The Goldfield news. [volume] (Goldfield, Nev.) 1904-1911, 1908-10-03
STATE POLICE LAW SHOULD BE
AMENDED, NOT REPEALED

E sKAcos speaker of III last ous of representatives, opponent
throughout + Governor Sparks, mi the leader in the house against
1Ae the Nevada State Police bill. has learned what the honest farmers and
cattle men Of ElEo county, his home think of him. and incidentally how they
regard the state police measure.
! skaggs is a man of more than ordinary ability and IS wn fixed financially
and ambitious politically. No soone did he enter the legislative halls than he
began o trim fr congress. He concluded that he shortest way to congress vas
by IA of the labor VOTE, so he at onceb became the selfc constituted leader in al
labor legislation, and essayed to b the mouthpiece If labor on the floor When
the state police bill was up il; the special session, skaggs was the leader of the
hopeless and forlorn opposition. He attempted to amend the bill in every essen
.il particular; h ridicued III m asure and played horse with fnbusering
tactics and made several contentious and grandloquent speeches intended for the
consumption of ''d0wntuodden'' labor; h declared that because of opposition
to the BILL 10 would be able % bury Its supporters in their political grave, while
he would . vindicated by return to office.
The measure passed, with only eve opposing votes between the houses
of the legislature, whereupon skaggs threatened that he would test the law be
foret III people with a referendum vote. And through his Efforts petitions have
nn o,rcu,.ted for . refuendum vote AMI such vote will be taken at III forth
coming election
skaggs wont HON to his .cow county of Eko, fully convinced that his
farmer and stockr raising constituency would welcome him as the friend Of the
taxpaying agriculturanst ..who was being mjustly burdened to maintain a state
police fcrccf for the benefit of the mining interests"
But his armer friends did not seem to know when he arrived, for there was
no great utpounng to welcome him. They had heard of his fight on Governor
tn, the farm and stock growing classes favored. They realized that it was min
ing that ws giving the farmer a good home market at high prices m anything
BOT nmu a. pr n~ sstO ne IL A wrs being sm nsa tbroushout the ranch districts to rid the
country of cattlet thieves and 'rusaers"; they were nw getting the protection
the never had before, and their taxes meanwhile had not increased so hat they
could notice it.
But skagss believed that thu police ill would gradually gro more un
popular and by thu time the conventions. anne 0un he would b hi popular
But what happened7 He vas not wen mentioned in thu state convsn-
tnn, and whent the county convention vas held he was denied the snatmship
even Then e would rn for the house s' vas ne INDICATED IN TINS po0ra M
smnty honor? There were six candidates before the convention and W to b e
m1nat Ska&gS was desperate ~ VOiatCu Oil pcCCuCuS ny IdhuS tc
floor Of the convention to plead for the nomination, trying to explain how his
opposition to Tire governor n the police bill was for the good of the state
But te old farmers of EIko did not see it that way and Skaggs was numerically
snowe under, receiving the least voes Ct ali the candidates. and not half as
any as thu mex lowest candidate And skaggs is now retired to private life
The fato of the matter is the people of the state believe thu fundamental
principle of III state police law They realize that in the absenco Of a state
militia, such al every other state has, som organized and effective force must
be at the command Of the governor, to enforce tn laws If The state ant supple
ment, if necessary insufficient local forces Eases Of organized uprising against
the law in n given locality Law without foce behind it to insure execution
and compel obedience thereto, is N abmrdty and the people of this state who
object t a citizen soldiery or state militia, have created state police as issso b
jetionable Other states have this Law and they hav III miEda in addition
Pennsylvania, he strongest Republican state in the Union has state police and
also a state militia Texas ii rong@ Democratic STATE in he Union has a
RAISED in certain quarters that w even have a state police.
We do not mean to maintain thatth the presents state police law is perfect in
its form or i'm its operations The measurew was If necessity, more or less expert
mental n afer a years trial, it has been possible to determine its defects
The Democratic party, the dominant party OF III state. has promised to rerify
and eliminate the Objectionable features of the law at the Forthcoming session of
M legislature, If mtrusted with power, and We beleve as a result there will be
a state police law which will be effective AM to which n reasonable objection
can be brought in its operations. OF course, the name of its execution can
make IN lay Objectionable, and it vas more in he way it was administered,
than the law ITSELF that brought 1he present statute inod ixrepute
Bu IS evidenced in the case of skaggs, as cited, we are lead to believe that
the people Of Nevada are in favor of a law cmbodying h essential provisions
Of the present state police bill. I'M rather than vote for its repeal will vote for
members Of the legislature who are pledged to it's reasonable and amend
ment.