Douglas Island news., 1908-02-19
Labor Troubles at Goldfield.
The Engineering and Mining Journal.

The Engineering and Mining Journal.
 Various reasons have heretofore pre- vented any authentic statement of the labor situation at Goldfeld from reach ing the investing public. At this time such 8 statement seems particularly appropriate.
 The Western Federation of Miners early iutrenched itself in Gold6eld and it is doubtful if any camp was more completely dominated by it. In De- cember, 1906, when the record breaking leases were about to expire by limita- tion the miners struck for higher wages. The union scale at that time was S4.5O and S4, which was not in pro portion to wages obtained by many other less arduous and less hazardous occupations iu the camp. Notwith- standing the fact that many, if not all, of the bonanza leases were paying large bonuses to their men, wages in some cases being S7 to S8 per day of eight hours, the mine owners admitted the disparity in the amounts paid the var ious trades and despite the fact that mining conditions outside of the big leases did not justify it, they agreed to the new union scale of 5 as minimum wage for all men employed under ground.
 The peace promised by this conces- sion was short lived. The Western Federation of Miners was and is a con- stituent body of the Industrial Work CTS of the World and in Goldfield all union meetings were held by the l. w.. W. members in general, and not by the individual local branches. Thus a miners meeting was often largely com posed of cooks, walters, bartenders, and clerks, who could out-vote the miners themselves. The best element among the miners resented this and it was the seed which has sprouted to crush not only the l. w. w., but the w. F. NJ. as we'll.
 h February, 1907, the l. W. w. pro- mulgated degree that the carpenters and allied building trades in Goldfield must renounce allegiance to their own unions, affiliations of the American Federation of Labor, and join the 1. w. w., or, failing this, must leave camp or take the alternative of being run out. The carpenters failing to comply, the l. w. WIS. began fragrant prosecutions and few days later one Silva, who operated a restaurant which many carpenters patronized, was called to the door of his shop and shot and instantly killed by member of the union. This dastardly outrage not be- ing enough, threats were made to dynamite the town, and to kill certain of the prominent mining men, where upon the better element rose en masse armed themselves, fortified the Monte zuma Club, patrolled the town, and waited for the miners to act. This state of affairs lasted several weeks The mine owners and operators organ ized and closed down all of the mines of the district. They offered to re open, making the stipulation that while they we're not in any way antagonistic to organized labor, they would insist upon the w. F. M. sever ing its connection with the 1. W. W and regsining control of itself and itt own meetings. Grant Hamilton, al organizer for the American Federation of Labor, was brought in and organ ized many of the trades and secured A. +. of l.. charters for them. AT agreement YVES finally reached and the mines reopened. The results of this trouble and lockout were as follows