Palmer — llie Lead Region of Illinois. 209 



no actual surveys had been made, when on Mai'ch o, 1807, Con- 

 gress passed an act entitled, "An Act Making Provision for the 

 Disposal of the Public Lands Situate between the United States 

 Military Tract, and the Connecticut Reserve, and for Other 

 Purposes," the fifth section of which provided that the mineral 

 lands of the United States should be leased for an annual rental, 

 instead of being sold outright/ 



This policy of the government, of reserving mineral lands 

 from sale, was beneficial at the time of its passage, since it 

 tended to prevent hasty and unprofitable disposal of rich mineral 

 lands whose real value was unknown. But the system was con- 

 tinued too long, and became the cause of great injustice to the 

 miners, and a source of constant trouble and expense to the 

 government until it was abolished in 1846. Under this system, 

 instead of selling the mineral lands outright, all tracts showing 

 signs of containing possible lead bearing rock, were reserved by 

 the government ofiicers, from sale, but could be worked by any 

 person who should register a claim with the Superintendent of 

 Lead Mines, and pay, as an annual rental, a certain portion of 

 the product, varying at different times from one-tenth to one-six- 

 teenth, in pure lead or the money equivalent. But much trouble 

 came to be experienced in collecting the rentals, after a few 

 years, w^hen the number of miners had greatly increased. Fi- 

 nallv, matters fell into such a condition that the rentals received 

 scarcely paid the cost of administration. The United States 

 V7as compelled to carry on incessant actions at law to protect its 

 property from trespassers. The leasing system also deprived 

 the state of Illinois of the ^\q per cent, to which she would be 

 entitled should the lands be sold, as well as the taxes derivable 

 from them when held as private property. But the gTeatest evil 

 caused by the system, was the tendency toward an uneven de- 

 velopment of the whole lead region. By it, all the land, except 

 that containing mineral, was placed on the market in the regular 

 way and bought by a class of people who speedily converted it 

 into good farms. On the other hand, people who settled for 

 farming purposes on land wdiich the government agent, after 

 a superficial examination had reserved as possible lead bearing 

 land, were there as trespassers. Eather than risk a possible 



1 Laws of U. S., Vol. IV., p. 127. 



14 



