Arizona republican., 1901-12-07

United States just as they are in force 1 here.
 The American Mining association has
 been formed and among It's officers are J. B. Early. president; Daniel H. 1 Ming, second vice president, and C. M. | Thor.dyze, director. These men are all former ArizCnians and men of exper:- cnce in mining matters. They are well : known here and their connection with l this movement is therefore of local interest as well as Of interest to the | mining world in general. The associa- 1 tion held a convention October 13 in
 Manila and adopted resolutions asking l congress and thc Philippine commission to establish the American mining laws i there and for the further enlighten- ] raert oc those whom they seek to in- terest in the matter they prepared the following:
 A brief statement of the points re- gaTding proposed mining legislation on which the commission recommends con- trary to the wishes of the American miners in the Islands:
 l. The Apex" question, in which they are inclined to set aside the pre- cedents established in the states and make the side~line the upper side of the vertical plane definitely limiting the
 
 practical miners, who assert that the question has been adjusted by decis- ions in the courts in the United States and needs no further attention.
 2 The length Of q claim. which they propose to limit to 1000 feet. This is also strenuousiy objected to on the ground that experience has shown that costly machinery cannot be put in to advantage on so small scale.
 9. The recognition of claims located since American occupation by miners and prospectors in accordance with American mining laws.
 This is indeed the crucial point at var lance. The commission. holding as it does to the sOQhistical reasoning that the islands are not. strictly speaking | United States territory, and are there fore not subject to United States laws. | claim that if there is any law in exis- tenCe in the islands regarding mining. l it IS necessarily the old Spanish law, which they declare continues in force. | This attitude merges another question | with that of tine recognition of the ! Sfcresaid claims, unnecessarily, and one | with which we consider that We need | not concern ourselves, i. e., the status Of the old Spanish grants or conces- sicns, whose status we are content to leave to the attention of congress which body has. in the past, had sufIi- cient precedent in the case of similar grants and concessions in the west and southwest on which to base intelligent action, the status of such claims here not essentially from those aforesaid. The commission also holds or to hold. that any recognition oi claims located under American min ing laws since American occupation, necessarily entails a similar recogni- ton of claims located during the same period under the old Spanish laws. not V Outstanding the fact that such claims could not in the nature of things, con form 10 the requirements of the afore- said laws. since the machinery of gov -rrrnent requisite for the necessary Ie- gal labors has not existed during this )eriod- On these points We hold es- icntialiy as foIlows:.
 a That the islands, by the treaty of Paris. became at once United States