The San Francisco call., 1899-10-24

vealed the States hidden treasures"
President Neff appointed a committee on
credentials, with S. J. Hendy as chair
man, and the convention took a recess
until the afternoon. Upon reconvening
the committees report showing that 572
delegates were qualified to participate in
the proceedings was approved. The pres
ident then presented his annual report and
during the reading was frequently inter-
rupted by prolonged applause. He placed
considerable stress upon the assertion
that resolutions accomplished nothing, but
that work and good hard coin did. His
statement that the fight for the hydraulic
miners should be renewed struck a kew
note among the delegates. President Neff
said in part:
When, in November. 1891. a few pretty well
discouraged ex-hydraulic miners met at Au-
burn Placer County to consider some plan
by which to call the attention of the people
of California to the condition of their in
dustry and appeal to them for assistance in its
rehabilitation 1t was with a sort of last hope
spirit. They had been. to speak the under
dog" for years. The Government the State.
the counties. the courts. the people and the
press had been against them and the further
tied up in the investments and hundreds
Of millions locked up in the untouched deep
gravels throughout the hydraulic mining coun-
They had enemies even among themselves
men who were surreptitiously conducting
operations which were under the ban OF the
law, and thus still further aggravating to re-
newed opposition those who felt that their
rights being jnfrlnged.
Those miners at Auburn were only few OF
that numerous band who had been fighting
their cause for years, with antagonism on all
sides, finally to meet disaster and apparently
permanent defeat in the courts. Even the sug-
gestion OF an attempt at renewal OF operations
was met with howl of opposition.
But these miners of Auburn buded better
than they knew. They were destined to set
the cornerstone and to lay the foundation of
institution which not only threw its pro-
teoting aegis over them. but those en-
gagged in all branches of the mining industry
Among It's other work this association has Sc
cured appropriations from State and Federal
governments in aid of the mining industry; has
secured the passage of several favorable acts
by the State legislature has assisted ma
terially In several mining exhibitions; worked
with the Trans Mississippi and Mining con-
crosses; caused the Land Department of the
Government to act more favorably toward the
mining interests; brought forcibly 10 the at
tention Of Congress the encroachments of cor
porations the public mineral domain so
that this will shortly be stopped inaugura ted
the movement for the conservation Of water
in California, and that looking toward the
appointment of Cabinet officer with n DE-
partment of Mines and Mining; helped revise
certain State laws, and. perhaps more than all
has created and fostered public sentiment
favorable TO the mining industry of California
and to the miners themselves.
To the press Of this city and of the entire
State we are indebted for many favors. 1t has
times. and has promptly called attention to any
of our measures before the Legislature and
Congress, generally approving and urging their
abortion. In fact, ever since the orQaniza tiop
taken a lively interest in the miners move
ment. and has done everything it could to en-
hance and benefit the mining industry
There several matters which the members
of this convention must earnestly consider and
by their resolutions, indicate the course the
miners Of the State should pursue In the first
place, should continue to urge before Con-
gress the so-called mineral lands BILL upon
which we have already expended 80 much la