Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1897-09-10
A NOTABLE RULING.
Secretary Bliss Upssis The Practice
Of twenty-five Years,
CONSIDERATION OVER TITLES
Mir:rn Land Holding In Many states,
U,nh Includ d, leopard.
I'D

ct. LOUIS, Sept. lU.-A sptce' W
tie GLOBE Democrat from Washing
too, ID. c., sayt:
Secretary OF the Interior Bliss has
rendered decision which sff'cls ali
the western railway grants. The case
on which the decision is made Ia that
OF the Pacific Coast Marble company
against the Northeru Pacific r ilrjad
Company and state OF WASN'T gton. 1t
involves the title TO marble lands In
the state OF Washington, n portion OF
which was ciaimsd by the railroad
company as indemnify FOR lands lost,
and portion by the state of Wash.
iugion az part oil a school grhut.
The question Involved was whether
marble is 8 mineral within the mean
ing OF the mining laws and also IN CT
the grants TO the railroad companies
/ md state. The secretary drcideu after
au exhaustive. review CT iofmer ue-
| cisions by land commissioners, Sc Gre
| tAries klrkwoUd and Teller abt
| various state courts, tbot matb o IL O
| mineral within the meaning OF bJtb
| mining laws aud graDte, aud 10 there
fore not subject to selection or patent
| 10 either railroad or state unter THE
| terms OF their grant,.
The secretary also decided that this
| ruling appiies to all tubstau ces knowD
as mineral by recognized authorities.
| 1t will have the effect OF combining the
,utute psteuting of lands TO Railroad
com paniss to lands that are more val.
liable for agricultural than tor mineral
\ purposes and Is lar reaching In that 1t
fees lands along the lines Of nearly
all land grant roads In the Unite
states. Mineral lanus, AZ defined by
The revised statutes Of the United
s ates aud declared to be available for
| sale to individuals In limited psrcsls,
In order that their retources may be
.evelvIed ga descfi0 d as "nining
cha ms upc veins or lodes OF guar ur
other rock III p acc, bearingg l., 9 lvs (,
| oinnabar, lead, tiu, copper or " isI
valuable deposite hereto ore locateI."
Ever since the prescn. law, quoted
above, has been In operation, IN 'rs
imam twenty-five Yeas, the urpsrt-
m.nt OF the interior has permi;teI sell
tiers % settle on land containing DO.
posits which, while not legitimateiJ
mineral, are ue,isnaled under the
rules OF the department to be metallic
ttuus. Between the foothills OF tue
Rjcky MUunlains on the east ami the
snuTes Of Puget sound on the west,
there have bean hundreds OF inoustri,
wrought out OF or based upou the
natural resources of lnud which the
government permitted settlers to take.
Sjme OF theso industries valued a!
many millions OIL collars to-day draw
their raw material from lanis regularly
filed upon and awarded by tue gov.
ernmens to It's citizens, upon wnoss
energy aid ingenuity the value u
their claims depend.
More than twenty valuable proJuo
are embraced In the list oil natura
deposits found upon these lands anc
! declared to be metailifsroue. They
are asphaltum, petroleum., m.nsra
J nydr9carbOus, Dorex, unber, gypsun
Gland and plaster OF psrls), limestone
marble, diamonds, clay, Nitrate AM
carbonate of silver, sulphur and alum
KaoliD, china clay, phOsrhates, build
ing stone, stOnss OF special comm er
cisl value, coal and slate for roofing.
! The railways have been confilsn
| that Secretary Bliss would sustain + 4
Views held by the com missipner OF IN
. general land flee. The reversal vii
u result iu their temporary CONSERVATION
and then they will appeal to tn
United states supreme court, " hich /
now the only alternative left to ihsn
p. The settlers OF tue west who nav
developed the rich deposits c
I asphslium In Utah. borax in Nevads
/, gyp,um In the Dskotas, fine marble 1
\ Washington, and tite clay and builC
i Ing stone IN Montsns, will not b
secure in their =. ssessions unless tn
supreme court sees tit to reverse tn
opinion Of Secretary Bliss.