Mr. McRUER. I wish to make one or 2 remarks touching this bill. In the 1st place, I wish to say that the proposstion to se I the mineral lands did not come from the Pacific coast or from the mineral region. 2 years ago we were progressing, as we have progressed for the last 17 years success ully, to develop the wealth of that country, and possessory titles were considered sound. They were boughtand sold with entire confidence and faith in the legislation of this country, the same as titles to real estate were bought and sold. But, sir, since that time there have been introduced into Congress schemes to sell the mineral lands without any regard to the possessory titles. I hold in my hand a bill that was introduced into the 38th Congress, reported from the ComPubLands, which proposes what? Why, air, to)ut up every possessory right within that whole region, and sell it at auction to the highest bidder. And the whole lo 'c of the speech and the report made in regar to that measure was, thatlhe people of the mineral regions were a set of vaga onds, and the women were, to a large extent, an chaste, and therefore we should drive out that worthless class of people, sell the mineral lands, and thus attract a meritorious class of people to those regions as settlers. That was the logic of the speech made to the 30 8th Congress. It is in consequence of the apparent encour agement which such a scheme has received here that we now feel that our whole titles are insecure. It has disturbed the faith, it has disturbed the credit, and consequently those who are interested in that region, those who have the interests of that country at heart, have set themselves to work to frame a bill reco iizing the possesso rights of all these dpeop e, recognizing the act that they are an have been a meritorious class of citizens and that the development of that region to its greatest extent is for the best interest of the whole country. Now, sir, this bill came from the Senate some weeks since. Itwas sought to be referred to the ComMining, which, in my opinion, was the proper committee to which it should have gone. But through the influence of the chairman of the ComPubLands it was sent to his committee. And I wish to state to the House now that the majorit of the ComPubLands are in avor of this bill as it came from the Senate; and if it had not been for action of which the House has been advised it would have been reported to the House before this time. Iunderstand the ComMining have considered this bill, and are ready to report favorably upon it at any time. It has also been before the ComTerritor, and they approve of it. And, sir, I hopethat this House will pass the hill just as it came from the Senate, without any further amendment; because there is an imerative necessity for something being done tint will assurethe people in those regions that the government does not mean to undermine them. gflere the hammer fell.]