The Nome daily nugget., 1913-06-23

[z broken up, and in many similar ways they express themselves and their be. lief that the new law h all that any, one could wish 1t to be.
 Some of these arguments nrc hon.
 estly submitted. Most people believe that the association claim has been
 the curse of Alaska and no one has good word for what has been
 called the pencil miner but these are
 absolutely not arguments in this case.
 Indeed the using of such shibboleths
 in speaking of the new mining law is
 only proof that substitutes for arr
 sument and not argument itself must
 be brought into play by the supporters
 of the bill. It Is always the custom
 for every party to a dispute to try to
 make thunder by stealing some pop
 ular idea by which to befog the real
 issue. The talk about the psncii
 miner and the universally admitted
 injury which the association claim
 has done the country is only tile cont
 ing which covers the bitter inning
 law pill or the tait which h'des the
 hook which the majority believe Ia
 cssi to Ghoke the vmy life out 'f Sew
 ard peninsula. All honor to those
 who believe the bill Is a good one and
 fight for 1t honestly. If they were in
 . majority their word should be law.
 for this is country governed by, with and for the people. but in this case 1t
 is as clear as day that the majority has decided that this law is detrimen- tai to the districts interests and the apparently small minority should think twice and carefully before try ing to force . law on those who are far superior numerically. If by argu- ment they can secure a majority then God speed them. and may the major ity always be right.
 Tn all the arguments used by them there is one. however. which seems to verge close on the absolute ridI- culous. That Is the argument which says that the poor man will be the Eainer by the new law. When the Nugget first published the story that the new mining law compelled as- work to be done on all twenty acres whenever staked this paper expressed surprise that legisla- tors who had shown decided de- tire In other ways 10 aid the poor men should pass . law which would 70 evidently be injurious to the poor man who held ground. The Nugget | then honestly believed that the law would hurt the poor. and 1t express sed this belief long before there was chance to ascertain the opinions of anyone else. It was the first to make the law public and it was the first to express this opinion and now, after l some weeks. 1t finds no reason why this opinion should be altered. It is very safe to say that 76 per cent at least of the men holding association claims on Seward peninsula are men who are broke or practically 90. They are men who have been wading over these tundras for years holding their ground and whether this ground is rich or worthless they alone should he the judges as to whether they should hold 1t or not. No legislature has the moral right to connscate property be- cause 1t is no good or too good unless | It has some other reason and this law | will mean connscation of the property l of poor men just as sure as heaven. The rich man can patent hts land without trouble and leave 1t unde- veloped until the trumpet of 0ab- rfel if he 70 desires. The poor man must give $500 a year in work or quit the ground which he has held Tor years and worked on. If that is Justice let the law stand by all means IA ss ho hOe JuSshSSs tepP'~s ss name do not support 1t. If he majority believes it to be usticc let the will of the ma he majority believes 1t to be ority prevail but If 'he majority 'elieves 1t to be injustice. as it evi- ently does. the law should be re- ealed or rendered Imperative.
 It Is most likely that the very great majority of working men nre opposed D the law.
 But. now the matter Is In the hands f the people and the people should nke all arguments pro and con for vhat they are worth. This law is a cry serious matter and should he ooked into very carefully. The ma ority has decided against 1t and un-