The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-06-20

prospecting under the general Law
should inure to those who share the
hardshipS of mineral region, and, not
merely depend upon the skillful watch
| ing of the progress of legislation. The
hardy miner would not derive any adj
vantage from the donation of these
deposits under the general laws, but
on the contrary, the only advantage
would accrue to spectators, who
would. by locations and assignments
secure the monopoly and control of
these valuable substances without the
usual expense attending prospecting
and location of mineral claims. Miner
al prospecting should not be done in
the corridors of the capitol.
These deposits are unusual. None
of the reasons which have influenced
congress in the enactment of our min
eral laws have application to the I'm
compahgre gilsonite. The claim of
right, growing out Of the skill and labor
used in discovery, does not apply, for
the deposits are already discovered and
| located at the expense of the govern
ment. and if any one should have a
claim based upon the skill and expense
involved it is the government itself.
The people have paid the expense
They should have the advantages.
The principle of the general mineral
laws does not apply, because the de-
poslts are local only, and limited in
area, though very rich. The Pitch Lake
or Trinidad is an analogous instance.
A small lake, holding all the asphalt
deposits of a country, should not be
given away to single PERSON nor to a
syndicate of individuals who could com
bine to monopolize it. 1t would be
great mistake to turn these rich, though
very limited, deposits over to the greed
of combination of operators.
These rich and well-known deposits
are not undiscovered and undeveloped
wealth waiting for the hand of the
explorer. They are visible assets of the
government on hand ready to be used
in obtaining money for the use of the
people. To allow them to be monopolized
would be a great detriment to the in
terestS of the public. These minerals
should no longer be withheld from use
1T is quite natural that the individ-
uals who are seeking to obtain the
gift of these enormously valuable
mines should urge upon congress to
give them the lands or else keep them
withdrawn from use until such time as
their donation may be secured. If the
mines should once be opened and
worked it is not likely that any one
would ever afterwards seriously con-
slider the proposition to donate them
to a few men.
1--WE do not believe that congress will
ever accede to these demands, if the
facts are fully understood, but the at
tempts to secure them as a gift will
no doubt continue in the future as in
the past, unless the government should
open them up on leases, when their
value will be so evident that the i'm
of giving them away or Of
their monopoly would be too
plain to be assaiied by any further ar
gument.
class, the gilsonite millionaire, by |
a prodigious donation of the public |
property, ought not to meet much ia |
vor at a time when it is necessary to |
lay the hand OF the taXgatherer heavily |
upon the peeple to support the govern
ment in an expensive war. The nation
has millions for defense, but nothing
to give away.
"The free homestead to the settler
and the mineral claim to the prospector
are not gifts. The settler reclaims the
wilderness and suffers all the hard
ships attendant upon pioneer life. The
seeks the hidden minerals
md often spends lifetime in the vain
search, and his claim is awarded to
him as a reward for his services in the
discovery.
Ordinary minerals cannot be monop-
,liZed. There is no danger Of any man
,r combination Of men obtaining con-
rol of all the mineral locations in the
Union under the generous land laws of
his country. But the limited area of
hese deposits presents an entirely eX-
.eptienal question. Under the general
mineral land laws, they could, and
would. be promptly controlled by a
yndicate.
Under the senate bill, only one claim
,ould be taken by single person, but
his is a method that would inevitably
,e abused. The claims would be as
ignable, and would be filed by en-
'loyees and speedily pass into the
lands of one single organization 1t is
remarka BILE fact that many persons
Who have most vigorously denounced
rusts and combinations have insisted
n enacting legislation expressly drawn
n form to create a new trust in the
ilsonite of Utah
HOSFORD.