The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1907-12-20
CONDITIONS ARE BAD
General Funston Talks on Sit
uati0n at GoIdfieId.
WORSE THAN ANTICIPATED
Trouble Are Greater Than He Had
Been Expecting-No Serious Dis
turbance Has Occurred.

Goldfeld, New, Dec. 14.-After hav-
ing met and conferred with many citi-
zens of Goldfield, General Funston
stated that he is finding conditions
here worse than he had anticipated.
:'The possibilities of further trouble
growing out of the difficulties between
the mine owners and the miners" he
said, "are greater than my informa-
ton previous to coming to Goldfield
had led me to believe. & have just
telegraphed a second report to Wash
ington which is basued on the informa-
ton | have gathered. l do not believe
the governor will declare martial law
at once, as no serious disturbance has
occurred. / am satisfied with this
and shall not advise such action until
it is absolutely necessary. AS to the
matter of patrolling the vicinity of the
mines and the streets of the city with
the regulars, that is a procedure that
may become necessary at any hour"
The statement of General Funston
settles effectually the question of the
withdrawal Of the troops from Gold
field. Neither General Funston nor Gov
ernor Sparks will yield to the pressure
that has been brought to induce them
to favor the withdrawal of the troops
before the arrival of the labor COM
mission from Washington.
A delegation of women, composed OF
members of the Women's club of Gold
field, will call on General Funston and
lay before him their side of the ques-
ton, which will be that previous to
the coming of the troops they had
lived in constant terror, fearing that
their homes might be destroyed and
their lives endangered by deeds of vio-
lence and depredations of desperate
strikers. They will ask that the troops
be kept here until all danger of trou-
BILE is past. ..
Will Present the Same Matter.
Delegations from the Goldfeld
Chamber of Commerce, the Mine Own
ers' association and the Goldfield Stock
Exchange also will call on General
Funston to present the same matter.
There is we'll authenticated rumor
that a committee of citizens has been
formed, ostensibly to act as volun-
teer fire and police department in the
residence district, but which will be
more in the nature Of n vigilance COM
mittee of the early California days.
A story is circulating that two union
men escorted a miner who had gone
back to work, to point some three
miles from camp, and then brutally
beat him and started him for Tonopah
across the desert. No trace Of the
miner who was alleged to have been
beaten or of the two men who are al
legged to have committed the outrage
has been found. General Funston was
Informed of the matter. He stated en-
phatically when questioned that the
troops here would endeavor to protect
Western Federation men If any at
tempt was made to deport them, just
as they would protect men who might
be set upon by strikers.
"The troops will try to prevent out
RACES or violence of any sort, no mat
ter by whom committed" he said.
The Mine Owners association has
decided to continue the card system
in operation and to require all those
who go to work to sign the agreement
renouncing allegiance to the Western
Federation Of Miners.
In support of their refusal to accept
script In payment for wages, the Off
GERS of the local union have dug up
section of the constitution of Nevada
which declares that no bank shall is
sue or cause to be circulated any mon
ey other than national currency or
bank certificates authorized by con-