these
| selections are favorably acted upon, and
he recommends that 10000 be appro.
priatc<i for the first year In carrying ou.
the purposes Of the act. Secretary Noble
transmits tho letter, approving the report
and the recommendations of Acting Com.
missioner Stone as to the course to be
followed and the amount to he appro-
priatcd i'm order Ia carry them out. Mr..
Carter has under consitle ration an idea
that may lead 10 the addition of
n clause providing for the appointment,
of a commission by the president to trea,
with the Northern Pacific company for
the relinquishing of all land claimed to
be mineral land by the people of Mon
tana and also for the relinquishing OF the
indemnity to which the company is en-
titled for each acre of mineral land ex
empt from. the grant.
Sanders and Power have both receive,
dispatches from Butte like that receive,
by Carter on Saturday. Sanders says d,
has telegraphed back that. il Butte ex
poets him to control the senate, il mus
send him a mountain howitzcr or sho
gun, or at least lariat. He does not fee
competent 10 scare the august body with
out exposing weapons.