Tonopah bonanza. [volume] (Butler City [i.e. Butler], Nev.) 1901-1909, 1909-06-19
$50 IA ALL OF S

The Reno Journal of Wednesday morning publishes the editorial
below in regard to the action taken by the Esmeralda county au-
thondes in the Pitsburg Silver Peak Mining company. compelling
them to pay their just bullion taxes, which the company is trying
to evade. The paper referred to as Senator Nixons organ is the
Reno Gazette, which is noted throughout the state as a has BEEN
as it has never won a fight. and in the opinion of many leading
citizens of this state never will. To the editorial the Bonaazn
says, 80 say all of us"
AT least one of Senator Nixons organs-presumaby by or
drs from Washington-has lifted its voice in defense OF the group
Of Pennsyvanians who have been indicted by the Esmeralda
county grand jury. 1t is noteworthy that no newspaper owned by
any other individual or individuals has been guilty of so inexcus-
able a piece of presumptuous folly.
This Nixon organ actually bIames the state bullion tax and IL
cense agent, and the sheriff, the district attorney, the assistant dis
trht attorney and the grand jury OF Esmeralda county for having
performed their sworn duty and done what lay IN the power NOT
merely to force a delinquent corporation to pay what it owes the
state, but to punish, insofar as it lies in the power of the state to
do o. a gang of presumptve lawbreakers who have found no
means too devious to beat the state out of its just dues.
THE argument of the Nixon organ is that if monied law-break-
ers are to be forced to obey the laws of Nevada foreign capital will
cease to come here.
i" Could anything be more puenle?"
Foreign capital. according to Senator Nixons organ, comes
to Nevada because it likes to- Senator Oliver, who took occasion
to misuse his time and his privilege a $ a senator of the United
States to administer a gratuitous insult to Reno o the floor of the
senate a few weeks ago, comes to Nevada as a favor to the state,
and puts his money into mining property-as a favor The corpor-
alton of which Senator Oliver is vice president hires a S its leading
counsel a lawyer named Weller, who refers to the judiciary of Es-
meralda county as "a lot of gambers'-that corporation comes to
Nevada a a favor to Nevada.
AT least Senator Nxon's organ thinks so.
But if we make them obey the laws of Nevada, they won't
come any more. Well, we can dispense with them. The gold they
are taking out of Nevadas mountain to enrich Pittsburg, and out
of which they refuse a moety of bullion tax to the state, can e
main here, until another group of foreign capitalists, more amen
ahe 10 u laws n more SrdteIul lot n ltn-mak OppOr-
tunities afforded by them by this state, shall come here to take it
out, or better still, until Nevada capital is able to exploit the
ground.
THE Journal is more charitable to foreign capital in general.
1t believes that foreign capital is honest, anf if not honest it is
with rare exceptions, shrewd enough to obey a law it cannot beat
when that law is administered by the sort of officials that cannot
be bribed, bulned nor cajoled.
But if we have to surrender our entity a S a state-if we have
to admit that there is one law for foreign capital and another for
local capHal-or if we have to acknowledge that there is one state
in the union that openly admits that it has so fallen beneath con-
tempt that the mere sight of foreign money can make 1t spit upon
its statutes-if we must do all these things to seduee foreign capt.
tai into our commonwealth. let us revert to old conditions of hon
orabe poverty rather than so expose ourselves to the contempt of
the rest of the nation.
The Nixon organ declares that civil process would have accom-
pished the end of getting the taxes, but that civil process is not re-
sorted to. This is not so. Civil process is being followed, in the
company by the assessor of Esmeralda county. A valuation of ST.
100000 has been placed upon the bullion output of the company.
and taxes at the rate of $2.40 per 800 will be levied upon this
valuation. In addition, the company will have to pay 10 per cent
as a penalty.
The whole proceedings amount to this: The Ptttsburg Silver
Peak company has reported to the state that its net profits for the
year 1908 amounted to $4,000. 1t has reported to its stockholders
that its net profits for the same period amounted to more than
100000 The state is in possession of evidence to this effect and
proposes to make those people reconcile these figures, so outrage
ousy at variance, or to take the consequences. 1t is absurd to a-
cuse the state of prejudice against the Pttsburg Silver Peak. It's
object is not to prosecute, but to equalize. Owing to the recac-
trance of the corporation, the state has been put to great trouble
and expense. 1t is meet and just that a warning to other COM
panies should be given, and the way to warn other companies is to
invoke punitive measures against those who have broken the law.
Hence the criminal proceedings"