Montana news. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1904-191?, 1908-01-30

The findings of Roosevelt's labor
commission and the consequent letter
of the strenuous president to Governor
Sparks have not been calculated TO
fill the breasts of the Nevada pluto
Gratis with that calm and lofty assur-
anee which the possession Of the gold
which the miners dig is commonly
supposed to bestow.
The fact that only a part Of the
letter has been made public is suggest
i've. The president plainly states that
he has formed his conclusions from the
report of the labor commission, and
what is embodied therein is what they
hinted to the committee from the
miners union and which is indicated
by Roosevelt. He says:
al have just received the report of
these three gentlemen Murray, Smith
and Neill) which sets forth in the
most emphatic language their belief
after a careful investigation on the
ground, that there was no warrant
whatever for calling on the president
for troops, and that the troops should
not be left indefinite in Goldfield. The
report further states that there was
no insurrection against the power of
the state at the time the troops were
called for; that nobody supposed that
there was such an insurrection, and
that none of the conditions described
in the statutes as warranting interfer.
ence by the federal government existed
and that the effort was and is plainly
an effort by the state of Nevada to
secure the performance by the United
States of the ordinary police duties
which should be performed, as a mat
ter of course, by Nevada herself.
The report further says: "There is
absolutely no question if the state OF
Nevada and the county of Esmeralda
exercise the powers at their disposal
they can maintain satisfactory order in
Goldfeld; that so far the authoritie:
have done nothing but rely upon fel
eral aid"
The labor commission seems to have
penetrated the schemes of the mine
owners, as is shown by what the pre-
sident further says:
:"Inasmuch as we were by this tim,
satisfied that the mine operators hat
not in any particular established cas-,
justifying either the bringing or re
tention of the troops, we did not deem
il necessary to take any extensive evi
dence on the other side"
| Hands IL to Mine Owners.
The commissioners say in their re
port:
"The actions of the mine operator
warrant the belief that they had de
termined on reduction of wages an,
the refusal Of employment to member
of the Western Federation of Miners
but that they feared to take this cours
of action unless they had the protec
tion of the federal troops, and tina
they accordingly laid a plan to secur
such troops and then put their program
into effect
The president continually quotes tn
report in his letter, and says emphat
ically that Nevada must provide way
and means to attend to her own affairs
and that he federal authorities refus
TO be further implicated in the attemp
of the Mine Owners Association I
smash the Western Federation o
Miners.
The findings Of the commission re5og
nize class struggle and disturbed in
dustrial conditions. The call 70
troops was confined purely to the coun
ellis Of the Mine 0wenrs' Association
No authorities were consulted, and tn
first the public knew of the matte
was n dispatch in the papers sayin
that the troops were on the way. i
fact the report plainly shows that tn
commission felt that bunco game ha
been worked by the mine owners o
the government.
The mine owners had attempted
impress on the commission the violen
b character Of the union men by shown
them whore an abortive attempt ha