The semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1882-1886, 1885-09-19
CHINESE TROUBLES.
The Union Pacific Investigat.
ing Them.
THE DIRECT CAUSE
OF the Difficulty Said to Have Been
Unfairness in the Treatment
Of the White Men.

EVANSTON, Wyo., September 16.-Isaac
n, Bromley, assistant to President Adams
of the Union Pacific Railroad, has been en-.
gaged for the past two days in investigating
the recent disturbances at Rock Springs
and the murder OF Chinese miners. He was
met at Rock Springs yesterday by a com.
mttee of citizens, two or three of whom
were miners who had been informally de-
puted by Il public meeting. held soon after
the massacre, to present the facts in the
case to the representatives OF the company.
With them was Mr.. Nedersham OF the
Knights OF Labor organization of the
Union Pacific Company. The hearing took
place in Mr.. Bromley's car, and was con
fined exclusively to a statement of the
grievances on the part OF the miners. When
Questioned concerning the burning of the
Chinese quarter, and
THE KILLING OF THE CHINAMEN
they declined to answer, saying that it
was in the hands of the civil authorities
for investigation, and that they should
say nothing about it until called upon in
court. The grievances presented were that
favortism had been shown the Chinese in
giving them the best rooms in the mine to
work; that they secured these privileges by
men were not given fair show; that there
had been fraud in the use of false weights
by the bosses, who weighed the coal as it
was mined. for which the miners are paid
bv the ton; that the miners did not then
complain for fear of being discharged, and
that the Chinese were deceived when they
were brought back, being told that they
were going to San Francisco; that they
would be glad to 60 away if they were fur
uished transportation. The testimony
concerning
THE SALE OF PRIVILEGES
was from two or three Cinnamon, who said
they had paid 500 for room. This
turned out to be transaction between
two gangs OF Cinnamon, one gang purchas
ing from another There was further testi-
mony to the effect that a pit boss named
Mcbride had sold privilege, made to Tis-
dale. the Superintendent, BcBride Was dis
charged, Tisdale saying that if there was
any more room-buying they would have to
buy OF him. This was construed seriously,
though there WAS no attempt to show that
Tisdale had ever done anything of the kind.
A miner named Davis made a statement OF
his grievances to the effect that he had been
in the employ OF the company seven years
and had been put to work in rooms which
Cinnamon had abandoned, and assigned to
work where he
COULD NOT MAKE DECENT LIVING.
He had earned enough to build house
upon which he said he had spent 81, 100,
and when he was discharged (early in Au-
gust) he was offered only $3.50 for it. He
said he would set fire to it before selling it
at that price. He was discharged a month
before the disturbance took plack. man
named Hicks stated that he had tempornr-
ily acted as weigh boss and had found false
weights in use; that he had reported the fact
and the false weights had been taken away,
but, that where as he had expected to be
permanently employed as weigh boss, he
was disappointed and attributed it to his
having reported the false weights. Other
miners present intimated that this had
been going on for a long time and that
THEY HAD BEEN DETRAUDED
in consequence No complaint OF this had
been made until now, although it happened
wer year ago. The names of the miners
Hho, it is alleged, had been discharged be-
cause they made complaints, given Mr..
Bromley, but they did not appear in per-
son. Concerning the desire Of the Chinese
to 90 away there was the testimony OF two
Chinamen that they wanted to 60, and one
Of the committee who said there were 500
Of them who felt the same way. Ot this no
proof was offered After the hearing CON-
mttee of miners waited on Mr.. Clark. Cen
eral SUPERINTENDENT of the coal depart
ment. with a proposition that all the
miners, including those discharged on &C
count of being engaged disturbances, should
be set at work and
THE CHINESE EXCLUDED
until there should be settlement OF the
grievances complained of. Mr.. Clark at
once declined the proposition as being a
complete surrender on the part OF the
company Mr. Bromley, accompanied by
superintendent Dickinson, left Rock Springs
last night and has been at Evanston
to-day, where he has received the statement
OF Messrs Beckwith and Quinn, the con-
tractors who furnish the laborers Tor mlnes
He finds that Beckwith, Quinn q Co. have
no responsibility for the employment OF
Chinese but that they have acted simply
agents for the company. He will SO re-
port. and in conversation says ne has no
doubt that the company will take the same
view OF it when the facts are known. lie
says the company has no disposition to
make any one a scapegoat for its own acts.
They have no intention to supplant whlte
by Chinese labor. that the present manage
ment OF the company found
THE SITUATION AT THE COAL MINES
exactly as it now exists, and has never
had the slightest intimatiOn OF any COM
plants against it until this disturbance
broke ont like lightning from clear SKY.
While he is not authorized to speak lot
the company, he says he does not see now
they can enter into any negotiations or en-
tsrtain any proposition for a compromise
until they are put back in the 1ull ENJOY
ment OF their own property and liberty TO
work it unawed by threats or violence.
The question OF the employment oil Chlnese
will probably remain in allegiance until
the actual establishment OF peace ana
order, and until the necessity no longer
exists for using troops to protect their
property. In reply to a question whether
he believed
THE KNIGHTS OF LABOR
would order a strike if the demands OF the
miners were not complied with, Mr.. Brom-
ley said he did not believe any orgamza-
ton whch-as far as he had been able 10
udge-was directed by men OF intelligence
and good sense would ever make the mis-
lake of justifying the transactions at hocR
Springs: that they must see that IL "ouiu
put them SO far in the wrong that pupilcc
opinion could never sustain them. he saio
the Knights of Labor had never raised the
question OF Chinese labor with the com
lany but if they should it would receive
as as all complaints from that organlzae,oh a;d
did, the most courteous and careful cohslo-
eration. When asked further what .,ie
company would do in case general strihe .
We're ordered Mr.. Bromley answered that
ne did not know, but if he were IN posi-
.ion to direct, his course would be very GER
tain. He would simply turn the road over eh
70 the United States Government, "nlciL Il
mas large pecuniary interest in it, ana ieO ie
The Government settle the difficulty IN i'S
ownway.
HIS Bond smen Settled