Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1917-08-02

tHe Iace OF tne eartn.
Discipline in Camps.
- AT present you couldn t get one of
them to infringe one particle against
the law of the land. They have, in
their various camps strict military
| discipline. Each man has red card
and number and he has to be at his
meals OH the minute He has to go to
bed when taps are sounded at a. m
He is not allowed to carry a weapon
to do any loud talking, carry or use
Intoxicating liquors, and if they find
a bootlegger, they even go as far as
| to arrest him and turn him over to the
civil authorities. They are wolves in
sleeps clothing, waiting for their op.
portunity to strike the blow that will
substitute anarchy for liberty.
Wherever they have their camps the
citizens of the town spoke well of them
as far as behavior goes. They pay
for what they buy, each one contribut.
ing his share, and the headquarters of
the agitators in the neighboring states
occasionally send checks for 800 to
$500 to help them out. Their object is
by underhanded methods to terroize the
honest laboring man, get him to strike,
picket the highways, and railroads and
wherever men might come to and from
work and when the strike is once de-
clared they have a strike committee, a
picketing committee and thorough or
ganization, which they will not divulge
and strenuously deny having, but they
have them just the same, as | have the
direct evidence to this effect from their
own members, stated openly and not
privately, as / held private meetings
with no one during my entire trip.
All Mills Running.
GA great injustice has been done our
state in the reports that the mills are
not running. There is not mill in
northern Idaho but what is running full
time and some double time and some
even running two shifts. The only
strike is in the lumber camps, where the
trees are felled and prepared for the
mills. There is no scarcity of lumber
anywhere. There is enough sawed and
in the yards to last the balance of the
year. There are enough logs cut and in
the woods when they are hauled in to
make nearly 20 per cent of the normal
output of any one year.
"The various logging camps are
again being reconstructed and some are
going back to open up thescamps if not
with a full force, with a partial one.
Labor being very scarce, it would take
some time to get the right men. The
timber companies have an agreement
not to hire anyone belonging to the l.
". W. organization. There is no secret
about that, as in the dining room of the
camp about five miles from Bonner s
Ferry a printed card to that effect Is
posted up Tor everyone to read. In the
place of getting cheap labor of aliens
they are trying to get American citizen
labor which, when once gotten, will be
more lasting and more efficient. The
mill in Boundary county has logs enough
in the pond to last to Dee l, and many
others are equally fortunately situated
excepting the mill at Winchester, Idaho.
The Potlach mill shut down Il few days
but is again in operation The shutting
down was not on account of not having
any logs or men to work. but it was
either to do some repair work which
they do about every year at this time
or else from sentiment.
1.-THE Rose Lake Lumber company, at
Rose Lake, has enough logs in the
Fourth of July canyon, which looked
sufficient to supply the world with
lumber and fire didn't hurt the logs,
either. There has been talk about there
not being lumber to make apple boxes
or fruit boxes II all the lumber on
hand and the prospective output was
made into fruit boxes, there wouldn 7
be enough trains in the United States to
haul it all this year.
The Fire at Harrison.
As to the l. w. w. setting Harri-
son afire, | interviewed Charles John
son, who is employed by the Harrison
Shingle company and who lives back
of the mill, and I'll. A. Laumasters of
Harrison, who owns one-half interest in
the shingle mill, and who is very
capable man also to give testimony
about the incendiarism as he probably
| knows more about fires in mills than
any other man as part of his own prop
| erty was destroyed. ! also interviewed
! Roy Gardner of Harrison, the fireman
for the Grant Lumber company, who
saw the fire as he went to work and
who is a competent man to judge. Also
| Dan McDoe of Harrison, an employe III
the Harrison shingle mill, another man
capable of shedding light upon the sub
| iect and who tried to put the fire out
! but the hose from the shingle mill was
not long enough to reach it. The fire
started in the drying kiln and naturally
burned very rapidly. There are other
men of equally good repute whom have
seen and who Investigated the matter
and there is not particle of evidence
/ that the I. w. w. had anything to dc
with the fire.
The Forest Fires.
1.-The fires up north are not al
started by the |. w. W., for during oul
trip up north we saw small fires every
| where. Some of the timber companies
even in this extreme dry weather when
the whole country will burn like torch
get permits to burn their slashings as il
| is called, and the slashings SO burning
get beyond their control and then 1t i
! laid to the J. w. w. There were tw,
farmers arrested in the northern par
of the state for burning slashings am
allowing the fre to get beyond theil
! eontral believe il is against thu