Semi-weekly herald., 1908-02-24
NEVADA AND HER
LABOR TROUBLES.
(By G. G. Wrlght.l


less wildcat schemes together have
not been sufficient to dispel the inter
est in the state OF sagerush and sand
Nevada has been harder hit by the
panic than any other state in the
Union, for when the panic came the
great inflow of money for stock job
bling schemes, and many legitimate
schemes as well. was stopped. For
tunes repr uted by stocks dwindled
almost in the twinkling of an eye.
nearly every mine in the state that
was not lf.jupportilg from its pro
duction was compelled to close down.
throwing the miners out OF work
Then on top of this came the demands
OF the Goldfeld miners-demands
which the mine owners could not pos
sibly comply with-and then the
strike.
The man from Nevada is frequently
asked if the strike at Goldfeld is set
tied. 1t is supposed to be settled, but
it remains to be seen whether it really
is or not. The legislature met in
special session and passed n bill pro
viding for state police force TO pre-
serve the peace in times OF trouble.
But state police forces are apt to be
much like city police forces, where
sympathizers of one side or the other
will get in. and there will be strug.
gle between the mine owners and the
union to get their men on the force.
II is regarded by many throughout
Nevada as a state calamity that the
soldiers cannot be retained, for as pre-
servers of the peace Uncle Sans boys
in blue have no equal. They have no
sympathies and preserve the peace
with an impartiality that cannot be
equalled by any other body of men.
And then breakers of the law are not
so willing to butt into a squad of sol
diers as they are a gang OF ordinary
hired guards. 1t was the hope OF all
good citizens of Nevada that some
measure would be enacted by the
legislature which would put an end
to the continual striking and make the
state peaceable one where investors
might put their money with the assur-
ance OF getting a fair show for it,
But hardly had the legislature ad-
journed until some of the meu at a
few of the mines began their old tao
tics, and it is doubtful if the soutbern
ntrt NJ 10 .tFfIt hax
unless it is under guard of u. S. sol
diers.
While the strike troubles have all
been ia the southern part of the state.
around Goldfeld and tributary dis
tricts, the rest of the state has felt the
baneiul influence. The strike troubles
in that part have given the whole
state a bad name. because the in
vestor understands that there is no
protection against the high-grader ald
strife-breeder.
Sentiment has taken a great change
against the Goldfield bunch in the last
few months. The thing responsible
for this was the refusal of the miners
TO take scrip as whole or part pay.
When merchants, printers and nearly
all classes of business men and labor
ers were taking their pay in certiii-
Yates, it was the general opinion that
the miners should have helped things
along by doing the same thing for the
short period of time that such meth
DDS of payment were in vogue.
The primary cause OF all Nevada's S
troubles is that Goldfeld has the
cream OF the Couer d'Alene, Cripple
Creek and Telluride anarchists, to-
gether with quite an accumulation
from other parts of the globe. The
mines are manned with such large
percentage OF men who actually be
lieve that the time is about ripe for
the laboring class to seize the prop
erty held by the employing class, and,
in the language of Governor Orman s
emissary to Telluride. forcibly hold
"peaceable possession" There are
too many men in Goldield who hiss
the flag. How the principal industry
of Nevada could be carried ON If the
miners of all the districts were like
those of Goldfeld, cannot be con
ceived.
The Socialists will try to control
the state election next fall. The
southern part OF the state will un
doubtedly go Socialist by heavy
majority 1t will be up to the north
ern part of the state to offset this. o
course the northern part of the stat
will not be solid against the Social
lists. for the Goldheld bunch has th'
sympathy of an alarming percentag
of the men who work for wages al
over the state. Generally speaking,
is the laboriIg men on one side an
the mine owners, business men an
farmers on the other side.
Another thing that is hurting New
da is that it is overrun with hobo'
hold-ups, safe crackers and thugs
the worst class, and so thick are the
l.. D.nn tl,a toWn in the staff