EDITORIAL
Government caught
with its guard down
Buried deep in the heart of Nevada is $10 billion in
gold. Buried deep in the rules that govern this country is
the 1872 Mining Act. and it just cost the United States
nearly $10 billion.
The 1872 Mining Act enables miners to buy tJ.S. land
for ns little as $2.50 an acre. Tho 1.049 acres sold to the
U S. Subsidiary of American Barrick Resource Corpora
tion is costing the company $5 an acre. The federal gov
ernment will make a whopping $9,675.
in an attempt to attract people to explore the West in
the 19th century, people were entitled to meander over
millions of acres of public lands, staking a claim, enabling
them the rights to the fruits of the lands. The gold, and
other natural minerals, could be mined, and no royalties
had to be paid to tho government for any treasures found.
"The lesson is, the law should have been changed a
long time ago," Hop. George Millor. D-Cal if. chairman of
tho Natural Resource Committee, told a reporter for The
Washington Post.
It's a lesson the federal government is in no way enti
tled to learn. The act has boon effective since tH72 because
there is no excuse for the act to remain unchanged. Gold
has been obscure since the days of the Klondike and Sut
ter Mill, justifying the lackadaisical attitude for chang
ing the act. But the act entitles more than the search for
gold, as it contains many natural minerals
Mining, under the 1872 Mining Act, has cost the fed
eral government an gdimitld $1.7 billion a year. Profit
lias been lost simply because the wheels of change have
ground close to a standstill.
Congress began an attempt to change the 1872 Min
ing Act. but instead of making a change it feared a min
ing rush. Certainly there would be a rush, but there must
lx; a change, and the change should have happened years
ago. Billions are being lost by Congress dragging its foot.
Legislation began to bo enacted, which enabled the fed
eral government to bo entitled to 8 percent of the royal
ties from hard rock minerals.
The money the government lost is one part of the issue.
The land, like the money, is federal land, but it is Amer
ican land — land citizens of this country are entitled to
use to benefit the masses. Not only is the government per
mitting use of this land, it seems unethical to make per
sonal profit available for public land. The American peo
ple are entitled to the profits their land reaps, and
legislation must be passed in order to facilitate the roy
alties that are entitled to everyone through governmen
tal use.
Mining for gold in Nevada is one example of catch
ing the government with thoir hands down. There is noth
ing that can be done about the money that is lost by an
age-old agreement, the 1872 Mining Act. The act is irrel
evant and doesn't havo any qualities that represent it in
a positive light in this day and ago. Barrick has seen the
potential of the land, invested time and money, and will
reap the benefits.
Certainly this is only one example of many that exist.
Other outdated laws and acts that exist need to be
changed. Discoveries by private interest ending in pub
lic interest loss should not be tolerated.
Oregon Daily
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I
COMMENTARY
Campus needs micro-brews
By Grey Hamilton
Eugene It's 10:20 in the
evening on a rather black
night here in the candi
date's quartern t’ve hunkered
down with a few neural depres
sants and a solid word processor
to tell you why I’ve decided to
throw my hat into the presiden
tial fray.
I'd like to say it was my keen
knowledge of the issues and it
would probably help me politi
cally if I had some experience in
the upper echelon of student gov
ernment
But I won’t lie to you I won't
even feed you a line like you
might !*• used to with other can
didates
But I’ll give you a hint
My (Kilitical power comes from
a liquid medium.
That's nght folks, you guessed
it ... BEER
Here in Eugene we have a
strong demand for the fruit of the
hop It is the ntMrtar of the gods,
a fine and sweet thing that adds
frivolity to our free time and a lit
tle extra girth to our waistlines
But I’m not just talking about any
average beverage: I am referring
to the finer elements: the stouts,
the ales and the glorious
hefeweiam
Those are the elements on
which my candidacy is based.
Micro-brews and more of
them.
How do I expect to fulfill sue h
a lofty agenda?
Bring the source closer to stu
dents.
A micro-brewery on c ampus.
Do you like the idea? Well, if
you aren't a fan of tx-er. then I can
understand your apathy in get
ting out to vote in the upcoming
elections, but if you do find some
validity in my convictions ...
don't wait another minute. Pre
pare to strnd behind a gonzo
agenda and vole for the tic ket that
will help bring you relief after
those long days of studies, those
arduous afternoons of academic
frustrations.
It's about 11:10 p.m. now, and
my journalistic instincts are
beginning to surface — as well as
the influence of the depressants
that I mentioned before. I believe
! should begin to expound on
some of the reasons why a micro
breworv would bo good for our
campus . even though my expla
nations may lx* ultimately inde
cipherable.
Think of the ways it would
lienefit the student txxlv It would
provide closer access to liquid
refreshment as well as a possible
multitude of new micro-brews.
As far as the location goes, why
not the Fountain Court area in the
EMU? If the Fountain Court
could l>e utilized in such a way.
the profits would probably be
much higher and might provide
a more suitable atmosphere for
the concerts and selected events
that are currently being sched
uled there on weekends
Another issue that can be
brought to the forefront is the
possibility of a curriculum in
brewery sciences. If a micro
brewery is established on t am
put, why not offur students an
education in the finer elements
of brew ing beer? 1 know mu A y
individuals who have experi
mented with home brewing, so
why not offer them, as well as
others, the opportunity to gain
some expertise in the field '
Undoubtedly, such a scholas
tic offering would bring in a large
number of willing participants,
both in and out of state, to con
tribute to the University's coffers
as well us the quality of beer in
Eugene.
Envision if you will, an on
campus brewery program work
ing to aid lioth the social and aui
domic needs of students here at
the University.
We'd he innovators, pioneers
in an area that has long l>e«n an
objei t of student popularity. The
University would have yet anoth
er scholastic region to claim in
its quest to bo progressive in the
arena of higher education
As far as where the money
would go, why not use a portion
of micro-beer sales to offset stu
dent fees? As it is. students
already pay $111 every term for
incidental fees, so why not use
some of the beer profits to cut
students a little slack?
If a brewery and pub were
brought into existence on cam
pus, part of the revenue could be
used to offset the current fee that
is required of all University stu
dents.
Through this brewery agenda,
we would not only serve the con
sumption program but also the
academic: and financial dockets
as well.
It's now about 1:30 in the
morning on the day that this opus
is due, and I'm feeling consid
erably lubricated, both physical
ly and politically.
This state of mind has led me
to some conclusions.
I believe there is a large group
of student voters out there who
are not being represented by the
"serious" candidates that are cur
rently jockeying for the title of
ASUO president. While my can
didacy has been treated as a
"joke" by both the student media
and my fellow presidential oppo
nents. 1 believe that its existence
has some legitimacy
While it may seem foolish and
crass to some, my bid for student
government probably represents
u larger section of the student
twdy ... the section that chooses
to abstain from voting for a stu
dent government it can't identi
fy with.
My goal, aside from seeking to
hringa micro-brewery to campus,
is to try to bring out those stu
dents who might otherwise
choose to be uninvolved in the
process of selecting who will call
the shots in student government.
Believe it or not. the people
who are elected supposedly rep
resent your voice as well as your
dollars ... and it is your mone>
that is being spent.
1 advise you to lie involved in
its allocution
OK. Let's reiterute what I’ve
said up to this point:
1) A brewery on campus offers
three things: social consumption,
academic contribution and finan
cial justification.
2) If you agree with me. vote
Hamilton for ASUO president.
3) Even if you don 't agree with
me, get involved in student gov
ernment elections and treat it as
you would your classes: as part
of your education and your
future.
It's your choice.
Greg Hamilton is a candidate
for ASUO president.