The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1891-03-24
THE COOSAW WAR.
AN END TO THE EFFORTS TO COM.
PROMISE THE MATTER.

AN END TO THE EFFORTS TO COM.
PROMISE THE MATTER.
| The State Cannot Consent TO the Resumr-
tion of Mining by the Coosaw Company
Unless the Lessees OF the State are Per-
mitted to Mine Also.
| COLUMBIA, March I8. The phosphate
commission met to-day at l2 NJ; pres
ent, all the members. Senator Smythe
came up to represent the Coosaw Com
pany. Mr.. III. a. M. Smith and Mr.. T.
| E. Brotherhood also came up 6o-day
and had a hearing before the board.
The correspondent of Tine News and
and Courier made a proposition that
he be permitted to. be present and take
full stenographic notes Of the proceed.
ings, which Would also be the property
OF the commission. Governor TilIman
he personally had no objection. Sena-
tor Smythe also did not object. The
objection was, however, made by mem
bers of the board that other newspaper
correspondents might ask the same
| privilege, and that colored and incor.
rect statements might 60 out to the
press.
Senator Smythe said that he had no
objection to the presence before the
commission Of Mr.. III. A. M. Smith and
Mr.. Brotherhood.
The commission has SO far given out
all of its proceedings to the press, and
the rule was nots broken to-day. At
| torney General Pope either reads the
minutes of the meeting to the report
| ers or makes an abstract of the same.
The special business Of the commits
sion to-day was to consider the reply Of
Mr.. Robert Adger to the last letter from
the commission and also to hear Sena-
tor Smythe. The follc wing Is the let
ter of Mr. Adger:
OFFICE OF THE CooSAw MINING Co.,
CHARLESTON, S. c., March II, 1891.
Hon.. B. II. Tillman. Governor and
Chairman Board of Phosphate Com
missioners, Columbia, s, C,-Dear Sir:
Your favor of the 10Th instant, stating
that the board we're not willing to ar
range withthe Coosaw Mining Company
to resume operations under your super
vision unless other companies were al
lowed to mine in the territory claimed
by us, is received this morning.
regret that we cannot consent to
the conditions imposed by the board,
The proposition Of the Coosaw Com
pany was made in good faith as a busi-
ness offer but to be entered into with
out prejudice to the rights of any party.
| The issue in the case is whether the
Coosaw Company has the continuing
right to exclusively occupy the terrific
ry in Coosaw River. This right we are
seeking to enforce in the Courts. 10
consent, pending the litigation, to
waive this right, and allow that to be
done which we are asking the Court to
! forbid, will, as am advised, practical
ly put us out Of Court.
Another practical reason also goy-
| ems our action.
You must bear in mind that the mil
lion and quarter of dollars royalty
which we haye paid the State repre-
sents that many tons of phosphate rock
removed from Coosaw River, more than
the entire amount taken from all the
rest of the States territory. This has,
of course, seriously diminished the
original deposit.
With careful management and pur-
suing the system we have always fol-
lowed we hope that there is enough
left to supply us our average produc-
tion for limited time to come. But
If other companies are allowed to mine
in it under general rights licenses the
result in short tins will be to ruin
the remaining deposit.
The damage to us would be irrepara-
BILE, and we are sicere in saying that If
such licenses are permitted to mine
until the end of the litigation, expedite
as we may, we would not care to ex-
pend the amc, mt necessary to conduct
the suit to obtain a decree securing us
the exclusive right we claim.
AS proof OF sincerity in this opin-
ion we offered the board, before any
action was taken by them in this mat
ter, the use of a complete mining plant
with which to make such survey and
examination of our territory, under
their uncontrolled supervision, as they
might desire.
We are sincerely desirous of making
some arrangement with the board. 1t
appears to us from your letter that this
could be effected, but for the licenses
referred to therein. We fail to see why
their interest should be the cause of
preventing satisfactory adjustment
by which, pending the litigation, loss,
both to the State and the Coosaw Com
pany, could be avoided.
am yours very truly,
Robert Adger,
Chief Manager the Coosaw Mining Co.
Mr.. Smythe was then heard, and af-
forwards Mr.. H.IA. M. Smith and Mr..
brotherhood appeared before the COM
mission. at nearly o'clock the COM
afternoon, the impression left on the
press being that the negotiations had
| been broken off.
The rock on which the negotiations
were wrecked appears to be that the
Legislature instructs the commission to
perform a specific duty, |. g., to open
up the Coosaw territory to miners gen.
orally. Licenses have been granted to
several companies to mine in Coosaw
territory under the Act. and the State
cannot now revoke such licenses with
out impairing its obligations with its
| licenses.
The genesis of the difficulty ante
dates the phosphate commission. 1t Is
probably wasting time to criticise the
phosphate commission, which is Gre
alton of an Act of the Legislature de-
fining both its powers and duties.
| Mr.. III. A. M. Smith, after the session,
would not or rcould not be interviewed
most probably would not Senator
Smythe said that the line of what he
had to say was included in the above
letter. Mr.. Brotherhood said that he
would probably have a roasted duck
for supper, which he said he would
dichotomize, so to speak, with this cor
respondent. The strutnio-camelus
however, does not usually sup on ca.
nards.
AN OFFICIAL REPORT.
4 4.