The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-02-13
Association Makes a Statement
of Its Recommendations.
DON'T AGREE WITH GOV. BRADY
His Version of the Miners Meeting
That Fined Capt. HcaIy Disputed
-Outiine of Wanted Legislation
for Nome beaches Drafted by Al
tighten Interested Congressman.

eminent OF the auriferous benches Of
Nome has been carefully prepared by L.
II. Shaw, secretary OF the Alaska Miners
Association. and after being Endorsed BY
that body last night was mailed to Con-
gressman John r. Lacey, chairman OF tho
committee on public lands, who has in
CURED OF the association what II want
ed, as was published in yesterdays Post
Intelligencer.
The document briefly recites the alleged
wrongs Of the operators In the Nome
district. chiefly through power of attor-
ney, and asks for laws permitting the
general working OF the beaches by all
corners. and compelling holders to work
their property. The miners themselves, II
Is held, should be permitted TO make the
minor regulations for the government or
their property. The statement OF Gov
Brady, made before the Seattle Chamber
OF Commerce this winter. regarding the
miners meeting on the Yukon, where
Capt J. J. Iienly WAS fined 5000. Is de-
MED. Mr.. Shaw says he attended that
meeting
The letter reads a. follows;
There IL one cardinal principle that
we and all other placer miners. who have
gone beyond the bounds Of civilization to
look for gold have always adopted and
acted on, whenever We we're permitted 70
do It. and that IL that man should never
he allowed TO hold more ground than he
can work and any ground that he claims
he should be compelled to work. or al
low some one else TO work II. This prin-
cipe or article of faith we believe should
form the basis for all legislation In re-
gard TO placer mining.
Measuring your bill by this standard.
you must excuse me when | say that II
falls snort In at least one respect-that is,
j see nothing in the bill that will prevent
a man from doing what 20 per cent OF me
claim owners are now doing under the
placer mining law that IL, they stake out
claims and neither work them themselves
nor allow any one else TO work them, as
you are aware that the United States
mining laws give man who locates
mining claim a year from the January
yo ar,h ~ n sses sa or ten DAYS 10 work
In this country.
Now | see no reason why a man who
locates n claim on the beach need TO work
II himself. or allow any one else to work
II. either this coming summer or the sum
mer following. But what seems to me
70 be the most fatal defect in your bill
Is that the piece OF ground you describe
MS claim Is not worth the trouble there
would be In acquiring a right The Uni
ted States mining laws allow a man TWEEN
~ acres for placer claim The average
miner cannot work out a twenty-acre
claim In less than 100 years. The miners
believe there are some parts Of the beach
where such claims az you describe would
he all right. They also believe that man
who brings In an expensive pumping and
siuicing plant should be allowed 200 or 200
feet on either side of where he sets up
his machinery, and there are other places
on the beach where he should be allowed
"A great deal more than that.
As near as | can figure out, two men
with properly constructed slulcing ap-
paratus can work out one claim such as
you describe IN six days. You perhaps
the beach can be worked out a hundred
times easier than a claim OF the same size
In the interior. When we were sluicing
on the beach above Lituva bay ON the
coast OF Alaska. II generally took liz three
days TO work ont twenty -four feet OF the
beach. or twentv-four by sixty feet, with
I wcnty.four hours
Only SpecuIatOrs Want Tftles
.As far i natsn, or ,,,i. % /, ,,,a,a.
v,,,ins ni.sno f'o" ~, t.s '" p,aser
n~ar ,b,nns -, ~ 10 ui. ~. specu,ator
ast ha ~ s,,rtt,.. - "a",s ~. ny hop
,ns exeent ~ he stin,.nd -, oanes tor ho,n
~ hass 49, ~ iis kiouhu, anu Wneil
IN. nia,,, ~ ~, r. ~ r.,aitNs We ihore Iot
safe he has lust rohbsd am MT ,nd Tot s,,e
r,s,,es uA'su saat eVeh-nanded
sbo,,lS he ,a,, M !" az
1 no beach Ia ~ h ana ~ 4. a 1870 uf
SersionSo ~ ,hatr,,,h s,nn k.eSs "
iastins diseracs ~ AM rnat s"., ~ any .
,sho ha H. that sa.s ~, ~ -. -" Sur ~
capable Of doing A. '' '''
IN regard 20 there being trouble on
The beach next summer, II some rcgula-
iops are not made IA Washington III re-
gard TO the size of claims manner OF
WORKING etc. ! regard Il as nothing but
=. freak Of some disordered imagination.
W You VIII tnke the trouble TO investi-
gate. You VIII ma there II nothing In
the history of mining In Alaska, or any
where else % warrant any such conelu-
sion, J would refer you TO sam c. Dun
nam report % the labor bureau af
March lSS, To show how miners usually
conducted themselves IN the Birch Creek
district when there was no civil law In
Aaska J was on tho beach last summer
from the TINE mat gold was first discov-
erod until late Ia the fall and never heard
or any violence being used or hardly
harsh word spoken.
lou say Nvv Hrady thinks there will
De serious trouble on the hesrh II some
thing ts not done 90 prevent a. n the
goNernor could hnd some man who has
ulnnu ~ Alaska 70 lndorse his views
sonle ATTENTION might De paid tu ft. but
! 10 not heiieNr there are any such to be
roand anywhere. While he was here In
seatue ON his way TO Washington. ne
made some statements IN regard 60 min
crs moettns on the Yukon that | can
prove 70 ne absolutely false oRe of these
Wa that capt HoaN was hned s. ~ ana
oon,peUci To pay hnndreds OF dollars -
.oeN on the complaint OF druukard ana
.ne woman ne was hNinE with. Vie had
70 pay " OF ne would have hceB com
PEELED TO hF these laviess mon