Waterbury evening Democrat., 1908-01-13
ID WITHDRAW TROOPS
GoIdfieId Soldiers Will Be Recalled
 by President.
DECLARES HE WAS DUPED.
Commission Reports Existence of Mine Owners Plot to Outwit Union, Obtain Soldiers and Then Cut Wages. Caustic Letter to Governor.

Optain ooIuieTS ana ncn Sut Wa9os' Caustic Letter to Governor.
 Washington, Jan 13. - President Roosevelt in a caustic letter to Gov ernor Sparks of Nevada, made public, announces his determination to remove the federal troops from that state as soon as the legislature has had oppor- tunity to make provision for the main- tenance of order.
 Easing his decision on the report of his special investigating committee, which he also makes public, the presi- dent declares that Governor Sparks had no warrant in asserting that state of insurrection existed at Gold field or that federal troops were need ed to preserve peace.
 He cOncurs with the decision of the commission that the refusal of the Ne vada authorities to make any effort of its own to protect its citizens is little short of a disgrace to the state.
 He approves the conclusion of the investigators that the governor sought the aid of the federal troops in order to assist the mine owners in their ille- gal attempt to stamp out the miners union in the state.
 Finally he insists that the soldiers shall be withdrawn in q week, even though the special session of the legis- lature demands their retention. In his letter to the governor the president says:
 ! I sent the troops to Nevada on your request, and I have now directed that they be kept there pending the assem- bling of the legislature. Meanwhile l sent out Assistant Secretary of Commerce and Labor Lawrence o. Murray, Com missioner of Corpc~Stions Herbert Knox Smith and Commissioner of Labor Charles P. Neill to investigate and re- port to me the actual condition of affairs in Goldfield
 I have just received a report from these gentlemen, which sets forth in the most emphatic language their belief, aft CT a careful investigation on the ground, that there was no warrant whatever for calling upon the president for troops and that the troops should not be kept in definitely at Goldheld
 The report further states that there
  [ the state at the time the troops were called for. that nobody supposed that there was such an instruction and that none of the conditions described in sec tions 5297-S-9 of the revised statutes as warranting interference by the federal government existed and that the effort was and is plainly an effort by the ssttrte of Nevada to secure the performance by the United States of the ordinary police duties which should as a matter of course be performed by Nevada herself. The re- port further says:
 There is absolutely no question. that if the state of Nevada and the county of Esmeralda exercised the powers at their disposal they can maintain satisfactory order in Godfield; that so far these au- thorites have done nothing. but are rely ing upon federal aid, and their attitude now is expressly that of refusing to do anything and desiring to throw the. own burdens upon the federal government for the maintenance of those elementary con ditions of order for which they and they only are responsible"
 The signers of the report express their conviction that the troops should remain in Nevada until the assembling of the leg islature. SO as to preserve the status quo in order that the legislature may deal with the situation as it exists, but that shortly thereafter the troops should be removed.
 l agree with the recommendations of this report. of which I inClose a copy and shall act accordingly. Unless it can be shown that the statements of the re- port are not fin accordance with the facts it will be incumbent upon the legislature of Nevada when it convenes itself to pro- vide for enforcing the laws of the state. The state of Nevada must itself make a resolute effort in good faith to perform the police duties incident to the existence of a state.
 The three commissioners reported to the president under date of Dec. 90. declaring that at the very outset of their investigation they found the Mine Operators association absolutely unable to prove the commission of dis turbances of sufficient atrOcity to war rant the call for federal troops. No effort had been made by the state or local authorities to put down any ''in- surrection" that might have arisen.
 The commission finds that not since spring had there occurred any upris. ing that might have provided the sem blanee of a reason for military inter ference. But 1t was discovered, the re- port goes on. that the Mine Operators association had determined to cut wages from s5 to S4 a day and that. fin direct violation sf Nevada state law. 1t mad forced all new Employees to sign contracts pledging themselves not to affiliate with any union while work ing in Esmeralda county.
 Every indication confirms the belief that the cut in wages and the refusal of the operators 10 employ union mel was in contemplation before the ar rival of the troops was part Of the gen eTal plan of the operators to establish their Independence of the union and that the coming of the troops was ex. pected and urged by them to make such a plan feasible"