The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1921-04-30
AN OPEN LETTER
TO SUPT. O'CONNOR
Winnemucca, Nevada,
April 80. 1921.
Mr.. NJ, O'Connor.
Superintendent. W.P.R.R..
r,,Lo Nevada
Winnemucca. Nevada.
April 80. 1921.

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Superintendent. W.P.R.R..
Elko, Nevada.
Dear Mr.. O'Connor: Your letter OF
yesterday addressed to me. and copy
Of letter addressed to w. L. Akin,
your employe and candidate for city
councilman OF Winnemucca. your file
011.221. received this morning and
published verbatim in The Silver
State Of even date. I thank you for
the compliment that publish
good newspaper.
without consulting with Mr.. Akin,
I desire to express my opinion to you.
Mr.. oConnor. concerning this matter.
Your letter to me says it is quite
evident Mr.. Akin has misinterpreted
the meaning of your letter." and in
your letter to Mr.. Akin you quote the
company rules under which you were
acting. Permit me to suggest that Mr..
Akin could not be blamed for misin-
terpreting your letter. as until your
letter of yesterday was received
neither he or myself knew what rules
you had In mind. This Il easy to
understand when you quote rule 731.
the number of which indicates a
rather lengthy list OF rules which
could not all be well carried in mind.
No reference to specific rules was
made in your former letter to Mr.
Akin.
1t Is you. Mr.. O'Connor. to my way
of thinking. who have been misin-
formed in the matter Mr.. Akin acts
as city councilman for this city with
out compensation and as his duties
az such official require only two even
ings a month 1t must be apparent that
he is not breaking your rule 731, as
such duties in no way interfere with
the full discharge of his duty to the
company or the company's duty to the
public"
As to Mr.. Akin's duty to the COM
pany and its duty to the public, be-
lieve the Western Pacific is vitality in
terested. 1t was Mr.. Akin who stood
manfully up IN supporting the late
Chief of Police John r. Nelson. stood
up for him in the face of powerful
pressure, in Nelson's fight for law
enforcement. 1t was while protecting
the property of the Western Pacific,
your own company, and in ridding
the world of a vicious negro box-car
robber, that Jack Nelson lost his life.
within the very doors Of the round
house in which Mr.. Akin Is employed
by you. At that time your company
representative stated there was moth
ing you wouldn't do to atone for the
dastardly murder of noble man who
was man enough to die that your
property might be protected. Now 1t
3eems no more than right that you
should stand by the man who stood
by Jack Nelson, and shoulder to
shoulder with him, in face of heavy
odds, declared war on lawbreakers,
that your property and my home
might be protected.
With this explanation that Mr. Akin
has not or will not by again becom-
ing a city councilman, break any Of
your rules, l trust you will see the
matter in a different light. l do not
believe such a matter as freight ac-
count will sway you after you have
been informed of facts as they truly
are.
There II fear expressed here, Mr..
O'Connor, that through the ponderous
working of large corporation, some
smaller official may conceive the idea
Mr.. Akin has committed an overt act
in bringing the company in for public
criticism. And they further think
that this may result in Mr. Akins
discharge, unknown to yourself, at
some future date. when the people
have forgotten. perhaps for infraction