The record-union., 1891-12-15

Congress, recognizing this, made its general
laws very simple, authorizing the making of
the local laws, limiting the maximum extent
OF individual mining claims, and requiring
certain annual expenditure as a guarantee of
good faith in holding ihe claim. Also, laws
were provided Tor the patentlng OF mineral
claims in compliance with defined conditions.
So satisfactory were the general laws that they
soon superseded the old local laws in this State.
During the last ten years, however, court and
department decisions and rulings nave been
placing new and restricted interpretations on
the statutes, making more difficult the acqulr-
ing of patent, and have finally gone further
and practically nUlliied the Act OF Congress
reserving the mineral lands from other than
mineral entry and patent.
The plain, obvious conditions ofexistence of
our mineral deposits have been ignored and
in their place rules set up which will tend to
prevent the exploration for mines IN these
lands and seal up their tr, asures indefinitely.
The statutory requirements 10 obtain patent
are: First, valid location OF mineral
ground; second, prootef bona fidecxpenditure
OF $500 for labor and improvements; and
thru, no valid adverse claim. By virtue OF
decisions and rulings the requirement now Is
that the mineral claim shall be a paying mine.
Now il is plainly evident that the eXpendi-
ture of $500 will not make a mine pay or
even develop that it will pay once in a thou
sand times. Inasmuch as capital Will not
risk the large amounts necessary without GER
1ainty of title in advance, it follows that very
few new mines will be sought for.
The shutting down of the hydraulic mines
destroys the value OF their vast bodies or
auriferous grayels. The restrictive interpreta-
ton OF the mining laws discourage prospect
ing for new drift and quartz mines ana viii
tend 10 stop the development of many already
discovered. The practical effect OF IL all Is
that the mineral lands are left open to entry
and appropriation in large tracts as a9rl-
cultural. timber or desert lands till mineral
should be actually mined III paying
quantities. This was not tue intent OF Con-
gress which aimed 10 encourage the eXplora-
ton and developmentof the mineral lands as
such
We have called on the friends of the mining
industry TO meet in convention 10 discuss
these obvious wrongs against U.s. We desire
through this convention TO obtain unity Of
action in determining on and securing RENE
dies We desire to have il so memorialize
Congress us 10 secure prompt and faN orLble
action on the report OF the Commission or
Engineers herein referred TO. We desire, as
matter OF simple justice, IN part return LOT me
los as or ten years repression OF hydraulic
mining, as a. part of the general public policy
or the nation toward its industries. and as
guarantee. | OH TO farmers and miners alike,
of q fair UNRESTRICTED trial OF the debris dams.
that they shall be constructed by the Govern
ment, and that Congress snail aprropr ate u
money therefor. We desire further 10 SO
lnemorialiZe Congress TO secure sUcn
changes in the mining statutes as shall more
exactly define the rights OF mining expiora-
ton, occupation and purchase, anu prevent
Il cir acquisition IN any other way than under
the mining laws OF the United States.
In addressing the people of the State we say
that our grievance is in a measure yours. We
say tat The relation of gold mining to the
otner industries. is such that all the others
have a vital interest in its prosperity and ex-
tension.
COLD is the life blood of society. 1t is the
measure of all wealth and the medium of all
exchanges. Its abundance IS OF vital, never
ending importance, and that state which has
the most per capita is the strongest and most
prosperous, for it commands the labor, the
products and the wealth of the others. Again,
where all other industries compete within
themselves and against eacn other IN the
struggle to become wealthy and leSs6 indi-
vidual rewards as they grow, the gold and sill
yer mfnin Industries stand by themselves as
those which i'll their extension increase lndl-
vidual rewards, not alone OF their followers,
but OF the followers of all other industries.
They are the only industries that are not
competing producers, but on the contrary are
competing consumers for all the Others
Apply these general economic truths to our
own local California. Consider the disturb
ance in our own affairs caused by a now OF
S5O000,000 of gold from New York to
Europe last spring. OF that $50,000,000,
So O0O. 600 was withdrawn from the none
fary circulation of our State, disturbing and
unsettling values and making money hard 10
get Consider if we had S1O,0O0,O00 more
coming out of the earth every year TO meet
Just such drains, would not we be more as
sured IN our prosperity as State, and would
not each INDUSTRY feel the additional impulse
that this amount of gold would give!
These then are the conditions and some OF
the reasons why we call on the friends OF the
material industry of the State to meet us in
this convention. And we commend them TO
your consideration, confiCent that III them
you will see our interest as yours.
BY the committee on address.
S gned by Il. l.. Dunn, j. II. Neff, NJ. Selma
bel j. NJ. Fulweiler, George Colby, Jonn B.
Stevens, Noble Martin, d. w. Spear, Com
mittee.