Show I UOiTARS MINERAL LEaSES 1 The leasing of those valuable asphaltum I lands on the Uintah reservation to eastern east-ern people for the personal emolument of I a few individuals hae stirred up a number I num-ber of miners who made locations there some time ago but have kept off their I dlaims on learning they were on the Indian In-dian reservation intending to return as I soon as it should be thrownopen It < appears that two years ago last fall claims were staked oft and recorded These covered mineral lands including In some instances the asphaltum beds that run for miles and when worked will be7of immense value At the time they did not know they were on the reservation reser-vation As soon as they discovered this some of them by very sudden and forcible means being driven off by the Indians they vacated their locations The report that the reservation was to be thrown open for settlement induced them to wait expecting that they would be able to return and work the mines they had prospected and the beds they had staked off and recorded and on which considerable money had been expended ex-pended I Now comes Major WAUGH and leases these lands to a private company claiming i claim-ing his right to do so under tho law as I Indian Agent and giving a number of arguments why this should be done I which are outside of all law and all reason and have nothing to do with the case The miners propose to get up a remonstrance and petition and send to our Delegate in Congress to present to the Secretary of the Interior and to make such other use of as he may think proper to protect them in their rights and for the public interest The gentleman who has donethis leasing leas-ing argues about the great benefits that will accrue to Salt Lake But as the asphaltum which will be taken from those beds if the leasing is approved it Washington will be shipped eastward where Salt Lake would be so vastly benefited does not appear to the naked eyeThis This matter should be closely investigated investi-gated and judged on its merits If there is an intention to throw the reservation or part of it open for scttlement the policy pol-icy of leasing the most valuabe portion for a term of years to a private company does not strike us as very wise That an arrangement ought to be made in perfect justice j to the Indians but so that the grazing farming and mineral lands of that reservation may utilized seems to be almost undisputed But that any portion por-tion should be leased so as to hiuder settlement set-tlement and so as to enrich n private company and bar out bona fide settlers and claimants is at least open to dispute We have no doubt if the facts in the case arc laid before our Delegate and the claims of the locators are properly presented pre-sented hath will do his whole duty in relation to the matter to preserve the rights of the petitioners and the welfare of the public The leasing is not final being subject to approval by the Secretary Secre-tary of the Interior Major WATJGIT by blowing his owu trumpet speaking of his own meritorious meritori-ous services interjecting plans for the settlement of the Utah problem which has settled itself without his aid and showing at what a small price a rich company has been accorded a lease to immensely valuable properties has not improved his position in rushing into print nor banished in the least the suspicions sus-picions that many thinking people entertain en-tertain in regard to the whole transaction |