The record-union., 1891-11-05

committee was going to recommend
something that the board had no authority
TO grant, and there has been talk here
this morning OF running us over the
Y Yolo bridge, and of using shotguns, and
all that sort of thing. Now, Pm not
candidate for any office, and these kind of
threats don't scare me bit. | have al
ways been in favor of stopping hydraulic
mining, and have voted for every re-
strictive measure that ever came before
this board. l lived for years on the Cos
umnes River, where l suffered from the
effects OF hydraulic mining, and | think
know as much about the subject as any
of our friends here.'
Continuing. Mr.. Bates said it really was
pretty rough for those people of Iowa Hill
TO look across the American River and
see the Gold Run mine in operation,
while they could not even clean up the
few feet of coarse material lying on the
bedrock. But that was not here nor
there. While he regretted their ill-luck,
he realized that the Supervisors of this
county could not interfere. He was in
favor Of stopping hydraulic mining and
preserving the rivers and valley lands,
first, last, and all the time
The board had gone TO considerable eX-
pense in employing competent attorney,
Mr.. Devlin, to prosecute hydraulic min
ers who were violating the law and many
Of those who are now SO ready to accuse
him OF being partial to the miners were
among the first to kick at that expense.
1t would be very absurd thing for him
to do-to vote to employ q lawyer to stop
hydraulic mining and then vote to allow
hydraulic mining to be resumed. He
never had an idea of allowing monitors
TO be turned loose against the hills, but
he had believed it possible for the miners
TO work up their bedrock material by
sluicing, and thought it fair to let them
do so.
1.-The committee is ready to report"
concluded Mr.. Bates, ''and here is our re-
port"
a COMPLETE KNOCKOUT.
The Clerk then read the following:
To the Board Of Supervisors Of Sacramento
C0i01tJ-GENTLEMEN: Some time ago peti-
tIGn was presented to the Board OF Supervisors
OF this county, signed by a number of the
leading business men and firms of Sacra-
mentO City, asking this board to visit the hy
draulic mines located at Iowa Hill, Placer
County, and which, at the suit of this county.
had been enjoined from further working by
the hydraulic process to the detriment of the
navlgable rivers and property of the valley.
The board deemng such q request from pro-
Ininent taxpayers of this county reasonable,
appointed the undersigned committee for the
purpose of examining the hydraulic mines
which had been enjoined, and of reporting
the results of their examination to the full
board for such action TO the board may
seem proper.
The committee so appointed, in company
with Supervisor Miller, Robert T. Devln,
special counsel for the board, and representa-
tives of the daily press, visited the mines re-
ferred to, and now submit their report.
They were courteously and Hospitality re-
ceiyed by the people of Iowa Hill, and every
effort was made to add pleasure to the visit.
Inasmucl as the request before the board
is one OF erhat interest, the committee deem it
proper, pIeiiminarily, to state that there can
be no question of the vast amount of damage
done to valley interes in the past by ny
dIaulic mining, and that our safety requires
that hydraulic mining shall absolutely cease.
either forever, or until such time as scientific
skin shall devise plan whereby its resumption
viii not produce injury. This county, in com
mon with other counties, spent q considerable
amount of money III determining the law and
it has been decided by the courts OF last resort
that hydraulic mining is an injury that should
not be tolerated.
To these DEGREES the hydraulic miner should
yield obedience, else he becomes q vio,ator of
the law and should be treated as such
1t is not q question OF sentiment, but the
| preservation OF our rivers and the prosperity
of the agricultural portions of the valley de-
mand that mountains shall not be tOppled
into rivers the fertile SOIL Of the river bot
toms turned into barren wastes to satisfy the
lust for gold.
The Federal Government, we are assured
will not appropriate money for the improve
nent of our rivers until the causes that have
impaired their navigability are removed. We
had confidently believed that hydraulic min
ing had ceased and such we are convinced
was the fact until about IL year ago when the
copious rains filed the bitches and gave
abundance of water for mining purposes. and
the hydraulickers, taking advantage of the
apathy OF our people, commenced again their
operations.
The County of Sacramento has no objection
to any other kind of mining other than the
hydraulic, and the quartz, sluice and drift
miners may pursue their work in the full as
surance that no complaint has ever been made
and none exists against them. We believe in
making this declaration at the present time
so that our position may be clearly under
stood. and that those engaged in other kinds
of mining may know that they have nothing
in common with the hydraulic miners, who
constitute class by themselves, and whose
system OF mining is condemned by the law
AT a conference held at Iowa Hill by the
committee with the hydraulic miners, the lat
ter asked that they be allowed to use from so
to 120 days OF water for cleaning up, but de
clined to state any particular time when they
would stop. We deem such q request unrea-
sonable, as it practically amounts 10 permits
sion to continue hydraulic mining for term
of years, or until the mines no longer pay
profit We, therefore, recommend that the
request SO made be denied.
This leaves the matter with no other or
modified request before the board, and any
proposition would have to come from the
board.
We have no proposition to make as 1t is
sufficient for us TO enforce the law.
Having come TO no agreement, the question
is referred to the full board for such action as
the interests of the county, after n full discus
| sion and consideration of ali matters may
! seem to require. Respectfully submitted,
! 'A-S4'N't@ ~ Dali I'D,
ANDREW BLACK
THOMAS JENKINS,
! The farmers looked at one another in
! perfect bewilderment, and each seemed
to be mentally asking his neighbor,
What are we here for ?''
On motion of Mr.. Miller, seconded by
Mr.. Bates, the report was unanimously
adopted.
SOME FURTHER REMARKS.
Chairman Greer asked if the other
members of the committee desired to ex-
press their views on the subject.
Messrs. Miller and Black replied that
| the report was a retieX.o of their opinions
and that they also indorsed the remarks
of Mr.. Bates.
MR.. JENKINS SPEAKS.
! Mr.. jenkins, however, was loaded, and
wanted to say something. He said he be-
! lieved that if the farmers present, who
! had shown so much feeling in the mat
! ter, would go to Iowa Hill and see what
| the committee had seen, they would look
! at the matter in a somewhat different
! light. If as a private citizen owning
/ land along the river, a friend owning one
! OF these Iowa Hill mines that the COM
mittee visited should ask his permission
to wash up the bedrock material, and he
/ had the power to grant the request, he
| would tell him TO go ahead. as he was
certain no injury would be done thereby.
! But it was not private matter-it was
! a State and national iSSue-and as a pub
lie official he believed he had no right to
vote to allow anyone to do that which the
courts had decided to be unlawful. This
! county is eXpending between 500 to $500
! every month to see that the law is en-
! forced, and it would be very absurd for
him to do anything to place obstacles in
the way of so doing.
/ MR. BATES AGAIN.
Mr. Rates arOCp ouairl vI eo;I