Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1900-04-09
ALIEN CL AIMS.

ALIEN CLAIMS.
Senator Hansbrough's Amendment
stirs Ap Interest Regarding
Alaskan Claims.
w. 3. Curtis, the well known Wash
ington correspondent writes:
There lis an interesting controversy
in the senate over an amendment of
fered by Senator Hansbrough to. the
Alaska government bill prohibiting
aliens from locating, holding or con-
veying mining claims in that territory.
1t is retroactive also, and declares IL
legal all mining claims hitherto ac-
squired by location or purchase through
an alien. This amendment is directed
chiefly at a California capitalist named
Charles Lane, who was an active par
2ticipant on the democratic side in the
last presidential campaign, and is said
to have contributed $4,000 to Mr..
Bryan's election fund. Mr. Lane is
an all-round speculator in mining
properties, and has purchased a num-
Der of valuable claims at Cape Nome
some of which were located by for-J
eigners, including three Laplanders
who went Ito Alaska with the Rev.
Sheldon Jackson as herders of the
reindeer imported by the United States
some years ago. These Laplanders
are under contract with the govern
ment to remain in charge of the rein
deer for term of years, when they
are to be sent back TO their native,
country at the expense of Uncle Sam.
The Cape Nome mining camp was
discovered by one of these reindeer
drivers named Linderberg in connec-
ton with sailor deserter named Lind
blom and a Michigan miner named
Brintensen. The two latter are AM
erican citizens. Six other Lapland-
ers employed by the government with
the reindeer herds and a large number
of SWedes also staked out claims at
Cape Nome. Three of the Laps sold
their claims to Charles Lane for $780,
600, and Mr. Lane purchased from
both foreigners and natives several
other claims, making a total invest
ment of about $500, 900. y 5E III q 5
,S After the transaction became known
1t was declared Illegal by the several
miners who jumped the claims and
brought suit before! Judge Johnson in
the summer of 1899 to dispossess Lane
OF the property he had purchased and
forty-three other aliens of the claims
they had located. The cases did not
come to trial, but the American miners
when attempting to Interfere with the;
aliens were arrested by the military,
and Johnson resigned his position on
the bench, SO that there was no one
to try the cases. ~ He lis now in charge
Of Lanes litigation Another OF
Lanes lawyers, named jackson, who
lives at Seattle, was recently inter
viewed and charged that Senator:
Hansbrough has a personal Interest in
relocating these claims. When this
statement was called to the attention
of Senator Hansbrough the latter said :s
do not know this man jackson,
but am informed tnat he is one Of the
attorneys employed by persons inter-
ested in robbing American miners in
Alaska. have no interest in any
alien mining claims at Cape Nome or
elsewhere My amendment is in
tended to protect the. American miners
against the alien Laplanders who went
: to- Alaska in charge Of the reindeer
sent there by this government and
who, am told II have an agreement
with the government to be sent back
to Lapland when their work is fin-
ished. These Laplanders each took
from 20 to 100 placer claims. twenty
acres in size. They have given on
tions on many OF them to California
capitalists. Suits to dispossess the
alien locators were commenced before
the options were given. Therefore
the capitalists are not innocent pur-
chasers;; neither are the aliens legal
locators.'' ".
II congress passes a law prohibiting
aliens from locating mining claims in
Alaska it is likely to provoke retail
iatory legislation from Canada. In
the Klondike foreigners have the same
rights as natives. Everybody is re-
quired to obtain a miners license, for
which he pays a fee of $40 into the
Canadian treasury, and all llminers, ma
tives as well as foreigners, are taxed
10 per cent Of their gross output. There
is a great deal of complaint of this,
but there is no distinction anywhere
between Canadians and foreigners, and
as long as American citizens are
granted equal ights by the Canadian
government the dian citizens viii
expect the same from the United
States government. here ssexpected
to be d rush to north heastern Siberia,
where there have recently been inn
portant gold discoveries, and the Rus
sian government, Iii Ike the Canadian,
gives equal privileges to foreigners.
IA miner who wants to work on Rus
sian territory must first obtain d per-
\ NIT from the ear at the office of the
minister Of state domains in ST. Pet:
ersburg, for which u he pays small
fee. Upon arriving att the mining
camp he files this permit with the
nearest authorized official and receives
3 a license to work within a certain limit
and to locate claims or certain dimen-
sions, but no distinction is made be-
4 tween foreigners and natives. I'll
Until now Alaska has been open to
everybody Cinnamon included. The
question of citizenship has never been
raised, ANY man who had the nerve
! to 60 there and die for gold was con-
sidered as entitled To all he could get:
but in MANY Of the states aliens are