United States v. Marshall Silver Mining Company was a Supreme Court case that was decided in 1891. The case involved a dispute between the United States and the Marshall Silver Mining Company over the ownership of certain mining claims in the state of Nevada. The United States argued that the mining claims were part of the public domain and thus belonged to the United States. The Marshall Silver Mining Company argued that they had acquired the claims through a valid mining location and thus had a valid claim to the property. The Supreme Court ultimately sided with the United States, ruling that the mining claims were part of the public domain and thus belonged to the United States. The Court held that the mining claims were not acquired through a valid mining location and thus the Marshall Silver Mining Company did not have a valid claim to the property. The Court also held that the United States had the right to regulate the mining claims and that the Marshall Silver Mining Company had no right to interfere with the United States' regulation of the mining claims. This decision established the principle that the United States has the right to regulate the public domain and that private individuals do not have the right to interfere with the United States' regulation of the public domain.

In the dissenting opinion of United States v. Marshall Silver Mining Company, Justice Field argued that the majority's decision was in error because it failed to recognize Congress' power to regulate mining operations on public lands. He noted that while Congress had not specifically authorized such regulation, they had given broad powers to the Secretary of Interior and other government officials which could be used for this purpose. Furthermore, he argued that if Congress did not have authority over these matters then no one would be able to prevent miners from taking more than their fair share of resources or engaging in activities detrimental to public health and safety. In conclusion, Justice Field believed that allowing unregulated mining on public land posed a serious threat and should therefore be subject to federal control.