The morning call., 1894-01-28
TRUE TO A TRUST.
A Substantial Friend of
Miners.
AS a Strong Republican His Ability
Has Always Been Recognized.
Sketch of His Career.

1t is not too much to say that one Of the
most prominent mea in the eyes. of Cali
fornians to-day is Jacob II. Neff of Placer
County. He might as we'll be spoken of
as Jacob Neff of California. so widely is he
known AS leading Republican, an ad-
vanced man in all interests pertaining to
mining, and as a Prison Commissioner he
is continually before the public, aud it
may be truly said that the more he is seen
the better he is appreciated. The way to
judge a man is not to stand off and size a
N an up as he presides at convention or
when he is making complimentary after
di nner speech. The majority of public
men shine in such positions. butvery little
of the real nature of man OF of his quail
ties as man can be gathered by such
long-raBge and SUI perfcial inspection. 1t
is by meeting man in everyday life,
when he is off his guard and is bustlng on
In the struggle of life and brushing up
against his feIlow-men, that the chances
of gauging mans breadth and his char
acter are afforded.
those who know Jacob I'll. Neff i'll
everyday life will know that no eulogy of
him can add to the high esteem in which
ne Is justly beld. They know him as
pam; unostentatious. Straightforward.
adj llty and heart which can feel for and
Sy mpathiZe with his fellow-man,
VI DIS early life probably but little ia
generally known. Those who know him
now, however. will be Interested to learn
where he halls from and something of his
early life. The mention CT his name
might suggest the State of his birth, for
Jacob II. Neff comes of good old Penn
sylvania family. He was born in Lancas-
ter County in 1881 and was educated in
the public schools of Iowa. When he was
a young man OF 10 he first saw California,
and In 1850 engaged in the active struggle
for existence as miner. From that time
TO this-over forty-three years-he has
taken a keen and active interest in all that
pertains to mining and miners.
Perhaps the most noticeable services
rendered by Mr.. Neff to the cause of the
miners was in connection with the debris
controversy. Though he has n3ver been
connected with or interested in hydraulic
mining, he appreciated the fact that Judge
Sawyer's decree was throttliDg an industry
which, under proper restriction, should be
stimulated. He believed that there was
way of prosecuting the industry without
injury to the farmers or the river. The in
dustry had reached vast proportions when
the blow was dealt by the decision, but
the right kind of men to rehabilitate it
have been found, and foremost among
them stands Jacob II. Netf.
A convention was called and the people
of the valleys, not the miners alone, but
also the farmers, were Invited to attend.
The object of this first convention was 10
thoroughly discuss the situation from the
standpoint of both farmer and miner, to
hear both sides and then endeavOr 10 har-
monte the interests of both for the benefit
of farmer aud miner as we'll as for the
State at large. One of the results of this
convention was the Briggs bill, a. prOpri-
ting $4,000 TO defray the expenses of the
Government engineers, Colonel MeDdell,
Colonel BeDyaurd and Major Heuer, to
investigate thoroughly the detriments of
hydraulic mining and the measures which
could be adopted to 0hviate them and still
not interfere with the prosecution of so
im pOrtant a branch of mining.
The result of this investigation was a
report to the effect that by constructing
dams at certain points upon tive Yuba.
Bear and American rivers, the overflow OF
debris IN those rivers could be prevented.
Further than this, it was reported that
the flow OF water would not be perma-
nently mterfered with and the navigable
properties of the lower portions Of the
streams would not be damaged.
In this first convention, held in Placer
County, j. Fl. Neff took prominent part
The following year. and as another result
of that convention, the first State cOnven-
ton was held in Pioneer Hall. in San
Francisco. and this gave birth to the State
Miners Association. OF this association
jacob Neff was elected president, and at
its second annual convention he was
unanimously reelected The association,
at its first meeting, appointed an executive
and Robert Murray. with j. b. HObsnD,
went to Washington, ID. c., and then. with