The Ketchikan miner., 1908-11-28
can control his destiny, and his destiny will be as grand as his thoughts. Ex
PROSPECTING ON THE GOVERN.
 MENT RESEREVS.

We have previously called attention to the complaints in the West respect ing the administration of the national forest reserves, and several months ago there was a discussion of this matter by contributors to our pages. The chief grievance is the obstac es raised against prospecting on these lands. It was not intended by Con- gress in passing these laws that pros pecting should be prevented in any way, and we believe the recent stale- ment of Mir. Pinchot, the chief for. ester, that. no such thing has beel contemplated in his administration o' the Forest Service, but nevertheless, it appears that mining interests have been injured by the proceedings o his agents in ways that evidently have not heretofore come to his attention, although they have been discussed in our columns and others.
 The chief grievance pertains to the location of mining claims. According to the law of the land no location is valid unless discovery has been made. This is one of tho antiquated laws remaining on our statute books, and for many years has been conceded to be so irrational that by common consent it has been dlsregarded
 Twenty five to thirty years ago there was more or less pretense of making a discovery y'-specimens that will assay traces of gold and silver may be found in many places-but it is long since anyone has taken even the trouble, and the breach of the law has been connived at by the Department of the Interior. Otherwise, how could claims be allowed upon deep leads for which the prospector must have some unassailable possessory right before spending the large amount of money to open the channel of auriferous gravel that has no sur face showing to be discovered?
 However, the field agents of the Forest Service seem to have revived this ancient law, which is about as applicable to modern conditions as one of the blue laws of Connecticut, and to have been construing it literally
 indeed, in some cases they are said tc have put construction of their own upon it. Thus, one of these young menmay find prospector on theiorest reserve. What are you doing here?" says he. Prospecting" says the miner. ''Where is your dscov- ery?" says the forester. "Here," says the miner. But that's not pay ore, J replies the forester, ''and you have nc right to stake a claim on this reserve. Get out!' Now we will admit that there is nothing to bring more Joy to the prospector's heart than discov-
 cry that will pay from the grass roots
 down, but where would have been
 Butte, Ely, Globe, and many of our big mining camps if the adventurers had been given no opportunity to dig through the zone of surface impover- ishment? Of course, everyone knows that the Forest Service itself cannot legally eject prospectors from its re- serves, and does not claim to exercise that right, but it can so interfere through another bureau of the Depart ment of the Interior that the effect is the same, and this is the complaint rather than the charge of usurpation by the foresters.
 The creation of the forest reserves was wise thing which nowhere meets with warmer approval than in the lest. and their administration under Mr. Pinchot has been inteli- gent and energetic. We are quite sure that since the complaints, which after all are comparatively few, have been forced to his own attention, such im- pediments to mining as have been developed in connection with minera locations, the utilization of timbe for mining purposes, etc. twill be prompt ly removed, wherefore our Western constituents need not be unduly excit- ed. However, it must be pointed out that the chief of great organization cannot always guard against misplac- ed zeal on the part of his subordin- ates, and cannot select the latter from the ranks of experienced engineers who are able to command much higher salaries in private life. The toubles which the mining industry has had from the Forest and Recla- nation services are simply a taste of what is always to be expected from administrations -Engin- eering and M lining Journal.
 Gold is where you find it, is favor ite saying of the gold prospectors and history comes very near proving it's It is one of the strange