The San Francisco call., 1895-10-14
LETTERS FROM THE PEOPLE.
MINERAL LANDS DISPUTE.


DIVISION IN THE RANKS OF THE SEEKERS FOR
PLACERs AND LEDGEs.
To the Editor of the San Francisco CdgI-SIR: !:
AS you are aware, very important meeting OF
the Miners Association will be opened IN this
City to-day. The association is split into three
camps on the question of the preservation of
the mineral lands for prospectors and public
location according to the mineral laws.
The division is not as to the Importance of
preserving the rights of the miner. On that
we are all agreed. Every person who knows
anything of the difference between mining
and agricultural patent knows well that deep
mining cannot be undertaken on an agricul-
tural patent. So, if all the mineral lands are
patented as agricultural, that would kill the
mining interests of the State. mineral loca-
ton enables the miner to follow the vein on
the pitch to the center of the earth-it does not
matter whose agricultural land it goes under
but an agricultural patent prevents the follow
ing of lode outside of the vertical boundary.
Hence the Importance OF preserving the right
to mineral location wherever minerals exist
Another great difficulty meets us in the selec-
tion of mineral from agricultural land. The
mining laws define mineral location to be an
area through which are found minerals which
will pay to work.
Sometimes rock in place will show such
value, but in nine cases out of ten no such
value is shown on the surface, and therefore
1T is only by prospecting and developing that
we GILL ulhkc sure Oh value.
Even in the case OF gravel mines although
there may be immense wealth lying under the
laVa-capped channels, no engineer can say for
a certainty that it will pay to work As a case
in point, / am associated with some English
capitalists In opening an extensive and we'll
defined channel in Sierra County, which has
yielded something like $40, 100000 where it
was worked three miles up stream from our
property. We were required to raise $4,000
to complete shaft we were sinking, and J.
Ross Browne was engaged to report on the
q W
q well-defined channel running one and a half
miles through the property, but, as we had not
reached bedrock with the shaft, he could not not
say whether it had any value or not The
foreign pitalists, taking that as a hint that
there is no value in the property, have conse-
qnently refused to proceed with the shaft,
to bedrock. Now, how is it possible to prove
values in such cases?
have said the miners are divided in their
ideas as TO the best way of preventing true
mineral land from being patented by the rail-
road grant or by any other parties as agricul-
tural land.
pus. Another camp says: "No we do not blame
the railroads; they have their rights as well as
the miners" and argues that the most sensi-
Bile way is to join with the railroads and have
the matter fairly determined by experts ap-
pointed by both parties. But as the railroad
wishes to make it binding on both parties to
accept the decision of the experts or their UNI
pire as final the first camp says, "No; we see
in this the cloyen foot and are therefore op-
poSeQ TO any DlnQlng agreement.
Then the people in the third camp do not see
why the railroad should be consulted by the
miners in the matter, as the United States
laws clearly state that mineral land cannot be
legally patented as agricultural, and all the
Miners Association may be expected to do is
to get the General Government to have the
said grant properly experted by its own eA-
perts. But here again the legal definition OF
mineral, as that which has value, comes in the
way; so you see it is not without reason that
the miners, although agreeing to man on the
general principle that mineral land should be
reserved for miners locations and patents, yet
disagree as to the best way to accomplish the
object in view.
A most unfortunate fact is that the associa-
| tion is short of funds to enable 1t TO do any
| thing, which is interpreted by many to mean
that the officials have not the confidence of the
association. don't think that it is want of
confidence which freezes the excheQuer.
| The fact is, ii is the methods not the men
that are at fault. Mr. Nef, like Washington,
was an ideal choice for first president, but it is
necessary to the well being of the association
| that he should not monopoliZe the situa ton.
as that Office should, if possible, be perma-
| nency, no bettertman can be found in this.City
| to act as permanent secretary. The other Of
| fees should be subject TO change, and to keep
| down Jealousy those persons have no more
| right to third term than Washington or
Grant had. The selection of president is an
| important one and would be in favor of either
| Mr.. Valentine of Wells-Fargo, Mr.. Hellman of
| the Nevada Bank or Mr.. Lillienthal of the
Anglo-California as the next president.
With permanent secretary either of such
men would prove of more value to the miners
than any directly interested mining man in
this State. In mentioning names only do so
to indicate the class of men from which Sc
lection should be made. There is no doubt
that with proper methods the association could
be made one of the most influential in the
country. And then there would be no need to
keep an octopus in the closet to scare the
babies A MINING DELEGATE.