Elk City mining news. (Elk City, Idaho) 1903-1913, 1912-08-15
Friend of Miner.

A provision of the agricultural ap-
preparation bill allows $500, 900 "fof
geological surveys in the various parts
of the United States" The bill was
up for consideration recently IN the
senate and when this provision was
reached Senator Hepburn pointed out
how this money was being used to
hinder rather than help the mining IN
dustry of the west. His remarks are
based upon an intimate personal knowl-
edge of the subject. The senator sad
in part:
s'Mr. President, this is an appropria-
ton that ought not to be required, but
unfortunately under the practice OF
the department it seems to be neces-
sary to furnish money for them to
demonstrate the in~eficency of their
service; and, it is in the interest OF
enabling them to demonstrate the fact
that they ought not to exist that l
would vote for the appropriation. 1t
is an innocent looking provision, it is
less than two lines; but it is one of the
most ~far-reaching and disastrous pro-
visions written on the statute books.
'"The law says that the public lands
of the United States containing valu-
able mineral deposits are open to OK
p~loration, location, and purchase by
any citizen Of the United States OF
who has declared his intention to be-
come such. That is the mining law
which has existed since 1866, and it
has resulted in the development of all
the mineral resources of this country.
But now, within the last three or four
years, the practice Of the department
has been to require all locations to
pass the inspection and approval of
men called special agents, experts
men who assum or are ssumed to
have the knowledge and ability to dis
tinguished mineral from non-mineral
lands. A greater farce " existed
in government or governmental policy.
1.-The mines in this country have
been found where they were and not
where they ought to be. No theory in
regard to where mines should exist
has ever been justified upon test. The
supreme court of the United States
recognizing the we'll established fact,
held in Chambers against Harrington
reported in one hundred and fifteenth
United States, that a miner or pros
pector might make a valid location
upon that which in his Judgment JUS
titled his exploration and location of it
The courts undertook to say that he
might reasonably believe that the
thing upon which he made his location
was mineral or would lead to the find
ing of minerals.
"a miner or prospector- and l re-
greet to say that they are fast passing
away and there is no new race 81 them
coming, because the inducements un
der which they existed are being frit-
ted away-the experienced ~prospectol
goes into the mountains, often into re-
gions that have been condemned by
the government as non-mineral, anc
DeCduSt VI a CtIIdll llSlilCL JndI II
embedded in a ~prospector and in n,
one else he finds evidence that in hi:
mind justifies him in locating a mining
claim. He does not ask anything o.
the government in the way of subsis
tence or compensation for his work.
but he backs that judgment by hi:
personal labor. 1t may be weeks. il
may be months, it may be years; ht
develops it. 1t may. turn out to be o.
no value, and the only person who ha.
lost anything is this poor prospector
who has expended his labor upon it
. 1t may turn out to be valuable. Per
haps one out of a hundred turn out t.
be valuable. Then he is entitled to the
benefit of his industry. and h. perse
yerence.
"You have blessings heaped upor