The Idaho Springs siftings-news., 1908-09-26

and mine owners were anxious for the
conflict. One day a committee Of min
owners visited Governor Mcdonald
and asked him what he would do in re-
gard to maintaining law and order and
If he would allow them to deport the
miners.
Gentlemen" said he, III strike is
called and local officials can't control
it, ! WILL but it will be law and order
on both sides. I'll hang the first man
that blows up mine and I'll hang the
first man that undertakes to deport a
private citizen. When I go in there
will be law and order on both sides
and not on one side alone"
The mine owners went away crest
fallen and the next day a committee Of
miners visited him and asked him
what he would do and they got the
same reply. Two days after that the
miners and mine owners got together,
settled their differences and the strike
was not ordered.
Neither cared to go up against the
NV strictly enforced
Two months after that another
strike was imminent and other conf
mittees, who visited the governor, got
the same reply and went back and SET
tied their troubles.
At one time during his administra.
ton a coal company made application
for certain coal lands in the state.
The governor looked the application
over and didn't think 1t read just right.
He Is a practical surveyor and one FRI
day night he slipped out Of town, put
on some old clothes, went down to the
place and surveyed it and found that
there was just twice as much
land In the application as the
chart showed. He came back, sent
for the president of the company, and
told him that he had better withdraw
The application, that 1t would cause
him trouble il he undertook to put it
through. The president took the hint
and withdrew the application and the
school fund was enriched several hun
bred thousand dollars by reason OF the
governor going Gown and spending a
couple Of days surveying for the state.
At another time a coal company
turned In report upon which it was to
pay 10 cents ton royalty on the coal
mined. The governor did not believe
the report showed the total number of
tons that had been taken out OF the
mines. Unknown to anybody he went
to the mine, and spent a day surveying
the drifts. From these surveys he
made an estimate of the amount of
coal that had been taken out, sent the
company bill for the difference and
the company. knowing it was "up
against it," sent him a check for the
difference.
There was not a dollar paid out of
the internal improvement fund for
roads and bridges during the past
two years that Governor Mcdonald
did not inspect the bridge or the road.
He went over every mile Of road built
by the state and inspected every
bridge.
Many trips were taken by him when
the people along the roads never knew
who he was. At one time company
put In q faulty abutment for a bridge
and he made them do the whole thing
over before he approved the bill.
A few weeks ago the governor was
visiting one of the state institutions
and after having been shown all
through and having commended the
work he called the manager Of the in.
stitution, who was one of his appoin.
tees, to one side, and pulling the ex
pense account of the Institution out OF
his pocket, asked him to explain one
of the items.