The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1916-02-03
The Prospector, Leasing System, Apex Law
(By Nnna
, Now at Murray

as an old wagon wheel, will break
down in the road and his bones lie
pleaehlng in ghostly whiteness with
those others fallen by the way-mute
witnesses to the willing and courage
Gus souls, who, in other days. had
boldly and barvely gone forth into
these vast Businesses of rough and
rugged canyons, crags and peaks, in
wandering search of the Fairy God of
Gold-but never returned!
The fascination of the lucky chance.
and that noble element of eternal hope
planted in the human breast, strong
er, perhaps in his, than in others, now
and ever leads him on in his endless
quest. He grows to have a sublime
faith in the Goddess of Fortune He
dreams that he will some morning
wake up in the very treasure vault of
the Forty Thieves of the Arabian
Knights! Inspired by visions of mag
nihcent wealth and fame, he bravely
pushes on, and ever on toward the
goal of his hearts desire No venture
SO risky as to break his iron will, no
misfortune so great to tame his
might courage! But alas, Father Time
is at the helm! Lengthening years of
hardships, privations, hunger and toll,
waste his energies but do not dim his
hope! His once raven locks, tossed
by mountain storms and bleached by
desert suns, whiten to on-coming
death. His manly form once rugged
and straight as the giant mountain
pine becomes feeble, old and bent; the
desert seems more hot and dusty, the
mountain trail more hard and steep
the pick and the spade slip from his
nerveless grasp-his footsteps falter-
at the reckoning of the God of the
granite and the rose, all empty handed
and forlorn, he lays him down to rest
in an unknown land
1.-THE hillside for his pail
The stars for tapers tall"
he continues the search in the Shadow
Lands of the mountains and desert of
the Great Beyond!
And yeti the greatest nation on
earth is seriously bordering now whe-
Their it should not do something more
to discourage this man in his business!
The most pathetic side of this pic
ture is that when these old prospect |
ors occasionally and finally do STUN
BILE upon the very object Of their life's
search, their scientific, mining and |
commercial knowledge is so scant that |
they do not recognize their finds" and
seldom, or never reap their reward
The sequence is uniform. 1t was no
freak of fortune, that the man who
found and discovered the greatest
which has already produced quarter
Of billion of dollars and made multi
of scores of men, should
himself be dependent upon loving
and handwriting sister for his sup
port in his invalid and declining years,
and die helpless and penniless-but
such is the history of "Old Bob
Bob" Womack discoverer of Cripple
Creek gold district, who prospected
ground which for many years was sup
posed to be only suited for a COW pas
ure, and upon finding the Gold King
nine, which has itself made many
men money kings, sold 1t for $500 and
lied pauper!
Old Henry Comstock, discoverer of
he great Comstock lode of Nevada,
;old it to Flood, Fair and Mackay for
paltry $4,000, and when he saw them
aking out of the mine their $369,000,-
|0O legend relates he retired to his
,abin in the wilds of Montana and
lied of a broken heart!
French Pete" discoverer of the
rreadwell mine of Alaska, which has
,een pouring out it's millions for
quarter of century, and looks as
hough it would never cease, sold it
or $400-but so far from dying of a
,roken heart, we understand he is still
living, hale and hearty old prospect
II enjoying heroic poverty, and look
ng for another mine!
And yet, the greatest nation on earth
s seriously bordering now whether it
hould not do something more to dis
this man in his business!
Almost without comment for 25
ears congress has set passively by /.
nd watched our various presidents,
Urged on by our so-called "conserva-
ion bureaus" but authorized thereto
" no law of congress, set aside as
forest reserves" 25,OOO,OOO acres of
trictly mining lands above timber
inc, and 100000 acres below timber
inc upon which there was, and is, no i,
tree. For 25 years, almost
Without comment, congress has watch
d the conservation bureaus spread :,
heir armies of detectives, special
gents, forest rangers and spies, over
UGH lands, and drive the prospector
off" and "out" of such forest re-
erves" in their efforts to hold these
ands Intact" and in the state of ma
ure, until such time as the "conser-
alton bureaus" could induce congress
o pass the general leasing bills ;
ghen the whole public domain would =