The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-12-11
ALASKAN MINING LAWS.
complaint Made Against Abuses
Which Are Said to Exist.

Which Are Said to Exist.
To the Editor of the Globe:
president Mckinley, In his recent mas
sage to congress, very ably touches on
the urgent needs of Alaska, which ia nm
douotedly very gratifying to those who
nave any interests there, and esneciaIIv
so to those who have lived there during
the last year, but to my mind the point
Whlch Is OF the most vital Importance to
the welfare Of the people and the future
development Of Alaska has not been
touched upon, and that Is our present
mining laws. True, We have United
states mining laws which are supposed
10 govern in Alaska, but I am convinced
that they are inadequate, primitive and
100 much out of date to be effective.
Inc foundation of the law I refer to
was established in 1872, and with a few
amendments it has done service ever
since At that time, and I am sorry to
say up to the present, there has existed
primitive idea among, our statesmen
anC mining men that laws could not he
taollShed that would be practical in ALI
localities and under all conditions AS a
result some of the most vital points
nave been left open to be disposed of bv
the miners to suit themselves. under an
act enabling them to call a miners meet
ing and enact laws to any extent so
United States mining laws, and so far as
placer mining laws are concerned there
Is but little with which to conflict.
am convinced beyond the shadow of
doubt that laws can be enacted by con-
SreSs that are applicable to the govern
ment of miners and mining under any
ana all circumstances
why miners should not be governed by a
regular code of laws as are citizens in
any other walk of life involves a cues
ton too ridiculous to admit of discus
SION This open condition of our United
States mining laws leaves far too MANY
opportunities for the practice of abuses
which have at no previous time since the
earliest history of mining in this or any
other country run so rampant as at pres
ent at Cape Nome, Cape York and other
Alaska districts. Under our present laws
miner is allowed to locate twenty acres
of placer mining ground, and while it
establishes the exact number of acres he
can hold 1t makes no mention whether
this shall be all he can hold in the dis
trict or on creek or gulch, and as
result the first men on the ground at
Cape Nome and surrounding camps in
terpreted the law to suit themselves and
located claims on every creek, gulch and
bench they could find, twenty acres to
the claim in every district, with the ex-
ception of Cape York, where the local
laws have set the limit to five hundred
feet up and down the creek In this way
any one can readily see how easy it is for
a small number of men to locate and
monopolize an entire district, or the
whole country for that matter, as many
men in Alaska now hold claims in every
district within a radius of three hundred
miles, covering no less than six regularly
organized districts.
This is however, not the only abuse
practiced I refer to the power of at
torney, as it is indiscriminately used in
locating Alaskan claims. By this means
one man may locate, and men have To-
Gated, over two thousand acres instead
of twenty AS a remedy l would sug-
gest that congress enact a law limiting
miners to one claim in a district, and let
the size of the claim be fixed and I'M
aIterable: abolish the power of the enact
ment of local laws by miners or any 9TH
er organization, and as a means of pre-
venting abuses of the law affiX a penalty
on trying to hold land illegally.
1t would also be well to establish some
definite area which a district should con-
tain Should it be legal to locate by
power of attorney the right should be
abolished, as it is not only the rankest
of Injustice, but a positive detrIment TO
the development of the mining interests
of orr country Our government has
never tolerated the use OF the power VI
attorney by its citizens in locating home
steads, or any other form of claiming
portions of the public domain, and l can
see no valid reason why it should be
recognized in locating mining ground
There was an attempt made on the part
of some of the later arrivals al Cape
Nome to reorganize the district in order
to abolish the abuses practtced,- and
meeting was called. A resolution was
drawn up to be read and discussed, ana
then voted on, but before action coulo
be taken on the matter company or
armed soldiers was marched into the hall
and tha miners were given two minutes
to leave the hall. and were marched out
at the point of the bayonet. This COM
pany of soldiers was stationed at Cape
Nome early in the season, and the camp
placed under martial law, the soldiers do
ing police duty, even making arrests in
civil cases, and this is another abuse our
government should be ashamed of, as
there was at no time any occasion for
military interference. p. Esch.
A Venetian Cafe.