Arizona silver belt., 1897-12-02

by the lawlsssness in that district, bnt they have been augmented through the demands made ny witnesses from Clifton and Morenci, pleading poverty and receiving pay from the county for expenses as indigent witnesses. We are credibly informed that this item. at single term during Judge Kihhey's incumbency, amounted to upwards of S400, and there is seldom term of court held at Solomonville, whereat the county is not required to pay out money on account of indigent witnesses from that district. As many of these same witnesses were ut the time em- ployes of the copper companies, it does not indicate condition of pros. perity among the laboring people of Clifton and Morenci.
 Mir. Colquhoun claims the boleto system as nsed by his company has been so modified and improved that it is highly advantageous to employees, and that credit orders are popular with Mexicans and whites, and also with the outside business men. That is easily understood. The improvieeut Mexican is satisfied if he can draw his pay as fast as earned, even though he has to submit to ruinous discount; the white employe likes the system for the rsason that with the cash he re- ceiv.s on pay day he can buy holetos at 25 per cent of, aud thus add ma terially to the low wages he receives from the company; the saloons and small stores approve of it for the same reason--they gain distinct advantage in trading with the company through the traffic in boetos. The copper companies have greater reason than anyone else to be satisfied, because nearly all the grist from the camps must eventually fall into the hoppers of the companies. Therefore, we said the Arizona Copper company practic- ally monopolized the business of Clifton.
 Notwithstanding Mir. Colqnhoun's assertion that the store business at Clifton and at Bisbee is in precisely the same condition, there is. in fact. no similarity in the methods employed by the two companies which dominate, respectively, those camps. The Copper Queen company pays the highest wages and sells goods cheaper than al most any other mercantile house in Arizona-and issues uo boletos. The Arizona Copper company, on the other band, pays the lowest wages, charges almost the highest prices for merchsn diss--and the poor devils of Me1ieans who draw boletos gess decidedly the worst of it.
 Mr. Colqnhoun pays s high tribute to his Mexican employes--they arc heroes in his estimation, and as miners have few superIors. If this Is really Mir. Colquboun's opinion, we must conclude that it has beep formed with ont n knowledge of the character and capacity of the white miners in other parts of Arizona, aud further, hecause of the fact that the Mexican will work for one-half the wages capable, self respecting white miner will. We do not doubt that the Arizona Copper company could get all the Mexican labor they require at Sl,OO pei day. for the Mexicans work for a very much less rate of wages in Sonora and Chi huahus, but if employed they wuuld not be 80 efficient, even after long training, to make them familiar with their work, and for any corporation or mine owner to attempt to introduce dollar scale in Arlzoua would raise sucE storm of disapprosal as would bring them to -ealizing sense of their danger, if not of their sin against hu- manity.
 The SILVER BELT cherishes no hos tility to the Arizona Copper company, per SC. Our fight Is against system of which that company stands as the exponent in Arizona. We look upon that system hourishipg at Clifton and Moreuci as a grave menace to the sur rounding miniug districts in Arizona, through the possibility of its extension; and we deem it our duty, and the duty of every other newspaper not under corporate control and having the inter est of Arizona truly at heart, to declare against the importation and employ ment of cheap labor for mining. As mining is onr chief industry, giving employment to nearly three-fourths of the wage-earners in the territory, it follows that the class of men engaged in mining largely determines the char. scter of our population as whole and Arizonaio ra,,ufotinn and of,,d,nox