The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1922-10-14
OLD TIMERS VISIT
GREATLY ENJOYED
An Early Day Miner in This Dis
trict 10 Now Growing Grapes
That Find Ready Sale For
Conversion Into Jackass

For the first time in fifteen years
E. A. Saxton, an old time mining
man who romped all over this sec
ton of the country, in the early
days of mining development work,
stepped foot into the confines OF
the town of Winnemucca, yesterday,
and today he is hugely enjoying
himself going over the town and
renewing acquaintances with some
of the pioneers who were here when
Mr.. Saxton was one of the charac-
ters who aided in the research
work that eliminated with Nevada
deriving the appellation, "The Sill
yer State" and gaining widespread
notoriety as a veritable silver treas
ure stronghold.
Mr.. Saxton still maintains inter-
est in this country and has holdings
in several districts. His trip mere is
for the purpose Of going out to the
Rosebud district, where he is finan-
cially interested in some mines
and also to inspect some other
properties to which his attention
has been just recently directed.
After leaving here, fifteen years
ago, Mr.. Sexton, engaged in the
mining game at different points,
and eventually entered into other
lines of endeavor, finally moving
with his family, to Fresno, Cali
fornia, where he now resides; and
near where he has a large grape
vineyard, to which he is now de-
voting most of his attention.
Anent the vineyard industry Mr.
Saxton is particularly well-informed
and he told, in the course of a chat
with Silver State man, that grapes
are now commanding about the
highest prices ever known, selling
around $3.50 to SITS per ton.
Asked what brought about this
condition, Mr.. Saxton tersely re-
piled, "Prohibitionw Continuing
in response to a query, expressed
by arched eyebrows, Mr.. Saxton
said: Prohibition has made q
heavy demand for raisins, the prime
factor in making jackass' whiskey
1t was the opinion of all of the
vineyard growers of California, at
the time prohibition was brought to
pass, that with the suspension OF
the making of wine with kick to
it, the market for grapes would be
nil. Panic seized many of those
who had thousands of dollars in
vested in large vineyards and be-
fore they paused to ponder well
what they were doing, many of
them grubbed all the vines out of
their vineyards preparatory to culti-
vation of the land and seeding il
down to other, and what then ap-
peared to be, more. valuable crops.
Today those men are regretful of
their insane haste and those who
have not already done SO are re-
setting their lands to grapes, which
are our best money-making crop
and will continue to be SO long as
prohibition is attended with the
making of 'jackass' booze and other
home-distillates."
Mr.. Saxton, keep in mind, is not
booze-fighter, To the contrary
he is quite sure that saloons are a
disgrace to a civilized community
and he is unalterably persuaded
that whiskey, as a beverage, is
detrimental to mans physical, as
well as moral and financial, being
But, to his mind, the prohibition
law, as it now stands, is a farce
and is not proving of value, view il
as one may, to the people in any
essential particular.
Speaking along this line, he said
"On my way here / had occasion to
stop at Reno. In that city learned,
by observation, that they are con-
ducting wide open saloons and one
may step up to any one of several
oars, and buy .jackass' liquor, over
ahe bar, in the wide open, without
ny attempt at camoufiage, at price
t fifty cents per drink. The profits
n the business are too great and
he penalties for violation of the
aw too light, to expect any good
to come from prohibition, as it is
at present handled. My observa.
ton is that the same condition pre-.
walls all over the country. But
it is making a high market for the
price of grapes"
And the Maintenance of a higl
price for grapes is one thing tba,