Los Angeles herald., 1892-01-23
THE FARMERS AND THE MINERS FRA
TERNIZE.

TERNIZE.
( The miners convention now in ses-
sion in San Francisco has developed
one of the strangest instances of wide
chasm success fully bridged over ever wit
messed in this or any other state. The
counties of the valleys that had suffered
so severely from the inroads of slickens,
and whose people had almost risen in
arms against the hydraulic miners, were
all represented, and among the dele
gates were number OF the leading men
who have heretofore carried on the war
against slickens with an asperity which
seemed too sharp for time or clrcum-
stances to change. These men, how
ever, appeared on the floor OF the min
ers' convention with the olive-branch
of peace in one hand and with sim
cerely expressed desire to extend the
other TO their whiloHa enemies, in the
grasp of geod-fellowship.
Time has, of course, greatly modified
the rancor which formerly existed; but
the real explanation of this happy
change of feeling has arisen from the
report of the government engineers,
who, after careful examination of the
whole subject, declare that it is feasible
to successfully impound the slickens,
and to permit the industry to be re-
sumed without danger to the farmers in
the valleys or injury to the navigation
of the rivers.
It is shown by the report of the en-
gineers that the loss to the farmers Of
the valleys by the encroachment OF
mining debris had amounted to $2,S7l,-
585. The engineers say that an ex-
penditure of 81, 900. 600 for impounding
dams in the mountains and wing dams
in the streams would secure the farmers
from injury ana the rivers from sitting.
1t would further require an expenditure
of $40, 600 year to keep the work in re-
pair and for supervision.
1t is, of course, impossible to estimate
the loss that has been sustained by all
classes from the injury to navigation.
But, on the other hand, it is esti-
mated that the closing down of hy-
draulc mining, besides the damage it has
done to the mountain towns that four
ished upon the prosperity of the miners,
has kept one hundred million dollars of
gold from being added to the metallic
wealth of the state. Here are figures
that will cause every one to assent to
the proposition, that an industry of
such immense value, not only to the
miners, but to all classes, ought to be
revived if it can be done without injury
to other industries. 1t is believed tn st
the engineers have satisfactorily an
swered this last objection. The conven-
tion will petition congress to make the
appropriations necessary to practically
carry out the recommendations of the
engineers, and the farmers will heartily
Join hands with the miners to accom-
plish this result.
There are other grave questions which
the convention will act upon, the most
pressing of which is to combat the prin-
ciple recently laid down by United
States court that government lands
which have been adjudged agricultural
In the preliminary surveys snail not be
subjected to location as mineral, even
after the fact had been undoubtedly as
certained that they were go. The con-
firmation of this principle by the su-
preme court OF the United States would
give the great land subsidy railroads ab-
solute and indefeasible ownership Of
millions OF acres of the best undeyeloped
mineral lands in the country, and it is
believed that this is really the underly-
ing object OF the railroads in getting an
affirmative decision OF the question in
q lower court of the United States.
1t is to be hoped that the convention
will SO energize its attitude upon this
grave subject as to defeat the fatal de-
sign of the subsidy railroad corporations.