Montana news. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1904-191?, 1908-01-02
Special Correspondence to the News:

Goldfeld, New, Dee. "a, 1907.
After a trip of three days from
Boise, / reached GoldhelJ Monday
morning, Dec. %. The great gold min
ing camp is situated in the heart of
the Ralston desert in southern Nevada.
No more desolate location for human
beings to live in could well be i'm
agined. There is nothing to engage
the eye, but the barren desert
sand, the shrunken sagebrush, the bar
ren, desolate, stunted mountains. The
city, a typical boom camp of some 5000
people, is wind-swept and mostly COW
cred with sand good part of the time.
1t is place where no one would
live by choice, where the slaves are
driven by the necessity of turning ous
wealth for some one else, where men
with all their human qualities subor-
dinated to the greed Of gain ply their
ghoulsh traffic in human lives and
and yellow gold.
The town is still in the tent and
shack stage. A few stone business
buildings are going up, and there are
numbers of adobe structures that
style Of architecture that lends itself
so gratefully to southern elimes.
The Western Federation in Action.
With this sort of a setting is being
enacted in one of the most eventful
and dramatic incidents in the histoI y
of that vital and aggressive labor or
ganization, the Western Federation of
Miners.
The situation is problematieal mys-
terious, apparently a waiting game 20
to the outsider, yet surcharged VITA
possibilities of the utmost moment to
working class that is learning the
power of collective effort as a means
of striking the chains of ignorance
from its unhappy fate.
IL was a mild, cheerful, sunshiny
day when I entered the town. and as
l started to walk from the depot a
mine manager picked me up in his
trap, and told me, on learning that i
was reporter, that everything was
quiet, and would remain so as lcng as
the troops stayed, that it is eNpe"ted
that Roosevelt will rescind mis- order
to withdraw the troops on Dee. 80,
as so many dispatches had been sent
imploring not to take the troops away
and that it was the determination of
the operators to put the Federation
out Of business as had been dune in
Bisbee, Telluride, Cripple Creek and
the Coeur ,l'A'en.s.
At union hea lquarters ] found the
utmost activity. The men were com
ing and going, r eparing for picket
duty and reporting on g and engaged
in the numerous duties that the strike
demands. In the .arge all back of
the office men were sitting realing
playing cards, or standing about dis
cussing the best and speediest, method
of saving the world and the working
class.
c. Ii. McKinon, president f the
union, has found hirseif placed in a
position demanding the utmost juag.
ment and discretion. BE married a
sister Of Mrs. Haywood, and IS prov
ing as capable as ais famous brother
in-law in union matters.
V. Rice, the financial secretary, and
T. James, the recording secretary, are
also constantly busy at their posts.
The Panic and the Industrial Situation
One of the perio lical couvulsious of
the abnormal capitalism is largely re.
sponsible for the present crisis. The
principal Of concentration in the bust
ness world is constantly contracting
to narrowing circle as the CONNER.
cial dictators are polishing their game
TO scientific exactness. Lawson q wide.
spread diagnosis of the methods en-
ployed explains in a nutshell the mo
tives at work that caused the arbi
trary attitude Of the operators, which
forced defensiv action upon the Fed