The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-06-20
THE UNCOMPAHGRE BILL.
INTRODUCED BY CAM
NON AS AMENDED.
Report of the House Committee.
Which Refers to Pocket Veto'n
of the President As Beneficial.
Washington Office of The Herald,
1415 G Street. N. w.


bill for the opening of all Uncom
pahgre mineral lands as it passed tn,
senate provided that 'all the lands o
the Uncompahgre Indian reservation
in the state of Utah, containing as
phaltum, gilsonite, ,elaterite, and kin
dred substances. are hereby declared
open to public location and entry under
J the mineral land laws of the United
States; and no one person shall be al
| lowed to make more than one entry Of
such lands
AS amended by the house public
| lands committee the bill reads: 1.-The
secretary of the interior is hereby
| authorized to lease the reserved lands
containing asphaltum, gilsonite, elater-
lite, and kindred substances in the I'm
| compahgre reservation in Utah. Said
| leases to be upon such royalty as the
said secretary may determine to be
reasonable, and said leases to be for
such periods, not exceeding ten years,
| as he may determine; and regulations
and limitations shall be provided by
| the secretary as to the amount of lands
| embraced in each lease or as to assign
ments of said leases SO as to prevent
any monopoly of said minerals; and the
| secretary will make all such rules and
regulations as may be necessary for
the purpose of carrying out the OBJ
jects of this act"
In the favorable report upon the
amended bill made by Judge Lacey of
the house committee occur many
statements of particular interest in
Utah. The committee report says:
Your committee are of the opinion
that the gilsonite,- elaterite, and as
phaltum in the Uncompahgre reserva-
ton should not be longer withheld form
use, but that some suitable arrange
ment should be made for opening and
working the same.
The question is one upon which
there has been previous marked dis
agreement between the senate and the
house. The house has expressed its
views on several occasions after full
discussion by adopting amendments to
appropriation bills providing for the
leasing and operation of deposits of
these mineral upon a oyalty to the gov
eminent. On the other hand, the senate
has insisted upon opening and practi-
cally donating these minerals by entry
under the general mineral land laws
of the United States. The senate bill
is substantially in the line of the
amendments made in the senate and
heretofore rejected in the house.
The question as to what should be
done with these valuable minerals
upon this reservation has been in con-
y
out of congress. The mineral land
laws are not fairly applicable to such
minerals because of theT difference in
the conditions. The gilsonite and
elaterite are in rich deposits in this
reservation, but, though they are rich,
they are quite limited in area, and if
opened under the general mineral land
laws would speedily pass into the
hands of few individuals or corpora
lions and be wholly monopoliZed. The
anxiety to control these deposits was
strikingly evidenced on March 4, 1897.
In the closing hours of the last session
of the F'ifty-fourth. congress the house
finally yielded reluctantly to the con-
tention of the senate, and a clause was
permitted to remain in an appropria-
ton bill in the same form substantially
as the present bill was passed in the
senate. --.. 10
Notwithstanding the remoteness of
this reservation, word was received in
Utah of the passage of the bill, and /
more than so claims were at once filed |
upon the gilsonite deposits. The presi-
dent refused to approve the bill and |
the parties making the filings were not |
able to secure the possession OF this |
very valuable property.
1T appears that the state mine in
spector of the state of Utah on March |
e. 1897, acting as the agent of a num-
Der of prominent men, Immediately |
posted notices of their claims upon this |
land as soon as the act giving 1t away |
was passed The horny handed and |
la borious proSpector was not the one
to make the locations. 1t was stated
in debate on a former occasion, by a
friend of the proposed donation, that
500 men started for the reservation
on the day il was supposed that the
president would sign the bill opening
the mineral lands
IF the president had not, by his
timely pocket veto, prevented the
aw from going into effect, these 500 |,
men would have found that their race
lad been run in vain, for the gibson
tie sooner had already staked and
claimed the richest veins before the
arrival of the crowd. There is only
me way to prevent a scandalouS cap
ure of this mineral wealth by few
hrewd men, and that is to act upon
he suggestion so often urged by the
Interior department and grant leases
lpon a suitable royalty on long enough
ime to justify opening them, and in
UGH manner as to insure competition
n the output. Thus the public will be
protected from eXtortion, and a reve-
Tue can be derived for the benefit of
he national treasury. At a time when
he congress is exercising its ingenuity
o devise means of raising revenue, is
singularly unpropitous time to squan-
er the nations wealth.
1T would only be a question of speed
n reaching the land office after the
aW passes, and would lead to sore
emptation to the officials who would
e placed in charge of the donation of
heSe bonanzas of wealth. Let us not
FAD them into temptation. Such leg
Station in regard to choice tracts of
arm land developed that product of
ecent years known as the sooner
he 'sooners' of Oklahoma would be
sft wholly in the shade by the new and
improved gilsonite sooner who
Tould rush in and, without risk or cost
D himself, take possession of the min {
raj wealth plated and pointed out to
i'm by the government.
1.-THE potentiality of wealth beyond
ne dreams of avarice would be given
way as a reward to the diligent
earcher of the mineral vein of en-
olled bills in the capitol, instead of :
Ding, as in the case of ordinary min
raj lands, to the actual discoverer.
These deposits have been surveyed
the expense of the government. and ,
0 skill or expense is involved in To-
iting them. The ordinary risk and
1pense of seeking other minerals is
. adequate consideration for the do
tllOH VI the cldiiAS ny the government r
the discoveries. But as to these
inerals they are already discovered, 9
I'd have been traced and plated by :
lie government, and publications is .
led at public expense, fully describing
eir location and area q
''To give these deposits away to the
st conner, who need exercise no other Q
ill or expense than to haunt the :
Lpitol and learn at the earliest date l
to the passage of the bill donating |
e minerals to the first man who may q
e claim, bears no analogy whatever T
that of the honest prospector who,
it'll his pick and shovel, goes into the
and, after untold hardships.
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