The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-11-22
THE MINERAL LAND LAW
Does Not Give the Protection II
Promised.
THE PEOPLES OWN FAULT
Almost Impossible to Get h People
Interested to Go to the Land Or
nee and Testify-won't sus-
tain he Board.

Missoula, Nov. 21.-There has been
considerable local criticism lately of
the operation of the mineral land law.
The fault has been found that the act
has failed to secure the protection to
the mineral lands of the state that
was promised. When the act was
passed. II was hailed as the probable
salvation OF the rich mineral deposits
of the state. which were threatened
by the original provisions OF the rail-
way land grant. The commissioners
appointed to classify the lands a v
worked faithfully and have done their
work carefully. However. there is fault
found In some sections OF this land dis
trict that the whole affair has been n
farce. IL this IL so. IL Is solely the
fault of the people themselves-the
very ones who clamored for the act
of congress that created the commis-
sion. the very ones most directly
interested. IL Is n matter OF fact that.
when the railway company has con-
tested the classification of these lands
by the commission. II has been next
to impossible to get any of the people
interested to come to the land office
and testify to the nature OF the and In
support of the work of the commission.
The board Of land commissioners has
lone all that Is in its mower to carry
out the spirit of the act. but there has
been almost no cooperation on the
part OF the people. Wherever there
has been local interest enough to in
duce people to testify In regard To the
character of the land. there has been
no difficulty In sustaining the board.
but In more cases the matter has been
allowed to go by default and the rail-
way company has won the day. The
following fTOm n recent issue of the
Libby News will be of interest. as II
Is evidently from the pen of Frank
Leonard, who was one OF the
Of the original commission. II seems
somewhat extreme In some of the
statements. but IL is the opinion of
one who Is well qualified to Judge of
the efficiency of the work of the COM
mission:
THE classification Of the mineral
lands OF the state of Montana within
the limits of the Northern Pacific LAND
grant has been about completed. The
federal commissioners a been at
work on the classification nearly four
years. and the bill under which they
were appointed requires that the
classification shall be completed In that
period. These commissioners have
made sweeping classihcations of and
as mineral. which the railroad simply
contests. The burden of proof IL taken
out of the hands of the commissioners
and placed on the people OF the state,
and they have shown no disposition to
carry IL. The Northern Pacific keeps
a force of active youn0 men I'm the
field who are unable to find any traces
of mineral in the state, and they go
before the and Offices when the con-
tests are called and testify that the
reports of the mineral Ian commis-
sioners are not correct. No one ap-
pears on behalf of the commissioners
nor the people. and the land depart
ment officials ware the land contested
to the railroad company. The minera
land bill. as IL operates, is merely a
method which the Northern Pacific
railroad has for selecting the lands II
wants within the limit of it's grant.
on any land that II does not want the
report OF the mineral land commission
ers goes.
There II no politics I'm this. and II
ought not To be dragged into politics.
The people have had their remedy in
their own hands and they nave not
awaited themselves OF Il. out of the
millions of acres classified by the gov
eminent commissioners in the Mis-
soula and K~alispell land districts. there
has been but one contest ever filed by
an individual against their decisions.
This case only involved 100 acres OF
land. The railroad on the
contrary. has contested hundreds vi
thousands OF acres classified as mineral
by the commissioners Inc has almost
invariably won the contests. because
residents OF the contested territory
would not take the trouble to support
the reports of the commissioners with
their own testimony as to the character
OF the ground"