The Idaho Springs siftings-news., 1913-06-21

While in the city last week,
Hon. Tom Hcnehar. State Com
missioner ot Mines, made a good,
sound, sensible tall, on mining con
ditious, the following beng a
synopsis:
Clear Greek County, one of the small
lest in the state IL d veritable store
hous for metals. Since the first min
erai discovery in ls5, n a placer at
the mouth OF Chicago Greek, until the
present, the county has been a constant
producer Of gold and silver in large
quantities and the scene of wonderful
m! ming activity. When the first veins
of silver were struck above George
town in 1852 the placer properties
were almost deserted and since tina
time attention has been devoted prin.
cipallY to quartz mining. The first
blast furnace erected in 1865 was com
plete failure. OJher plants were erect
ted but finally gave way to the smell
GLE A+t ailioAL Aiptll i|NAiNti W tilt9
camp was completed in ls77 and the
development from that date until
1890 was marvellous.
The financial panic OF 1893 was a ter
rible blow 10 this county but was quick
to recover and readjust itself to new
conditions
Clear Creek county is distinctly min
eral territory. Its people are interes-
ted wholly in mining. The output Of
the m nes keeps the towns of the coun-
ty alive, and .bulds the churches,
schools and roads The valley farmer
here finds a good market for his crops
where he finds no haggllng over prices
TIE county helps to boost the price IF
the farmers land and make more room
for farmers. Clear Creek county offers
a good marnet to the Denver jobbers
and business men, yet | suspect that
Denver has not fully appreciated that
fact
have been trying for several months
to awaken the state to the importance
of going b ok to the mines i, we wish
to see prosperity restored.
First let me emphasize that no rail-
road could exist in Colorado o-day but
for our minss. We have a line or two
crossing the west to reach the Pacific
coast bat they would curse the waste
of mileage lie crossing this state.
In the second place let me remind yon
that Of all the mllionaires who died in
Colorado in the last thirteen years.
only two, SO far as | can ascertain
made their fortunes outside of mining
and one of these was largely interested
in mining.
In the third place let me remind you
that in the last thirteen years there
has been placed on our stature books a
law requiring estates of deceased per-
sons to pay an inheritance tax to the
state when the estate exceeded $4,000
to each direct heir. The state has col
lected 81 1856 900 in the last ten years
of which more than one half was paid
in sums of I,700 or more by the es-
tates of men and women who lmade
their fortunes in mining and more than
one-haIf the balance was paid by the
estates of less wealthy miners
This brings me to the point that
many people have the habit
of believing that miners are of two
classes, the rich owner and the man
who digs for wages, yet if these peo-
pie would spend a week in mining dis
trict they ould find many men who
own small propertits which they are
working themselves and from which
they are deriving a moderate income.
Fourth the mining counties Of this
state pay one half the state taxes after
excluding that portion which Denver
pays. As Denver pays one third, the
miner also pays one third and the re-
manning population one third.
Fifth, 5000 epeople in Denver today
are depending upon mining directly to
such extent that if the mines closed
down today these people would be
looking for other means of support to-
morrow.
We are getting away from the
real resources of Colorado. Our three
largest cities, Denver, Colorado Spring
and Pueblo were put on the map by
mining.
There are two fields open to us-min.
ing and manufacturing. There are
scores of good mines in this county
awaiting development. We have NIL
lions of tons Of low grade ores blocked
in Colorado mines awaiting only an
economical method of treatment. If
these mines were all being worked we