The San Francisco call., 1899-10-23


| cisco to-day, will interest the mining
| population Of the State In many ways
| BESIDES the important material questions
| aHecting the industry to be discussed. this
big association and these big conventions
serve valuable purpose in giving unity
OF lorce and sense of solidarity to the
mining people who compose so large a
| proportion Of the States population.
| 1hey do great deal to stimulate indus
trial patriotism among men who are al
| ways proud OF their great industry, which
more than any other industry is free from
grinding competition and which does not
create wealth at the expense of others
While the California Miners Association
exists to secure practical benefits for the
miners, It's members constantly display
an unselhsh loyalty to and pride in the
mining industry and its great future in
California. The $4,000 or so which has
gone into the treasury Of the association
since 1892 has been freely contributed by
men OF large and of small means in the
city and in the mountains to keep the in
| dustry as whole and without definite
! CALCULATIONS of what dollars were coming
] back and how
The prospects of the convention ap-
peared as bright as ever yesterday, full
county delegations which began to arrive
yesterday promising to appear to-day,
making up a gathering of several hun
dred representative mining men. 1t can
| not be foretold how many Of the dele
gates appointed by the Governors of
seven Western States will put in an ap-
! pearance.
The report of the committee on resolu-
| tions which will be the main business of
! Tuesday, will in the main cover the scope
! of the conventions business and declare
| its opinions and demands. Many reSolu-
| tions have already been prepared for
! submission and some will cause lively de-
! bate.
! The miners demands for a Cabinet de-
! partment of mines in recognition OF the
| importance of an industry which produces
! annually nearly $500 900 900 worth of raw
material for the industrial life Of the ma
! tion will be again expressed. The Califor-
! mia Miners Association is really the father
! OF this movement, having been early IN
! its history the first organized body to
! start this agitation. AS a result of its eff
| forts this demand has become general
strongly indorsed by Eastern influences.
A great many State and Interstate gath
| erings have resolved in favor of the meas
| ure, and good deal of direct effort has
! been made in Washington. Tirey l.. Ford,
who has long been active in favor of this
measure in behalf of the association, and
who is the present chairman Of the com
mittee in this matter, will report It's
status, which is not yet very encouraging.
The question in the near future Will be
mixed up with proposed colonial and
commercial Cabinet departments, and
its Congressional hackers may en-
deavor to gain strength by trad
Ing support. ne EllllGIS IIlIGI0StS
are now in the hands of the land
department, the geological survey, the
mint bureau and other bureaus and
departments. and are everywhere made
subordinate. One proposed solution, and
one easier gained, is the creation or
bureau of mining in the Interior Depart
ment, in which the geological survey and
other governmental functions would be
gathered, and which would have addition
al functions directly concerning the min
ing industry created for IT; Inc MINER miners
! no t1Ir- ~ l1Ny tDG c q
ment. The many similar departments OF
foreign governments, including several
British colonies, illustrate the value or
such departments.
In taking up the question of the con-
servation of water in an active way at
this convention the association is not fol-
lowing the efforts of any other body.
year ago the association recognized the
vast Importance to the industry OF water
storage and control and appointed com
mittee thereon, of which Surveyor Gen
eral J. NJ. GleaVes was made chairman
This committee wisely invited co-oPera-
ton and organized the California Water
and Forest Society. delegation to
Sacramento tried to get an appropriation
for a preliminary survey of the states
water resources, but failed, thanks MAIN
ly to Governor Gage. The Water and
Forest Society went into a decline and
lost interest in nesting lakes and bah
bling brooks, but its soul went marching
on as recent movements have shown.
The association will declare its policy on
this live issue and be an important factor
in the general efforts that will follow.
How the convention divides on the ques-
ton of State and Federal sovereignty of
water storage will be a matter of interest
and champions of both sides are on hand.
This convention will be an important
influence in the domain Of American min
ing law. It's resolutions and committees
on the revision of the Federal mining law
of 1872 will cut a large figure in the efforts
of the near future to have this law re-
cast and to secure Congressional legisla-
ton correcting departmental policies and
rulings on this law and the land laws,
which give the miner the worst Of it as
rule when there is any worst to be given.
1t should be remembered in noting the
value and prestige of the California Min
ers' Association that, as it represents
directly united membership of 5000
voters, and indirectly the entire mining
population Of the State, the Congressional
delegation from this State is always ready
to follow almost implicitly its policies
when simply the mining interests are con-
cerned.
Another resolution that will likely pass
will create a committee on State mining
legislation, which will be instructed to re-
port to the convention next year a State
mining location law and other legislation
to be submitted to the next Legislature.
1t will be hoped that this committee will
succeed in framing a law supplementary
to the Federal law that will be generally
satisfactory to the miners and that sug-
gestions will be asked from all sources.
One important matter which promises
much lively discussion is the policy to be
pursued in defending the validity of the
Caminetti law from the attacks whi h
the nearly defunct Anti-Debris Associa-
tion has begun. Suit was brought against
the Kate Hayes hydraulic mine some
time ago and later the Red Dog hydraulic
mine of Nevada County was temporarily
enjoined by the Superior Court of Yuba
and Sutter counties on suit by Robert T.
Devlin, manager and attorney of the Anti
Debris Association, who brought suit in
the name of Yuba County, alleging that
the mine was damaging the bed and
bridges of the Feather River below, al
though the mine was operated behind a
dam Inspected and licensed by the Federal
engineers, composing the California
Debris Commission, in whose hands tne
Camineth law places absolute control
of hydraulic mining in the basins of
navigable streams in this State. The
plaintiff alleged that the action of the
engineers was subject to review by a
State court and that a hydraulic mine
could be enjoined by a State court, lie
law being unconstitutional in conveying
exclusive jurisdiction to the board Of en-
gineers. AS the very life essence of the
law of 1893 was assailed the executive
committee in July last assumed the full
defense Of the South Yuba Mining Com
pany which owns the Red Dog mine, and
~ 10