, 1906-05-14
MATTEROF
SURPRISE
CRITICISM OF WARREN AMEND
MENT TO STATEHOOD BILL
NOTICED IN WASHING
TON ADVERSELY.
Amendment Intended to Benefit Min
ing Industries of West, and Plas-
ter Mill at Laramie Cited as Case
in Point-Oklahoma Looked Upon
AS Having Large Areas Of Land
Valuable for Minerals and Miners.
Special to The Republican.

Special to The Republican.
Washington, May l4.-Ihat there
should be any criticism of the Warren
amendment to the statehood bill, which
provides for excepting from the opera
ton of the grant for school and educa-
tional purposes to the new state of Ok
lahoma, of lands duly located as min
eral, and found valuable Tor minerals,
from western sources, is a matter OF
great surprise to those who are giving
the subject attention here. The amend
ment in question was offered by Sena-
tor Warren as being directly in line
with procedure taken upon the admis-
sion of all of the western states.
Laramie institution Cited.
There are at this time many citizens
Of states in the Rocky mountain region
who are directly interested in prospect
ing and developing mineral lands with
in the boundaries of the proposed state
of Oklahoma whose interests would be
protected by the adoption of the War
lNh alAlRAhAlAChNr a Nt9S III RSA-E So
that of the Acme Plaster mill at Lara
mic. This firm, which has invested
several hundred thousand dollars in
the development Of plaster works at
Laramie, has a similar establishment
in Oklahoma, and it would be serious
ly crippled unless the rights of locat-
ors on mineral lands in Oklahoma We're
protected, as have been done upon the
admission of other territories to state
hood.
Will Not Protect Sooners.
Since the introduction of the Warren
amendment, efforts have been made to
locate upon mineral lands in Oklahoma,
but there is no disposition to protect
these 's%ooners," and Senator Warren
and other friends of the amendment
are perfectly willing to have it modif-
ed or amended SO as to exclude these
later locators from its benefits.
A prominent attorney of this city, in
speaking of the matter today, said:
Accords With Settled Policy.
The Warren amendment to the
statehood bill, excepting from the OPP
Grafton of the grant for school and ed
ucational purposes to the state of Ok
.lahoma, lands duly located as mineral
and found valuable for minerals, is in
precise accord with the settled legis-
lative policy Of more than forty years.
With the discovery of gold in Califor-
mia, the exploitation of the public do
main for valuable minerals continued
by the implied license of the govern
ment, until the original mining act of
1866 was passed, authorizing citizens
to locate, purchase, n receive patent
from the United States for such miner
al lands.
Mineral Lands Excepted.
In all grants to the states for educa-
tional purposes or internal improve
ments, as well as grants to aid in the
construction of railroads, the mineral
lands have been expressly excepted
therefrom. The acts admitting Colora-
do, North and South Dakota, Montana,
Washington, Idaho, Wyoming and
Utah, each contain the Express excep-
ton of mineral lands from the school
grant, and a provision giving other
lands in lieu thereof. An act of con-
gress passed February 2S, 1891, made
this mineral exception sweeping in re-
spect to all the states and territories
with like provision for indemnity.
Miners Rights Never Disturbed.
In the several acts of congress rati-
grinr .nZgiAaz 90 lonAg frnpn tho In.
dams in the present territory of Okla
homa, the mineral laws of the United
States were, in express terms, extend
ed over the lands thus coded. Hitler
to, the possession of the miner, under
the mining laws, has never been dis.
turhed by congress in any instance,
hence the senate amendment to the
statehood bill in respect to Oklahoma
expresses the unbroken legislative pol
icy from the beginning. If this policy
be now reversed and the lands yalu-
able for minerals, both known and I'M
known, are turned over to the state,
without regard to the ~possessory
rights of individuals acquired in lands
Known to be valuable for minerals, I'M
der this former and still existing legis-
lation. not only will the new state be
favored beyond her sister
states, but the legislative effort to thus
ignore and destroy rights created UNI
der the mining laws, by express author
lty of congress break all precedent and
stand in Isolated partially.
Lands in Lieu of Grants.
If it is suggested hat no school
lands are given for that part of Okla
homa now embraced in the Indian Ter
ritory because all the lands therein
been or will be allotted to the
Indians, the answer is that the state
bill carries a lump appropriation
of 5 100000 in lieu of such grant of
lands. The government sells its agri.
cultural lands at SIPS per acre. On
this basis the grant to the Indian Terri
tory portion of the new state would
therefore equal $4,000, 900 acres. Com
pared with the grants for educational
and other state purposes made to west
.rn and northwestern states, the mu-
nificenee with which Oklahoma is be-
ing treated closely approaches prodi-
the testing by mere acreage
alone.
Oklahoma Rich in Minerals.
When there is added thereto the
grant of lands known to be valuable
for minerals, at the date of the grant,
reversal of the former policy of