p. 60

71

Mineral Lands

the property of the miner in a valuable vein or discovery of lead ore is held inviolable by most of the residents of the country; its sacredness is recognized by the courts and justices of the country; and he clings to it with a tenacity which will admit of no relaxation. The lots claimed would probably embrace about three thousand acres. They are the sole dependence of numerous families; their value has been discovered by the labor and perseverance of the miners; and were they disposed of them by Government their families would be reduced to want. It is thought that the miners have an equitable and just claim on the Government for aid and protection; they accepted its invitation to labor upon its territory and to develope its wealth, they have staked off, and labored for years upon some five or six hundred ten acre lots and have paid the Government about two hundred and thirty thousand dollars for the privilege."

38