The silver state news. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1907-1909, 1907-12-16
SENATOR NIXON ON
SITUATION

WASHINGTON, D. c., Dec. 13. =
Senator George s. Nixon after long
conference with President Roosevelt
today, stated the policy of the mine
owners in detail He said:
"The mine owners of Goldfield
want, first, to be clearly understood
We are not fighting legitimate union
ism. We are fighting outlawry and
anarchy. We intend to put stop to
high grading and constantly recurring
friction, because the employees will not
keep their agreements and do the
work they are paid to do. We want
to work our mines, and if we cannot
do it without constant trouble, we will
shut down for two years or more.
"Our plan is to resume at the Tono-
pah wage scale of $4 day. / know
this policy will bring general criticism
upon the mine owners, but we are pre-
pared for that The cost of living at
Goldfield is lower than at Tonopah, yet
the miners at Tonopah work on with
out complaint and there are no strikes
there.
IF it should happen that the federal
troops are Withdrawn from the district
leaving the mines and mine owners un-
protected, it will then be the duty of
the state of Nevada to preserve order
and protect life and property. 1t
would probably be necessary for the
governor to call an evtra session of the
legislature for the. creation of a con-
stabulary force that would give ade
quate police protection. If this has
to be done it would be the end of the
Western Federation domination in the
Nevada mines.
The presence of the troops was
compelled. While no extreme out
breaks have been made by the present
leaders of the Western Federation,
there are 5000 members of the union
at Goldfeld. We are informed that
not more than 200 or 300 are radicals.
But this bunch keeps the district in a
turmoil, provoking strikes and induc-
ing the men who work to break their
agreements with the employers. We
shall insist that the employees of our
mines cease their connection with the
Western Federation at Denver. We
have no objection to Nevada union
such as has existed at Virginia City for
the last % years. They don't have
labor troubles at the Butte and the
Comstock, and we intetnd to stop them
/ in southern Nevada.
ct told the president we did not
want to wait for dynamiting and muir
! ders. We knew the radicals among
1 the men had cached 100 rifles, which
they declared they would use Threats
were made that the men would never
submit to being driven out of Goldfeld
as they were deported from Cripple
Creek. The leaders openly asserted
that before any soldiers could be
brought here they would burn the town
of Goldfield and wreck the mines be-
fore the troops could arrive.
"The execution of these threats
have been forestalled The mine
owners believe that 90 per cent of the
men will return to work just as soon
as the leaders who advocate violence
are convinced that they can no longer
run the district.
| This trouble has been coming for
a long time. The stated reason for
this outbreak is the method of pay
ment, as you realize that currency has
been exceedingly scarce and we agreed
to pay the men one-half cash and one
half in company checks These checks
might be called, in a way, clearing
house certificates. The express com
pany will accept them for express com
pany notes. the stores, business houses
and saloons and other places take them
at face value; many banks will con-
vert them to use in the liquidation of
money obligations.
1t was pretext, however, and
the men went out. l suppose, in a
way, our patience was exhausted, and
the general agreement was to have il
out. 1t is just as well, because we
contemplate the construction of o
great mill and other improvements