The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1896-04-02
TO THE CLASSIFIERS
Ringing Words in Defense Of the
Mintr and PrOSpectOr.
A CRITICISM THAT STlNCS
e. A. Street Writes From Quartz to
Remind the Mineral Land Com
mission That He's Acquainted
With the Country.

Nissoula, April lit is not expected
that the work of any official body will
please everybody. That would be I'M
reasonable and certainly could never
come TO pass i'm Western Montana. And
when the official body is one of as much
Importance as the mineral land com
mission, there is. naturally, a wide diff
ference of opinion regarding it's work.
The contests now being made in the To-
cal land office demonstrate that there
are honest opinions regarding the char
acter of land which are Numerically
opposed. 1t may he possible to recon-
cile these opinion. but the progress of
the cases up to date does not Indicate
that any of the witnesses are liable to
be converted soon. The following letter
received a the Standard office to-day
gives the prospector's side of the ques-
ton as far as IL affects the lands in the
lower Missoula valley:
To the Editor OF the Standard.
1 notice by the papers that the min
eral land commissioners for this dis
trict were expected TO arrive in Missou-
la this past week. to resume their work
of classifying the mineral and nom
mineral lands. Ii is to be hoped that
they will use better judgment in their
1abois than they did last season, when
nine-tenths OF a strictly mineral coun-
try was classified as non-mineral, and.
therefore. thrown into protest. at great
expense TO a class of people who can
lily afford to go into litigation.
This is a matter of great Importance
and moment TO the citizens and bust
ness men of Missoua. They should
realize and recognize this fact thor
oughly and fully and take immediate
measures and action to protect the in
dustry upon which depends their future
ri n h.xr Uln mt
ly to the assistance of the prospector
and maintain their rights and property,
as the act of congress comforting lands,
non-mineral. to the Northern Pacific
railway intended they should.
These mountains are one vast tract
of mineral-bearing grounds, just the
same as the country from West Virgil
mia to the borders of the Missouri river
is one grand tract of agricultural land;
and within the borders of Missoula
county lies the great gold and mineral
belt of the northwestern portion of the
Rocky mountains. To allow this sec
ton of country to slip from your grasp
into the hands OF a greedy and bank
rupt corporation is equal to burning
your homes and throwing your bust
ness to the winds. IL is the mines in
this western country that build your
towns and cities; IL is the mines that
create market for your cereals that
dic NntItNfl yOul ltiAit NdiNs
are found. The mines were the factors
that built the famous city of Denver;
likewise the capital of your own state.
The city of Butte is a monument built
from the production of mines; the ex-
tensive works at Anaconda, where hun
dreds of men are daily employed comes
form the wealth dug from the mines.
These cities and industries furnish the
market for what your farmers raise;
but there is not enough agricultural
land I'm these mineral states, even, II all
were utilized TO supply the demand That
is created by the constant opening and
working of new mines.
1t Is a good and necessary thing to
encourage agriculture in all hts
branches, but you should not go TO
sleep on that matter. believing that
that particular branch of industry is
going to bring along TO your doors rich
es and prosperity, and while you are
sleeping allow the Northern Pacific
railway TO stealthily take from you
the greatest. richest and best part of
your domain. That this is being done
no one can deny who is conversant
with or who has watched with interest
the work so far performed by the min
eral land commission. While they are
pleasant gentlemen, educated and re-
fined. better fitted for other govern
ment positions, yet none are biologists
or mineralogists. unless we except the
representative from Montana, who is
said to have been born and reared
within the limits OF this state, and as
i understand is a mining engineer,
which. II true, reflects no credit upon
his Judgment i'm joining in the their
classification. and leaves him open To
very severe criticism. IL Is presumed
that the same representative OF the
railroad company who accompanied
the commissioners last year In their
vain search for mineral lands will per-
form a like service this year. and as he
is as high up on geological Informal
ton as Is the commission, and IL may
be. carries the proper credentials we
may look for a return similar to that
of last year. Perchance he has, with
his native shrewdness. gained possess
sion of what Is known among a pecu-
liar religious sect, as the peep stone"
tegg-shaped and large as a goose egg)
in comparison with which the TX ray"
sinks into insigniiicance.- Only those
standing high in the order can gain
the personal use OF this stone. and
those who are Immediately associated
with him are completely hypnotized by
everything he says and does while the
stone is in his possession. II is claim
ed that with this stone a person who is
properly under the spiritual influence
can look into the bowels OF the earth
and through the adamantine rocks for
a distance of from i.5O0 to 1900 feet
and plainly discern the character Of
every formation Of rock and earth
within that distance: how easy then
and how simple is IL. land IL fully ac-
counts for last years work. for this
railroad representative to accomplish
the great desires of his master, and
render also the labors OF the commits
sion al once easy and expeditions: as
OF course. I'm a heavily timbered coun-
try he certainly cannot see any min
eral. and under his hypnotic influence
a report is made accordingly. and tits
only after a few years. when the sleep
ing people have awakened to the real
ization Of the real facts that no pros
pectors are entering their country. no
new mines are being opened up. no
new industries thrive. no market for
your agricultural products your vast