The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1897-09-11
Secretary Bliss Renders a Decision
Which Affects Land Grants.
TIE RAILROADS WILL APPEAL
Qusstion Turns on khat Consti utes Aiperal
Laads Marble Is Mineral Within
Hssuiag Of the Statsts.

St Louis, September IA Gidbe-Demo-
crat special from Washington says:
Secretary Bliss has rendered a decision
which affects all the Western railway
grants. The case on which the iecIsion
was made Is that OF the Pacific Coast
Marble Company against the Northern
Pacific Railroad Company and state OF
Washington. II involves title TO marble
lands in the state Of Washington.
portion Of which was claimed by the
railroad company as indemnity Tor lands
lost and portion by the state OF wash
ington as part OF a school grant
The question involved was whether
marble is mineral within the meaning of
the mining laws and also under the terms
OF grants to the railroad company and
state. The secretary decided. after an
exhaustive review Of former decisions
by land commissioners Secretaries Kirk
wood and Teller, and various state courts.
that marble is a mineral within the mean
ing Of both mining laws and grants, and
is. therefore. not subject to selection or
patent to either railroad companies or
state under the terms OF their grants.
The secretary also decided that this run
ing applies to all substance known as
mineral by the recognized authorities II
will have the effect OF condning future
pateniing of lands by railroad companies
to lards that are more valuable for
agricultural than for mineral purposes,
and Is far-reaching in that 1t affects
lands along the lines Of nearly all Iana-
grant roads in the United States
Mineral lands as defined by the re-
vised statutes of the United States ana
declared to hA available ror SAFE w in
divdiuals in limited parcels. in order tina,
their resources may be developed. are
described as mining claims upon veins
or lodes OF quartz or other rock in places
bearing gold. silver cinnebar. lead, tin,
copper or other valuable deposits here
tofore located"
above. has been in operation. more than
. years the department of the interior
has permitted settlers 10 settle on land
containing deposits which, while not lagit-
imately mineral are designated un1er
the rules of the department to be metal
ferrous Between the foothills Of the
l,1
shores Of Puget sound on the west there
are hundreds of Industries wrought ont
OF or based upon ne natural resources
Of land which the government permitted
settlers to take. Some OF these Industries,
valued at many millions of dollars to-
day. draw their raw material from lands
regularly filed upon and awarded by the
government to its citizens upon whose
energy and ingenuity the value of their
claims depend.
More than twenty valuable products
are embraced in the list of natural &c
clared to be metaliferous. There are
posits found upon these lands and de-
petroleum. asphaltum. mineral hydrocar-
bons boraX, amber gypsum Qand and
plaster of paris) limestone. marble, dia-
monds, clay nitrate and carbonate of
silver, sulphur and alum. kaolin, china
clay phosphates, building stone, stones
Of special commercial value, coal and slate
for roofing.
The railways have been confident that
Secretary Bliss would sustain the views
placed by the commissioner of the general
land office. The sweeping reversal will
result in their temporary CONSERVATION
and they will appeal to the United States
supreme court, which is now the only
alternative left to them.