The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1909-03-02
MINING BUREAU
BILL WILL FAIL
AT the Next Session of Con-
greSS. However, 1t Is Ex-
peCted to Go Through.
Mr.. TELLER'S OPPOSITION
HAD GRIEVANCE AGAINST FOR.
ESTRY DEPARTMENT.
Especial to The Herald.)

Denver, March 1.-The directors of
the American Mining congress of this
city are reluctantly admitting the i'm
probability of the passage of the min
ing bureau bin at this session of the ma
tlonat congress at Washington The
pondeTous law-making body OF the
american people, with appropriation
bills numerous on its calendars. with
many problems big and little to thresh
out, and consuming days in the hercu-
lean task of reducing a senator's salary
IN order that he might become secre-
tary of state, finds apparently little
time to consider the needs of an in
dustry that pOurs its tricolOred stream
OF metal which enables the govern
ment TO meet its billiOn-dOliar aproprt-
atoms annually. 4 year ago the
lower" house of congress, which, By
the way, ought to be styled the up
per house," by vote of 229 to q passed
bill providing for the creation Of a
bureau of mines as a part or the in
terror department, but the dsgnified
senate, in Difference to the wishes of
Just one member who, strangely
enough. halls from the great mining
state of Colorado, has persisteiftly re-
fused to consider the bill, and mining
men will doubtless witness its death,
together with that Of the second ses-
sion of the Sixtieth congress, on March
next.
Better Luck Next Time.
But it is believed that the death ot
the present bill will mean very little
delay in the ultimate passage of a
mining bureau bill. Already the mining
congress is laying plans to have the
matter taken up in the lower house
next winter. Senator Teller, the grand
old man from Colorado" whose opposi-
ton to the present bill alone caused its
defeat, retires permanently from the
senate on March 4. and succeeding him
is man rated as one of America
leading mining lawyers, who viii al
ways be found strongly in sympathy
with any movement for the benefit Of
mining, Charles J. Hughes. jr
Thus the mining congress is about to
realize the fruitage of twelve years OF
incessant labor for a fair measure OF
governmental cooperation for the min
ing industry. for the recognition of the
industry is no longer far away. When
the agitation for q department or mines
was first begun, very few members of
congress were in favor of it, and prac-
tically none outside of those coming
from the western mining states. But
one by one, the members Of congress
began to realize the Importance of min
ing when its annual production began
to play around the o-biIIion-dolI
mark, and more fOTcibly still when il
was learned that our mines were kill
ing ten men every day-mOre IN proper
ton to the number employed, also as
to tonnage produced, than any other
mining country on the earth
But still department of mines could
u Tera Fo- r,r
present the bill for q bureau was In
PRODUCED and urged by the mining con-
sreSs. The persistent work of the min
ing congress reduced the number OF
opponents to the bill in the house to
twenty-one, and while the opposition
in the senate would perhaps be propor-
as small, if a vote were taken.
by some strange reimbursement of pre-
rogative, the one man strongly opposed
40 the bill is able to prevent its con-
sideratiOn by the senate at least dur
ing the present term. One man. through
senatorial courtesy" able to thwart
the desire of 80 per cent of the members
of that body on so important a mat
ter as this, which vitality affects the
of the entire nation.
TelIer's Action Explained.
There is a belief which has gained
wide credence that the opposition Of
Senator Teller to the bureau bill comes
from his friction with the forestry de-
partment in the matter of the admins
tration of the western public lands, and
his consequent desire to refuse to ex-
tend further power to the various de-
partments at Washington dealing with
western interests. In the face Of this
fact, it is held by practically all west
aTu mining men that a bureau of
mines, speaking with authority for the
mining industry as separate from the
other interests of the government, could
more easily and satisfactorily overcome
the points of friction now existing be-
tween mining men and the forestry de-
partment.
Great hopefulness is held by the min
ing congress that the bill providing for
a bureau will be passed by both houses