The Belding banner-news. (Belding, Mich.) 1918-1973, 1920-07-28
The Men Who Understand Great West
(By Volney T. Hoggatt)


(By Volney T. Hoggatt)
We are publishing the poem of
Charles E. Eddy, known to every
prospector in the West as the "poet
prospector." The editor of this paper
resided at Rhyolite, New, within ten
miles of the heart of Death Valley,
for three years during the time this
poet was prospecting that portion of
Nevada for gold and silver.
Also resided there a man the Great
Divide has no hesitancy in acclaiming
the greatest Commissioner of the
General Land Office that ever held
that position, the Hon. Clay Tallman.
He knows the West, and since the
advent of James Barton Payne as
Secretary of the Interior, the needs
of the west have been reflected more
in the past two months by the broad
gauge constructive decisions of the
Secretary than it ever had been dur
ing the entire term of his predecessor
Where do you suppose the new
secretary, James Barton Payne, gets
the inspiration that justifies the mag
nifcient decisions that he has render
ed during the short incumbancy of
his Office? You don't have to read be-
TWEEN the lines. Clay Tallman has
undoubtedly appraised Mr.. Payne of
the west and it's needs. A man cap
able of intense observation. Mr.. Tall
man is a part of the west. He has
been right on these paper oil shale"
locations. He has been right upon
the intent of Congress with reference
to the $40 acre Stockraising Home
stead Act because he has been with
his own eyes for years what the west
needs and must have, if it is to supply
homes for the people under the var
ious homestead laws of Congress.
Do you suppose that the present
Secretary of the Interior would with
draw from the "little fellow" from
the homesteader, twenty-six sections
out of a township containing only
thirty-six sections of public land for
the purpose of driving livestock over
it, after he had obtained information
from the General Land Office relating
to the necessity of such withdrawal?
Can one conceive of such proceedings?
l know that Secretary Payne de-
pends upon, and of necessity must de-
pends upon, and of necessity must de-
Commissioner of the General Land
Office, Mr.. Tallman, has acquired, of
the west, with reference to the con-
STRUNG and interpreting of the laws
Of Congress relating to the disposition
of the public land. How fortunate,
indeed is it that we have a man as
Commissioner of the General Land
Office who has been brought up in the
west! Raised and reared within its
influences and with a clear vision
he has undoubtedly informed Secre-
tary Payne of conditions as they ex-
ist, and have existed in the formative
period of the development of this
great western portion of the United
States.
One thing he must have indelibly
placed before the attention of the
honorable secretary of the interior
and that is the question of appro-
priating the public lands under the
mining laws of congress. Mr.. Tall
man has not been required to go to
the act of Congress, He has simply
watched the developments of the west
under the rules and the customs Of
the hardy pioneers, the placer diggers
the mining locators, who braved the
elements and went forward on the
public domain for the purpose of dis
covering valuable minerals.
mean by valuable minerals, min
erals that justify their extraction
from the bowels of the earth as a
commercial proposition. The mining
laws Of congress mean nothing more
or less than the customs of the bona
fide prospectors who go upon the
public domain in search of valuable
minerals and first discover such min
erals-not that he goes upon the pub
lie domain for the purpose Of finding
a color of gold in the mountain side
or a very slight trace of oil. These
are not the first thoughts of the pros
pector. His hope or ambition Is all
centered on one thing: Have found
mineral that will justify me in its
development and the extraction of
same from the earth by the expendi-
ture of time, labor and money!
When the prospector's mind is made
up that il will justify such expendi-
ture, then, and then only does the
honest-to-God prospector ever think
of locating mining claim. Mr.. Tall
man has made this, no doubt, clear
to the secretary Of the interior, long