The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-11-11


70 convince Chairman Lacy of the entire
justice of their claims, but fortunately
they hau some very able friends on the
committee. Among them were Congress
man Bowers of California Ellis OF Oregon.
wilson OF Idaho and McRae of Arkansas.
MI Ford added that the miners owed a
Qeot OF gratitude to Senator Du Bois of
1daho, but for whose act of friendship 1t
was very grave question whether the
Dill would have ever emerged from the
committee on Public Lands. Senator
Pascoe of Florida, Pettigrew OF South
Dakota, Berry of Arkansas, Carter of
Montana, were also good friends of the
olll. Senator'S White and Perkins OF Cali
fornla performed some very fine parlia.
men'ary maneuvers in behalf of the bill.
II seems to me, added Mr.. Ford,
that the wholesale denunciation of
Speaker Reed which has been INDUCED in
Is wholly unwise and wholly unwarranted.
In the tirst place it is not the part of wis
com to go with club in your nand to the
men from whom you expect favors.
Ihls association should appreciate that
1t is under debt of gratitude 10 Mr.. Reed
When the outlook for our appropriation
was the most dark. and at the time when
the River and Harbor Committee had ac-
tually voted not 10 include il IN their re-
| port, Mr.. Reed gave number of our dele
| gatlon hearing, and being satisfied with
the justice OF our cause, threw he whole
have that matter included in the river and
harbor improvement bill. aid to-day YOU
owe him gratitude for that $3.50 COG appro-
prlation. Applause There can be now
no question as to the passage of the land
bill IN the short session of Congress next
month"
| Mr.. Ford read the report of the commit
tee on legislation as follows:
! To the President, Officers and Members of the
| california Miners association = GENTLEMEN:
! Your committee on legislation begs leave to
make the following report:
! Your committee begs to refer to its report
made to the association prior to its last annual
convention, in October. 1895.
| Since that time there has been no meeting of
| the Legislature of this State.
Inc fitty-iourth- Congress. however, met in
regular session in Decem Der, 1895. ard con-
| tlnued in session until June, 1896. Your COM
mittee, acting under instructions from the
| association, presented to Congress four meas
ures for the consideration of that body. These
measures were:
A bill intended to reduce the penalties pro-
| v1ded for in the so-called Caminett act, being
| officially entitled:
"a bill to amend an act entitled sAn act TO
create the California Debris Commission and
regulate hydraulic mining in the state of Cali.
lorna, Approved pr March L, 1898, by amend
! ing section 22 thereof"
bill to amend the Federal mining laws
| with particular reference to the manner of To-
eating, holding and working mining claims,
and the transfer of contests as To the agricul-
| tural or mineral character OF land from the
land offlees 10 the local courts, being officially
/ entitled:
ga bill to amend chapter VI, title 32 of the
Revised Statutes, relating to mineral lands
and mining resources"
bill looking to the segregation of the un-
patented, mineral lands within the railroad
land grants in Cal fornia, locally known as
! the mineral lands bill and officially entitled:
"a bill 10 provide for the examination and
eiasslfication OF certain lands in the State of
California"
"a bill to appropriate money for the con-
struction OF works to impound mining debris
ana thereby to protect the navigable streams
For an account of the action taken by Con-
gress upon the above measures you are re-
spectfully referred TO the report rendered by
| your representative in Washington, entitled:
| REPORT OF Hon. Tirey L. Ford in relation
| to his services at Washington in 1896 in be-
hall oil certain mining legislation which has
| been printed for distribution among the men,
bers of the association.
Your committee is of the opinion that with
proper efforts the so-called mineral lands"
bill above referred to should become law dur
| ing the approaching session of Congress which
| begins in December and ends in March next
In addition to the work necessary to secure
| the hnal passage and approval OF the above
mineral lands bill, your com mittee deems il
advisable that whatever doubts now exist as
to the availability of the APPROPRIATION made
by the State of California through the Legis-
lature OF 1898, should be removed at the
approaching session of our State Legislature,
which convenes in January next The Ma
tional Congress having made ali unconditional
appropriation which fairly meets the terms of
our state appropriation, the State can no%
Well afford to so amend the wording of its
appropriation as to eliminate all conditions
and contingencies thererom. This TO your
committee appears 10 be OF considerable i'm
portance and should engage the earnest and
immediate attention of the associat ton
Your committee 1urther begs leave to renew
its former suggestions that our Federal mining
laws should be so revised as to make them not
only harmonious but in keeping with the
changed conditions since their original enact
ment. In this behalf your committee begs
leave to suggest that work of such import
ance and magnitude should not be hastily un-
dertaken nor left to the action of committees
already overburdened with other work. Your
committee therefore suggests that q special
committee be appointed. to be known as the
committee upon the revision OF the Federal
mining laws, whose duty 1t shall be to thor
oughly examine the mining laws OF the United
States and other mining countries and to for.
mulate and present to the association at its
next annual meeting complete code of Fed
eral mining laws, TO be presented 10 Congress
for action by that body. Respectfully sub
mitted,
John NJ. Wright, E. A Belcher A. H. Rick.
etts. James 5. Farraher, Grant |. Taggart, Ross
E, Brown, W. w. Kellog. C. h. Hottmanu R.
McMurray, D. G. Reid, Frank R. Wehe Hugh
Craig, L. j.. Parsons, Edward Coleman, COM
mlttee on legislation.
The following communication was read
and referred to the ommittee on legisla-
ton:
The NORTHWEST MINING AssocIAT1oNl
SPOKANE, " ash, July 80, 1896. (
Miners ASSOCIATION, San Francisco, Cal: To
the end that science and industry may be
more rapidly promoted without the increase
of cost the Northwest Mining Association
believes that department of mines should be
created in the United States Government as d
Cabinet office, and TO obtain the consensus of
opinion on this subject this letter is addressed
to the leading scientists and scientific institu-
tlons OF this country. We believe this depart
ment would promotethe mining development,
should embrace mining. geology, irrigation,
botany, paleontology. archaeology, ethnol-
ogy, etc.
The various bureaus relating to mining are
scattered through several departments. Geog-
raphy is subject much neglected are