White Pine news weekly mining review. [volume] (East Ely, Nev.) 1910-1920, 1912-10-20
Governor Oddie
&Capt. .Donnely
Issue Statements
Governor Oddie.

| | received a wire from Sheriff
Grain of White Pine County on Mon
day, October 14th, asking me how
many men | could furnish in case
he needed them in troubles, and
wired l would leave Immediately for
Ely and confer with him on the sit
uation. On October 18th at about
p. M, before reaching Ely, l re-
ceived a wire from him as follows:
Situation beyond my control. Am
obliged to ask for help at once. Get
men here at earliest possible mo-
ment."
I then wired Captain Donnelly of
the Nevada State Police that the sit
uation was very bad in Ely and that
| had had a request for men and that
I would investigate conditions my
self and notify him and to be pre-
pared to start with men at once If
wired. On reaching Ely I receiv-
ed telegram from the Central La
bor League counsel requesting me
to intereede for the purpose of ef-
feeting a settlement of the contro-
versy.
l attended a meeting of said
league that night and listened to
what was told me carefully and
promised to try and bring about
settlement / then had an inter
view with Mr.. c. 3. Lakenan, the
general manager of the companies,
offered my services in bringing about
mediation and coneiliation, and re-
quested to have it accomplished with
the idea of bringing about a settle
ment of the dispute. He answered
that the company had met the en-
ployes and had petitions signed by
committees of employees of nearly all
of the crafts and employees of the
operating departments accepting the
wage increase. and that he eonsid-
cred the wages fair, and that if they
are not fair his office is open to. con-
sideration of any further grievances
of employees, and that in view of this
ne does not care to submit the mat
ter to arbitration, as suggested by
me.
My duty is, and l propose to carry
it out, to try and bring about
peaceful settlement of this difficulty,
and in any event, to see that life and
property are protected. l have tried
in every way possible to bring this
about, and have reasoned with the
men by hours.
! visited the smelter plant at Me
Gill and saw large crowd of men
at the gates, on some of whom l
could see guns, and | was informed
that a large number of the Greeks
which largely predominated in the
| crowd were armed. i had various
conferences with the strike leaders,
company managers and others. and
then addressed the men on the out
tried to effect peaceful settlemnt
of the difficulties but had not been
successful SO far in that, and that /
came to impress on them the neces-
sity of refraining from breaking the
laws of the state. told them that
/ life and property must be protected.
/ | told them that men should be al
company gates without being mo-
Tested as they had been, and that the
wagon containing food for the sew
eral hundred men on the inside must
/ be allowed 20 go in unmolested, as
the men on the inside must have
food and could not be allowed to
starve. told them that they must
disarm and use peaceful means of
/ influencing men instead of force, to
reason with them and talk to them
if they chose, but not to attempt to
injure them. / told them that they
were breaking the law by resorting
to violence as they had been, and
that ! would have to see that the
laws were observed and enforced.
Later | saw the wagon of provisions
for the men start for the gate and
Immediately an angry armed mob
charged it with a vicious assault, and
had | not stopped the attempt to
take it in at that time, serious con-
sequences would undoubtedly have
occurred. | then saw for myself