Show EXPLAINED BY ROOt BOOT BOOTI Permits For Foi Gold Gohl Dredging Off Coast Coat of Alaska 4 t Wahington Washington March 23 Secretary Root Rot today tod y transmitted to the senate his reply to the resolution requesting information on the war departments practice of granting permits for gold dredging drin off the Alaskan coast c at He Ho states tates s that no concessions conceSsions or grants to excavate the gold bearing bed be of the I Isea Isea sea at or r in the vicinity of Cape Nome or in other Alaskan waters aters have been be 1 made by the secretary of war or any j other official of the war wa department i but that permits peris have been given under I the navigation act of March 3 1899 to excavate or dredge for gold at points where there can be no nc nc hindrance to navigation navigation He stated that prospectors must secure seure such permits permit to avoid lia ha i lii I to heavy under the act The Thc j Secretary adds I i I HA As this statute was wa designed solely I for the thc protection of I navigation it has i been ben the practice of the war depart department deat department ment to grant permits to persons de desiring desiring siring to excavate for any purpose when the work orle is I not nt such as a to t un justly justy effect navigation and is other otherwise othe otherwise I wise ie lawful lawful Permits thus granted are not exclusive they do not preclude prelude any number of similar permits applicable to the same sae territory they are not grants or concessions and they confer no rights whatever except immunity from f om prosecution under the statute I Open Oe to t All AllAs Al AlAs AllAs I As there seems to be no n legal reason why Ihy all citizens of the United al States not have the same opportunity to prospect for gold and acquire rights rIght under the mining laws upon land lad un unde der cler de water ater as they have upon lands not t under unde water the department deter determined determined I I mined as a general geer policy in the th exer exercises of the discretion vested in In the chief of engineers and secretary of war I by this str ute to relieve all al citizens i I applying from frets the obstacle interposed by this statute as a long as their pro tiro proposed i I posed operations do not in fact inter interfere interfere interfere fere with wih navigation I HAl All applications made under this statute have have accordingly so o far as a it j i has haa ha been possible to dispose of them received favorable action acton No applies alca i j tion ton of this description has hag ha been ben de denied deo o riled nied Upon two permits have been granted Upon a IL third papers had been bee prepared and were wee awaiting the secretary of wars wara signature at the time of the passage of your resolution re luton Three others were approved by the chief of ot engineers and were in the hands of the Judge advocate ad general gen rl for the preparation preparation tion ton of the necessary nece r papers paper Eleven others are still in th the office of the chief of engineers engineer in pi of examina tion ton upon the question whether they interfere inter ere with wih navigation Four more jut received are ar in the office of the secretary of war and will wi today be sent sen t tto to the chief of engineers Unless otherwise directed by con congress gross gress gres the th secretary of ii If war will deem dem it his duty in the exercise of ot the thin tion ton vested ested in him bj by b p law to grant per permits pe r allis mits in all al of these thee cases caes and upon all al other similar applications ton by citizens of ot the United States provided that the tle proposed work does not unjustly af at affect feet navigation |