New-York tribune., 1907-12-30
.SEN1TOR NIXON'S PIEWS.
Tells about Trouble Leading Up to
GCIdfeld Strike.

According to a telegram received last night by
Senator George s Nixon, of Nevada Governor
Sparks of that state will call special session
of the Legislature in response to the statement
of President Roosevelt, that unless such call
were issued in five days the federal troops would
be withdrawn from GoIdfield- Senator Nixon,
who came to this city from Washington yester-
day afternoon, is staying at the Waldorf
The Senator would not give the name of the
sender of the dispatch, but said 1T was repre-
sentative of his in Goldfeld- He said he was
sure that public sentiment in Nevada would
force the Legislature to take some action to re-
tain the government troops and pass other
measures to meet the situation caused by the
conflict between the Western Federation of
Miners and the mine owners in Goldtield. Gov
ernor Sparks in his telegram to the President
said he did not think the Legislature would ask
the United States government for troops. even If
he called it together.
If the call for the convening of the Legis-
lature should be issued tomorrow, said the
Senator 1T would take days before it could
get together and probably another week or ten
DAYS before any definite action could be taken
In addition TO passing resolution that would
put the United States government in a position
To legally keep troops in GOIdheld. believe the
Legislature will pass bill establishing some
sort of state constabuIary, such as they have in
Pennsylvania and Texas
The Senator said the President was perfectly
right in the position he took in serving notice on
Governor Sparks that unless he issued call
for the Legislature the troops would be with
drawn
81 do not think the President wanted his tele-
gram taken in the sense of rebuke TO the Gov
ernor." said the Senator. but if the Governor
had read between the lines in the previous dis
patches from Washington he would have un-
derstood what be done"
Senator Nixon. who is one OF the principal
owners of the GoldfeId Consolidated Mining
COMPANY which controls most of the mines in
the district said the miners had no cause for
the strike
1T was simply part of the general scheme OF
the Western Federation to break up the mine
owners" he said Il see it has been reported
here that the miners struck because we forced
them to take their pay in scrip. which was sub
iect TO a discount. The conditions were just
these: 1t was at the height of the financial
troubles when cities throughout the country
were issuing clearing house certificates for cur
renew In GoldheId we would have done the
same except that this method applies to an ar
rangen,ent between a number of banks. and IN
C;oIdfeId there only three banks. and two CT
these were closed
"The third is that of John S. Cook & Co.
owned by Mr Cook George wingfield and my
$500 .00O-but those were tclzlish times, and
We thought IL would be wise to hold to il. So
we decided TO issue cashiers checks In denomi-
nations from 81 to $50. We first obtained
assurance from the stores and tradesmen- the
railroads and the express companies that they
,youId take these checks the same they would
currency.
There was absolutely reason why these
checks should have been subject to a discount
They passed freely everywhere. But the min
ers did not like them when they were paid to
them in exchange for the pay checks of the
mine They insisted that the mines shouif
o,arantea these checks which was absolutely
unnecessary Mr. Cook took some Of the nine
leaders into the vaults and showed them the
S50o GOO i'm currency We explained to them
why we felt ought to keep it in the town
rather than have 1t spread around the country.
as would have been the case if we had paid il
ont We explalneG We were issuing only s50.eop
in cashiers checks. but it was of no use
1--WE have since redeemed all these checks in
cash but the strike is still on But We now
have go non-unicu men at work in the mires /
of the Godneld Consolidated We shall never
recognize the Western Federation again We
have told the men we are perfectly willing 70
recognize reasonable association of miners
and would sign contracts for three years WITH
s,ch an organization, but the Western Federa-
tion has gone beyond the bounds of reason
There are some three thousand members OK
the Goldfield local of the Western Federation
OF that number. the Senator said. about twen-
ty-two hundred are hard working. sober men,
The others are socialists and anarchists
.sWhv." said he, "at the time of the Haywooa
trial they placarded mines and the sur
rounding country with notices reading: III
Haywood is convicted will kill a capitalist
for every hair in his head
DEWEYS OLD PORT FOR The GRIPPE
LIZ nrouoptS any had after effects