The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1945-12-07
FROM EDITORIAL COLUMNS
Company Trouble Is mo News"

j lNO lNCWS
Among residents and visitors the mining metropolis OF
state it is well known that centrally located of great
extent is in condition delicaey termed subsdence In
other words for blocks contiguous to the Emma Mine
the surface of the city is crumbng and sinking with the result
that business and residence structures churches and schools
becoming cracked walls and foundations rendered
dangerous and unnhabtable The mlondolar Butte High
School aeady beginning to dsntegrae though 1t OF recent
construction
There is no difference of opinion among the inhabitants
that mining operations carried close to the buup
face of the city the of this sinking and destruction
number of lawsuits have been brought against the
and operators of the Emma Nine the Anaconda Com
and the Butte Copper Zinc Company for the damage
done to small property In instances the
panies settlements for these grievances The
Anaconda maintains special claim agent for that purpose
other however, liability this
assertion the damaged building was uit
fill therefore became cracked wrecked
of its weight quite independently of the tunneng and
blasting that went on beneath it for years.
the the company highly
The fact that jurors summoned to these
all the community reasonably
stand fear of what the might do to them they
should vote for verdict unwecome to the mining interest
of itself sufficient explanation of the companys
Another the fact that state Judges having for
election every four years. reasonably fear what the political
machine of the might do in the of asserting its
election day. On top of this it is not too to
get witnesses who have to make their livelihood in Butte
take the stand against the company interest.
This atoofamiar local picture composed of nggardly
money settlements and lawsuits won by fear and economic
pressure has long been stnker in the of the
inhabitants The company people intelligent enough to
realize that the less said about the better for them So the
triumphant progress of the subsistence litigation
umpeed forth the Montana Standard and the Butte Daily
Post
shocking turn of the tide has just happened The
of Amerman Anaconda Copper Mining Co. tried in
the u District Butte weeks
At the conclusion of the Judge Lewis Brown granted
motion for directed verdict against the defendant mining
companies ruling that the evidence showed without dispute
that the sinking and cracking up of the
Block caused by mining operations at the Emma Mine
The jury returned verdict of $750O0O for the buildings
has impossible to discover in the columns of the
STANDARD" and post reference the trial the
cson in that The most important lawsuit tried in Butte
for mot news court decision which gives hope
least to small property that they obtain rest
tuition for their losses, is mot news.
This the question often asked, "Why
should mining company all the newspapers?"
The people affected by this suppression of important
are not militant labor organizers strikers Housde
they members of any group which
has been critical of the economic and political dictatorship with
which Montanas dwindng population has been struggling
They just people who have accumulated little savings
little investment taxpayers who have built schools; devout
people who have built churches They conservative
ple who private property and believe private property
They the people to whom the mining and
appeal political campaigns to vote for the preservation of
he right to private property.
Just how dumb these property-owners? When they
long last that the mining company destroys
property with hand and with the other throes the
lels of public information will they continue dance the
same old tune Save oh private property?The yell
owstone. 7