The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-12-13
l GOLDF|ELD FREE FROM VIOLENCE
First Day of Reopening Mines
 Is Without Trouble .r ..-.
UNION MEN ON THE WATCH
Violation of State Law Is Alleged By Union Miners and 1t Is Tinted That Prosecutions Will Be ln-
 stituted Against Owners.

Goldfeld Nevada, December R.-The
 first day of the attempt to reopen the
 mines of Goldfield without the aid of the
 Western Federation of Miners has passed.
 and there has been not a single instance
 of attempted violence or disorder in the
 camp.
 Unarmed pickets of the Goldfeld miners
 union have approached as close to the
 scene of operations as the armed guards
 will permit and have succeeded in induc-
 ing some of those who had signed the
 agreement to return to work, to violate
 that agreement, and leave the mines.
 Gen. Frederick Funston arrived at noon,
 and his coming seems to have helped the
 situation greatly.
 It is declared tonight that the leaders
 of the strike have secured what evidence
 they wished from the mining operators
 under statute of the state of Nevada,
 which makes 1t crime to require an em-
 ploye to promise or agree not to become
 a member or remain a member of any
 labor orga anization. It is said prosecutions
 will follow
 After a conference with President
 Charles A. MacKinnon of the Goldfeld
 Miners union. Gen. Funston sent re-
 port to Washington tonight regarding the
 situation here.
 While General Funston refused to say what is contained in his report he said 1t contained nothing in regard to the prob able length of the stay of the troops in Goldfeld, but would be confined to the needs for them at the present time. ,, "fhe regulars will be here at least until after the arrival of the labor commission CTS from Washington" said General Fun ston. "This means they will be here for another week, and I have no doubt they will remain much longer than that. My report tonight will simply set forth my view of the situation as 1 have ob- tained from the people whom l have seen today.
 Tt must be understood that l am not here to go into the merits of the dis pute between the miners and the mine owners That is what the commissioners are coming from Washington for. Martial law should be last resort, and l willf not advocate 1t until there has been some violence committed and the local authorities have proven them selves unable to stop outrages such as the distraction of life."
 General Funston did not visit the mili- tary camps until late in the afternoon
 
 time to go over the ground and acqualnt himself with the lay of the land and the location of the mines and mills. President MacKnnon stated after the interview with General Funston that he | had told the general and others that the Miners union would do all in their power l to prevent trouble of any kind, and he pointed to the fact that no attempts have | been made today to molest any of the Wh hn have deserted the union and | gone back to work in the mines. The number of men who today re- , nounced all allegiance to the Western Federation of Miners and returned to work is given out as 56.
 The Nevada California Power company | has been able to keep it's plant in work l ing order today and tonight. although every one of the local electricians and l electrical workers have walked out on ac- I count of the reduction in their wages. | and no skilled men have been secured as yet to take their places.