The record-union., 1895-08-12
ABOUT MINERAL LANDS.
Walter Mead Sheds Light on the
Question,
What q Consistent Friend Of the Min
ers Has to Say About the Contro-
yersy With the Railroad.
From the Nevada City Transcript

From the Nevada City Transcript
SAN FRANCISCO, August 6, 1895.
Editor Transcript: Shakespeare puts
fools these mortals be ~ That we are all
subject to the appellasion l do not deny;
but some are TO greater extent than the
others. Human beings are like flock Of
sheep--they follow the leader. l have
seen them blindly rush on TO destruc-
ton, not a thought of danger or OF fear in
their foolish heads. The bell wether was
their guide; whore it went they fol-
lowed. So it is with men-they follow q
leader to their own despair and often
times destruction. They do not stop to
thlnk-to investigate. They let others
do the thinking for them, and when
they lind out that they have been de-
ceived or misled they quietly submit to
what they believe to be inevitable and
are ready for the next crank or dema-
gogue who comes along, and stirs them
up by specious platitudes and untruthful
statements-statement made for selfish
OF sordid purposes. The men know they
are insiucere III what they say, but they
rely upon the creuulity of their follow
erS.
l am led to make these remarks by
what | know 10 be false. the perniciously
false, education the miners of Nevada
County are now receiving IN regard To
the attitude OF the railroad company
towards them i'll the matter ct the
mineral lands. Any one who has doue
me The honor TO read my letters in your
paper knows full well that my heart has
always been with the miners in the death
struggle they have been having. | was
one OF them myself, and their noble, true
hearted generosity IS theme L love TO
dwell upon. There is scarcely rod OF
ground in Nevada County that have not
at some time passed over. Its topography
is as familiar to me RS the streets of this
city. My childhood and early manhood
were passed within its boundaries | was
acquainted with all its citizens, both OF
high and low degree" and | would not
Wlllfully make Il misstatement for any
consideratOn-theu plain truth will do.
AS far as the railroad company is con-
cerned, | am not on speaking terms with
any Of It's managers; and, furthermore, |
do not write for pay. Nor would l now
take up this subject were it not for the
fact that the memory of the best friend 1
ever had is besmirched by implication if
not by word. Not only was he my best
friend, but he was tho friend and cham
pion o! The miners. y mine-owner him
SELF he knew the needs of the miners.
and he threw such safeguards around
them in all national Legislation that they
stand to-day as a monument more endur
ing than brass to his memory. Is there
q doubt as 10 whom | refer? There can
be mono. No man other than the late
Senator a. a. Sargent took such an in
terest in the welfare Of the miners.
1t was he that drafted the first Pacific
Railroad bill, and when the mater of
Ion 4 liry
carried all odd-numbered sections for
twenty miles on each side of the road he
inserted Il clause by which all land OF q
mineral character was exempted from the
operations of the grant. That law still
stands on the statute books. In all the
amendments that nave been made TO tho
original Act 10 change has been made in
the mineral clause. Every patent issued
by the railroad contains it. and the COM
pany makes no claim TO nor does it want
mineral land. Every deed it issues to a
purchaser contains the mineral clause.
l saw an article in the transcript some
time ago headed, They Want to Do the
Square Thing" OF course they do, and if
these agitators. these Hessians, would let
the plain law take its course, and not try
to stir up strife, all would do well.
But where would they come in? Mr..
Ricketts, would have no more junketing
trips 10 Washington, where he mob nobs
with the President (pay going on all the
time at the expense Of the miners), and
Mr.. Ralston would have to depend on
the commissions he NIGH. receive as a
"promotor" of mining property. These
men and others like them are, in my
opinion, like the "Old Man OF the Sea-
upon the back of ''Snbad, the Sailor"
they have fastened themselves upon the
backs of the miners and the miners have
got to carry them, only, III this case. it is
Il doub bic load. How long will it last and
what good will it accom- plish?
This is a matter upon which I ana
deeply interested. You. MIR. Editor,
know very we'll how Mr.. Sargent was
slandered at the time for that same min
eral clause. Are memories 50 short?
God forbid. 1t only requires slight
prickins TO bring thetu to life again.
TO substantIate what | have said it is
only necessary to refer to two cases,
wherein the facts as stated by ne are
laid down by the decisions of two Su-
preme Courts. In the limited space at
my disposal | cannot quote from, but
shall simply name them.
One is a Nevada County case-tbat of
oliver vs.. the Chicago Quartz Mining
Company. the decision being rendered
| by our Supreme Court. Your readers
must be familiar with that. 1t can be
found in No..77, Cal. Reports. The other
is that OF Barton VS.. the Northern Pa
cific Railroad Company. 1t was rem
dered by the Supreme Court of the
United States. and can be- found in VOL
ume %. l34, United States Reports. In
the face OF these facts say again, is it
not strange that a few designing, sordid
men can delude the many? With the
self-styled leaders il is a constant CRY of
Give give" When the "s;news OF
wal" are Withdrawn you will hear no
more about the railroad trying to gobble
up all the mineral land in the country:
and even now | observe that Nevada
County is being called to account for her
small contributions To the fund. Pity
she gave any.
Aud speaking Of Puck, puts me in
mind that he also said ne would put a
girdle around the earth.' Well, he has
kept his word. 1t mus. be stated for the
benefit Of your younger readers that Puck
Is one OF the lmnortals and they never
die. Puck said THIS in the sixteenth CEN
tury, but his promise was not carried out
for some 230 Years or more BY slow de-
grees, step by step, ne has attained his
end unui NOW the whole world is in
touch, and time anu distance have been
annihiiated.
Speaking OF the telegraph puts me in
mind OF the miserable service Nevada
City once had In that line. But it inn
proved. In the early part OF 1854 there
appeared upon the streets OF your city a
SLIM, ed-headed young fellow. Ii was
not exactly known whether he had ar
rived by the Walker line, the stage route.
or had been shot over the wire thar con-
nected us with the outer world. Atall
events he landed squarely on his feet. and
ior many years was prominent figure
on your streets. He at once took pos-
session OF your telegraph office, The Alta
! Telegraph. as IL was called. He was
| bright, witty. and master OF his calling.
| He WAS recognized as the peer OF those
/ very brilliant iien who then made Ne
vada City their home, and the Hon. John
Pattison took an intelligent and active