Show IMPORTANT MINING DECISION A washington press dispatch says that the united states supreme court has decided that any state has the right to collect taxes on an mining claim the state further has the right to seize an claim and sell it to the highest bidder giving what is known as a tax title the decision is of great importance and will tend to settle numerable inumerable mining controversies trover sies it may even effect titles on homesteads desert claims and the other forms of claims by which united states property is sold to settlers the question came up in the suit of george elder samuel mcmillan all alice ce J combie administratrix of the john mccombie estate and others against tingley S wood mary M brulard anna L finnerty and cecelia L the suit was for the possession of one of the most valuable claims on the comstock lode in the leadville v lle district in which millions of dollars worth of ore is known to be buried 0 tingley wood bought a tax title from the state before the patent had been issued 1 sued and while the property was still technically united states ground wilhelmina gude a widow had inherited the claim and had failed to pay the taxes because she thought taxes need not be paid until the patent was in hand after the state had sold the claim for taxes she sold a quit claim chalin deed to george R elder and the other plaintiffs on the question whether a state can seize for taxes property which is still technically united states property and on tle the further one whether the state has a right to tax an claim at all the case was fought through the district court at leadville through the supreme court of colorado and finally in the highest court of the united states the supreme court said the state did have a right to tax land had a right to confiscate in case of failure to pay taxes and held tingley woods title a good one the plaintiffs appealed to the united states supreme court on the basis that the property at stake was united states property and the colorado courts ruling was upheld in full |