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About The Sumpter miner. (Sumpter, Or.) 1899-1905 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 28, 1904)
4 VOL. VI. SUMPTER, OREGON, DECEMBER 28, 1904 NO. 18 FOR REPEAL OF THE EDDY LAW Tonight nt Hotol Sumpter a ninsH mooting will bo hold under the nuapiouH of tho Sumpter dlHtrlut i biaoh of tbo Oregon Minor's Asso ciation, to cliuciiBH with Roprewuta-tlvo-oloot A. P. Smith tbo noad of legislation affecting tho mitioriil in duatry of this atato. Tbo mil in object of tbo tnootiiiK 1b to iuauuurate a oampaigu for tbu ro-! peal of the Eddy corporation lax law. Representative Smith ia tho only mouihor of the atato legislature who followa mining hh a profession. Con sequently the burdon of work in ue ourius a ropoal of the Eddy law, wblch ia uu obuoxiuoa and objection able measure, when viewed from tho ataudpoint of tbo minor, miuo pro motor and mining stock brokor, fails upou liim. Ever alnoo oluotion, Mr. Smith baa boon quietly gathering data in sup port of hia contention that the Eddy law ia a bud one, and tonight's iiiiibh molting ia to bo tho ouoaaion of tiring many heavy guns before the convening of tho next legislative seaaion at Sulom. It is not improbLbln that other legislative topics will bo diaouaaed at touigbt's mass meeting. The pro posed introduction at the forth comiug sesaiou of the legislature ol a bill to regulate freight ratea on rail ways operating wholly witbiu tbo state, ia of vital intercut to the people of this camp, on acoonut or the Sumpter Valley railway being in tho class of roada to bo nifouted by tbo proposed legislation. Repioionta tive Smith baa abown a proper in terest iu thia matter and has secured from merchants and business meu of Sumpter signed atatemeuta relative to the ponular idea of equitable freight ratea. Representative Smith's evi dent purpuee is to thoroughly sound publio sentiment iu the matter be for anunuuoing a deflulte stand. Ho is quoted as having said that the wishes of bis constituents shall gov ern his actioni. The Eddy law, however, will be the main bone on wbioh the peopie of Suupter will gnaw tonight. Tbe?e will probably be a whole lot of speeohuiakiug, the air will no doubt bejent with loud wails for the life blood of the author of the' measure, and ringing, howling, raging and eoreamiug reflations will undoubt edly be adopted. There, are barrels of argument paeslble'of subaiseloa io favor of a repeal of tho Eddy law. That it ia a bad monsuro a piece of legislation rottou to tho uoro ia tho private personal opinion of every mini, woman, child, horBO and dog iu tbo milling camps of thia atato. It in couaidored tho rankest kind of cIiihu legislation and many able lawyers have gone so far iih to iiHHort ompliat ically that it ia unconatitutioual. A Miner reporter nuked Tom (Way for a statement of some of tho rea Houa why tlm Eddy law in ao object ionable. Commodore Uruy aaid: "It tho mining industry of thia part of tho country is to aurvive, tho Eddy corporation tax law muat oither bo repealed now, or declared uncon stitutional later on. It la a bad law. It atrlkea at an industry which ia struggling out of the awadliug clothes of an intant into tho habilamontH of a full-grown mau, and which, prop erly fostered, or oven lot alone, h deatiuod to become tho source of the groatoat woalth-creatiou and produc tion in Oregou. "The plain and self-evident in tent of tho mining lawa of United Statea government ia to cause more and more digging to bo douo iu the ground. The fodoral lawa pro vide for (he performance of $100 worth of work on each mining claim pur annum, thereby encourag ing, aa well aa making obligatory, the development of thia natiou'a mineral resources. Further en couragement ia given tu tbo proH puctor and miner by Uncle Sam, who promhea that just aa long aa hia lawa are obeyed, titlo to any amount of mining ground, from one claim to 1,000, shall be invested iu the holder without the payment to the govern ment of one aiugle red ceut. It baa been upou these solid foundation stones of libeiality and encourage ment on the part of our federal gov ernment that the magnificent mlueral resources of this nation have been de veloped to their present pround posi tion of comparative pre-eminence. "That is the stand of the federal government with relation to fostering the miuiug industry. What is the stand of the state of Oregon? "Every time I thick of it I lose my temper. I feel, an instable incli nation to go down to Salem, bump up hard against those webfoot farmers and oent-per oent merchants of the Willamette valley, who have thrust this attdy law upon us, and tell tbem ia fod,4 forceful, inelegant hut GREAT ORE SHOOT IN THE OVERLAND Frank McCarvol, foreman at tho Overland, Cable Cove d ltd riot, left, for the property this fcrunoon, after a holiday visit here and at Maker City. Ho tried to got away yester day, but Ida crow of minora hadn't Mulshed apoudiug their good, honest money, ao ho gavo thorn ouo more uight iu which to wind up their culobrntlou. Somo days aiuco, Tbo Minor learned that nn Important strike bad been mado in tbo Overland, and laat oroning wont to Mr. Mo Corvol for authentic inforamtlou on tho aiibjoct, lie aaid: "Vea, It ia the boat and moat extensive ore body wo have yet uncovered. Thcro ia not much uowa In tho atory, how ever, for wo ran Into the ahnot about a month ago. Wo abut down tho miuo for tho holidays on the twenty third. On that date we had drifted In pay ore for sixty feet and tho face of tho tunnel showed three full feel of solid rock that will pay to ship "Thia oio body wiih found in TuiiiiqI No. 1, 150 feet from its portal. Considerable oro had arleady been taken from thia tunnel, but tho ahoota wero all abort. Thia one, however, ia going to break the recoid in Cable Cove district. As I aatatod before, we have arleady drifted In thia o.o for a distance of sixty feet, every inch of which baa beou solid and strongly defined. Where wo are now it looka bolter than over before, no iudioationa whatever of a pinch. Tbo width of tho ore body baa varied from '2 to 0 foot, though there have boon no sudden variatlnqa; but juat a gradual increase or deoieaao of width. Tho present vortical depth ia between 1H0 and '200 feet; mo you hoc wo arleady have a wbolo lot of oro blocked out In thia one place, roughly estimated, something like ',1 fiOO tons above the highest work ings. I)y extending the lower tunnel, 200 additional feet of depth can be easily secured. "The values, too, are ttatiafaotory. The loweat assay 1 have yet had along thia Bixty feet was $1) (18. Most of thorn run iu tho neighborhood of ?fiO, almost entirely gold, while the highest went to 152.70, allowing conclusively that the values are evenly distributed. 1 should say that the entire shoot will go con siderably better than I 'JO." Mr. McCurvol had a letter a couple of weeks aiuco from (ioueral Manager Rain, written frrm Chicago, lie wan thou on hia way to his old home in eaateru Canada to spend tho holiday. lie expected to return to Minneapolis about January 1 and arrive in Hump tor early iu February. highly expressive mining camp English, exactly what i think of them. Here wo are. compelled by tho atato of Oregon tu pay for the blessed privilogo of living. We are taxed first by tho county (and often under an exhurbitant levy), out of which tbo state cuta a big slice. Our persoual property, in the way of miniug equipment, milling plant, tools, powder, bunk houses and boarding houses, and our patented miuing ground, are taxed often to the limit, What do we get In return? Does either the county or the state build roads for our benefit? Does the state maintain a bureau of mines, or a mineral exhibit for the advertise ment of the Industry? Does the state, with the money taken from our pockets maintain a college of mines? Does It do anything for out benefit? "Not on your life. The state says to us: 'You will kindly pay us a little more money for the privilege of doing business within the borders of this commonwealth. If you do not, your charter will be revoked.' "Aa 1 aaid before, the federal government compels the miner to ex pend annually the sum of 1100 on hia mining claim, thereby enoourag- lug development. And mow the slate of Oregou steps iu ami eoaapela the miner not to dig a daaper hole, not to expend more wouey la developing hia mineral holdings awt to .ay direct into the coffera of the Mate a sum of money Iu niauy Instances greater than the federal government requires expended In the ground. "1 am connected with a miniug corporation in this camp, capitalized at 9250,000. Under the Eddy law we are compelled to pay au aunuel tax of 170, whioh ie just about the wage of one miner for ope mouth This their, la depriving my donipany of the ability te drive maybe ten feet of tunnel, orto sink a haft iu pay ore, i iftteed of repairing that that labor ba dona Id development of the grauud, and la th eaaanceanut of the Mineral wealth of this state. i3 M 4 " . i i am J wvr- --- "-'-3tr