The White Pine news. [volume] (Ely, Nev.) 1906-1910, 1907-04-27
From Tuesdays Daily.
THE STATE AND THE MINER.

Thee are two states in the Union,
says the Nevada City California; Mi
ner Transcript, that owe their origin
and much of their prosperity and ma
terial wealth to mining -California
and Nevada. Yet there are probably
no two states where the miner and
his work receive less recognition, the
magnitude OF the industry considered
than in the two states mentioned.
Gold gave to California its name
and its noble and intrepid men No
mere weakllngs. no timorous Great
ures and insipid dreamers were the
argonauts and pioneers who crossed
the plains and the isthmus to join the
sturdy Host in the search for the yell
low metal. Men less sturdy and de-
termined would have shrunk from
such pcrious adventures. They gave
to California its stamp of manhood
and greatness, and although various
industries have since sprung up to in
sure the state glorious and prosper
ons future, the generations yet uh-
born VIII have TO acknowledge their
Indebtedness TO the pioneer gold nj
ners.
Nevada is even more indebted than
is California to the miner. Her prin-
cipal men are miners and her chief
industry is mining. Robbed OF her
wonderful mineral deposits and her
mines producing their millions an
nualy, Nevada would have but little
of the world. This isnot written dis
paragingly, as it is known that min
ing in Cur sister state is the over
shadoWing industry. Her glory. her
fame, her achievements are so closely
interviewer with mining and the mi
ners that you can not discuss the one
without considering the other.
These comments are aroused by
the rejection OF a measure by the Ne
vada state senate which was intended
to provide home for the old and
motives prompted the measure and
it passed the assembly by an excellent
vote, testifying to the high esteem in
which hat body holds the miner. But
when il reached the senate il mel its
doom. Probably that body in its wis
dom thought that ii was acting for
the best interests Of the state and of
the miner; some OF the acts of the
legislators are past finding out. 1t
seemed that the senate was afraid of
cultivating a spirit of paternalism;
of the horrible precedent it would set
for men who would follow and would
be endowed with less of wisdom and
of knowledge But with all their
wisdom and knowledge, with their
fear of paternalism and the bad intlu
ence their act would exert on those to
follow them, the senator's who voted
against the old miners homo bill are
wrong They did the miner an injus-
ice which time alone can heal. 1t is
lot paternalism to care for those be-
coming bent and gray and decrepit
hazardous work of unearthing the
minerals which the earth contains.
every collar given To the world by
the miner is new dollar added to
The wealth of the world. On the
wealth which he produces rests the
security of commerce, industry and
finance. lie is the creator, and to
him moro than anyone else does the
nation look for its stability and pros
perity
II is not paternalism to nourish
health and purse from long years of
hardship and exposure. II is q duty
which the state owes him. How many
of the men who braYed the perils of
the desert and of the ocean and came
to California to develop our vast min
eral wealth lived 10 return? How
many brave and courageous prospec-
tors have been sacrificed TO the rig
ors of the Nevada deserts while in a
search for the veins that have made
the state famous?
The rational government provides
| homes for the aged and crippled sol
diers who offered their services in the
hour OF the nations peril. No one
questions the right of the govern
ment to maintain these homes at the
expense OF the public treasury, and
no one accuses it of paternalism. If
| to care for the old soldiers is pater-.
nalism, then it is paternalism which
every American views with admira-
/ ton and pride.
In California we have our county
| hospitals. These take the place OF
homes to the worn out miner. If any
one will take the trouble TO so TO any
one of the institutions maintained at
the expense of the mining counties
he will find that almost the majority
of the inmates belong to that class
known as the pioneers of California.
Broken in health and purse they seek
the shelter of the county's benefac-
ton. These are the men who have
made the history OF our state, who
have blazoned the name of California
in letters OF gold on ever trail and
mountain lastness. And while they