The San Francisco call., 1906-09-12
GOLDFIELD MINES
IDLE DURING
WRANGLE.
Trouble Began Between In
dustrial Workers of World
and the Tonopah Daily
MINERS MEETING
IN FIGHT ARENA
Owners Make Good Threat
to Shut Down Properties
If I. w. w. Is Recognized

GoLDFIELD, New, Sept. Livery
producing mine in the Goldheld dis
trict is closed today tighter than a
drum Every producing lease is also
shut down. under an agreement with
the owners Of ground that their leases
would be extended for period equal
TO the time of their enforced idleness.
This action was ta after special
meeting Of miner yesterday. The
meeting was held to consider the ques-
ton whether the Miners Union would
sttn continue TO support the Indus
trial Workers Of the World. an organ
ization of unskiIled labor that has been
making itself very obnoxious to the
community.
Many OF the mines closed for the
afternoon shift TO allow the miners to
attend. believing that full attendance
would result in the reputation of the
W. w LN NAlt miners OLS aulLdllOU-
The meeting was attended by 1900 min
ers, or men carrying miners cards. and
was held in the open arena lately
erected for the Cans Nelson prize fight
It lasted all the afternoon ana until
late in the evening. with the result
that the miners voted TO continue to
recognize the / ". ".
This organization is under the aus
pices Of the Western Federation Of
Miners. 1t was organized TO bring all
unskilied laborers into a union to be
controlled by the Miners Union. The
/ w W exists only in communities
where the Miners Union is strong, and
was presumably formed to back up
any fight in which the Miners Union
might be engaged. There have been no
differences between the mine owners
and the miners in this district Their
relations have been entirely amicable
and it appeared before the present
trouble over the l. W. W. arose that
any trouble between the miners and
operators was remote.
The / ". ". commenced a boycott
upon z local daily newspaper which is
owned by the same person who owns
the Tonopah daily paper This latter
paper had serious trouble with the I.
". ". in Tonopah. A boycott was
started against the Tonopah paper and
was taken up against the Goldfield
paper under the same management.
The Goldfeld branch of the L w. ".
carrying banners parade the Goldfield
streets. declaring that any one who
patronizes the paper in question will be
declared unfair.
The management Of the paper was
harassed in every conceivable way to
the extent Of its entire force being
threatened with deportation. Citizens
soon became irritated over the situation
and fist fights and heated discussions
were common occurrences. Finally
some Of the unions, notably the carpen-
ters and paper hangers. which the In
dustriaI Workers of the World tried to
coerce into joining their organization.
got out into the street and protected
the men trying to sell the paper In
question and backed them up with
guns This occurred only one night
and then the paper again failed to ap-
pear upon the streets, as IL had during
the entire month past.
The town and camp were aroused and
it was then that some of the mine own
ers, notably George Nixon. the largest
operator in the camp. notified the Off
GERS OF the Mine Owners Union that the
union would have to withdraw it's sup
port from the Industrial Workers OF
down. This called for the meeting held
yesterday and which resulted in a vote
10 stand back Of the Industrial Work
ers Of the World. but after taking con-
troll out Of the local officials hands and
placing it under the Miners Union the
boycott was continued.
Then Wingfeld, who is manager of
the Mohawk and a dozen other proper
ties in the camp. notified his superin-
tendents TO close down after the grave
yard shift went of this morning. BY
noon nearly all the producing mines
and leases were shut down. The mine
owners acted as unit. although there
is no mine owners organization of any
kind in camp.
The owners are determined to re-
main closed until the miners repudiate
the Industrial Workers Of the World.
The situation is bad and many fear a
serious outbreak in the near future.
The miners are suilen and viii not tell
the exact results OF the meeting last
night. It is believed that the union CEN
sured the Industrial Workers of the
World for causing the trouble. but de-
clared it would support the organization.
The miners viii hold a meeting to-