Weekly journal-miner., 1912-08-07
CHA STRONG AGAINST
 THE MINERS LIEN LAW
tFrom Thursdays Daily,

in popularity at an inverse ratio. and the chances for getting a sui ficient number of signatures to in- sure the measure being submitted to a referendum daily grow bright CT. In all parts of the state peti- tions are in circulation and every where protest is arising. the claim is made that should the law become operative. mining and particularly as regards development work, will be dead beyond the hope of resur- rection. In Gila county the peti- tions for referendum arc being numerousiy signed. the people being a unit on the subject of the vicious ness of the law. A communica alton to the Silver Belt is evidence of the sentiment existing there. It is as follows:
 "I would like to show those who are for or against this bill the great injustice of it becoming a law. In the first place it makes the mine owner or prospcctor the involuntary surety for others regarding (lessees. bond holders. etc..) while at the same time the prospcctor who leases or bonds to others has no voice whatever in any of the transactions of said lessees on bondholders. If the bill had read that the firm who furnished the machinery or other material necessary to carry on min ing be responsible for the labor performed on the mine or mines. there would be equally as much justice in the bill as it is to make the prospector or owner liable and l might say there would have been equally as much justice in the bill had it made the wages of the miners liable for the material furnished. So you can sec that the framers of the bill were both unwise and unjust.
 "In my opinion the correct way to protect labor material and other bills (and if the prospector is to be considered.) is to make it a felony for failure to pay these bills: then the punishment will be placed where it properly belongs and not on the head of the innocent pros pector who has wasted from one to fifty years trying to develop some thing that will create labor and chance to sell material: also build towns. railroads. make farms and all the other things that follow the prospectors' trail. Shame on those who would try to make such an ob- noxious law. However, believe the referendum petitions now being cir culated will receive over SO per cent of the voters signatures instead of the small percent necessary. Tn Gila county. or rather in the city of Globe, we now have more than IOO signatures on the petition and most of them are voluntary sigma lures but in order that all who wish to sign this petition can do SO we are going to employ a man to can vas Globe, Miami and other towns and to defray the mans expenses we are taking up a collection and hope the contributions will be sui ficient so the man can visit all the voters. If the other counties in Arizona are taking one half the in terest that Gila county is then there will be no doubt as to the outcome of this so-called lien law and it will say to those who get busy with the mining laws in the future "Be ex- tremely careful what you are about to do with Arizona's chief produc- | tion."
 Mining is Arizona's chief source of revenue and should receive every possible encouragement. Assembly men and state senators should keep this in front of them at all times especially so when it comes to tink. ering with the laws pertaining to mines and mining. Arizona's mines are only in their infancy Do not tax the few producers to death. Others will be producers later on and help the flow of taxes to the treasury
 T can not agree with the state ment that Senator Roberts lost his fight on the miners lien bill by one vote and that vote was Senator Sims of the same (Cochise) county because l understand that one of Giia county's senators voted for the bill and after his return to Globe he makes the claim that the common law will protect the pros pector. The blame for this one vote rests on Gila county, but the ref