Carson City daily appeal. [volume] (Carson City, Nev.) 1907-1930, 1910-11-01
rHE GOLDFIELD TRIBUNE
which is owned by the Gold

which is owned by the Gold
field Consolidated Mines Com
pany and George Wingield. is waging
a most and bitter fight up
on Charles Sprague, Democratic nom
inte for Congress, as well as upon
Denver S. Dickerson, Democratic
nominee for the Governorship. and
Key Pittman. The attacks upon Mr..
Sprague, however, are particularly
venomous, and some interesting his
tory figures in this attack.
Charles Sprague, through his pa
per, the Goldfield News, has for years
been one OF the most consistent and
conservative publicists of the state
and his paper regarded as the best
and most reliable mining publication
Of the state. He has, as far as is pos
sible, followed the proved-before-
printed policy regarding mining
news, and has been impartial in his
reports, giving any Individual or COM
pany actually mining due credit for
the work, and reserving the right at
all times to criticize as well as to
print the news as his mining writer's
found it upon actual Investigation,
even il this did not jibe with the cen
sored reports given out by some OF
the mining company offices. Here
was where the first friction with the
Gold6eld Consolidated arose. Mr..
Sprague printed hundreds Of columns
OF splendid news about the Consoli-
dated, but did not take front office
reports in their entirety as a basis
for his information. The Consoli.
dated desires the right OF censoring
every word that is published about
that property.
Then, the Consolidated company
segregated its mine from its mill and
put the mill into a separate company
When that occurred the milling costs
OF the big concern promptly jumped
up enormously, consequently lessen
ing the net profit OF the mining COM
pany, upon which bullion taxes are
collected. Mr.. Sprague promptly
published figures showing how much
more it was costing the CONSOLIDATED
to mill its pres in its own mill after
it had been transferred to a holding
company within the CONSOLIDATED
Mines Company than it did before
this separation was made. He charg-
ed that the segregation OF the two
companies was for the purpose "
technically cvading the payment OF
into the state and county treasures
each quarter through the milling com
pany being unable o charge the min
ing company what it pleased for the
treatment of ores. Backing up Mr.
Sprague's contention. James Haley
then state beullion tax collector, had
noticed the discrepancy in milling
charges before and after the segre-
CATION of mine and mill. and refused
TO accept the sworn statement OF the
Consolidated officials as to gross out
put and net profit for that quarter.
The calculating figures given by
Mr.. Sprague drew the fire of the Con-
solidated Mines company, and every
possible effort was made to put the
News out Of the business lie OF the
community. At the same time tn"
company was operating a company
store ~(ostensibly a cooperative EN-
ployees' store). at which the employ
ees could secure, on orders from
time keepers, various kinds of sup
plies. Say, for instance, a miner
wanted to draw $50 for some emer
gency a few days before the regular
pay day, the time keeper would give
nim an order on the tore. The min.