The Meeker herald., 1897-03-06
COMMITTEE REPORTS.
LsADv,LLE STRIKE DISCUSSED.
The L~gisiators Point Out the Mistakss Of
the Miners and Owners and Bubmlr .
Plan for Arbitration.

the Miners aud Owners and Submir .
Plan for Arbitration.
Denver. Feb. 27.-The Legislative
committee appointed to Investigate In
to the Leadville strike reported in both
branches Of the Assembly yesterday.
The report is a voluminous document
and gives synopsis of the evidence ad-
duced by the committee at Leadville
and this city, the principal points Of
which were published at the time. AT.
ter the details of the strike come the
opinion and recommendations Of the
committee.
The first is as follows:
Your committee believe that order
has been restored, and that unless
something Unforeseen should arise to
exclte the apprehension or fear or
hatred Of the contending parties. the
CITY and county authorities at Lead
Silie Will be able to preserve the peace.
AT the time Of the strike about 1900
men were employed in the mines, all of
| whom were resident miners; only about
i.1oO are now employed. and of these
4uo are newcomers, about 100 from 9TH
er Colorado points and about 300 from
Missouri. 1t Is estimated that II the
strike were settled from 200 to 1000
more miners would receive employ
| WIZ u per
iod Of time.
Your committee belleys that what
ever the grievances of the miners may
nave been. the strike should not have
oeen declared without further effort on
the part OF the union to bring about an
adjustment, either by agreement or by
arbitration, and that the strike should
not have been declared without reason
able notice; that the strike was de-
clared under a state of excitement
which was calculated to bring forth
trouble, and that cnlmer council should
have prevailed; that the union did not
use the necessary precautions to have
the strike conducted with due order
and without lawlessness; that the COM
mittee of twenty did not perform Its
duties with the order and care the re-
sponsibility Of their positions required;
that without foreign aid, the strike
could have had no chance of success;
that there was no justification for the
purchase OF 100 rifles and other arms,
at the time they We're purchased, and
that the committee did not exercise suf-
fcient care in distributing these arms
among its members and keeping rec
ord OF who had them. and that the pur-
chase and display of these arms natu-
rally produced a state of terror in the
community, with just fear that the
destruction Of life and property were
contemplated; that the union prior to
the Coronado affair was too incNorable
in its demands. and the union did not
have the control of its members which
an organization of the kind should
have; that it is true that the greatest
danger to the success of the strike was
the importation of labor. and while
your committee believes the importa-
tion of labor Is an extreme and cruel
measure, they cannot deny that legally
the mine managers had a right to i'm
port labor, and that the Importation of
labor could not justify the use OF vio-
lence to resist 1t.
That the mine managers from the be-
ginning and throughout the entire prog
ress of the strike. have shown nm un-
justifable antagOnism to organized Ia
Dor in general: that this committee Is
forced to the conclusion that the pro-
posed agreement prepared and dis
cussed by the mine managers prior to
the strike. was aimed at the existence
Of the union in much the same way as
the agreement of June %. above set
forth, is; that with the existence of
that agreement. which was kept secret
until 1t was produced in the course of
the committees Investigation, 1t is not
likely that any agreement or arbitra-
tion could have been arrived at before
the Coronado affair, and up to the pres
ent time. is directly traceable to the
unwillingness of the mine managers to
treat with the union in any way that
will recognize its existence: that con-
sidering the terrible outrages com
mitted In Leadville. the injury and
financial disaster brought to a number
Of the mine managers by reason Of
these outrages and the state Of terror
and fear OF personal violence which a
number OF the mine managers have
suffered during the strike, there IL jus
tification on their part for their feeling
of bitterness towards the union. but
even that does not Justify n refusal to
deal with any labor organization; that
In the opinion Of your committee, dis
solution Of the present union and the
organization of a new union, would be
an idle form. because the new union
would no doubt be composed of the
same members. and that. therefore, IL
the mine managers will recede from
their position not to deal with labor or
ganizations, your committee can see no
further practical reason why they
should not deal with the present un-
ion; and here 1t Ia proper to state that
q number of the leading mine mana
gers teSt1ne0 thAt tney nau no ODJec-
tions to organized labor, but, on the
contrary, believed 1t was necessary for
| the welfare of the laborers and for the
| state, that laborers should organize to
| protect their interests.
The testimony Of the mine managers
| who were examined at the hearing
| clearly indicated that they hold
| large body Of the union men in high es-
TEEN, and that they would be only too
| glad to be able to give them employ
ment 1t is safe to say that recon-
| ciliation between the parties is rife.
and that 1t needs but reasonable con-
| cessions on both sides to bring 1t about.
| The committee makes the following
| Recommendations:
After the most careful consideration
which your committee has been able to
| dive to the situation, 1t submits the fol-
| lowing form of agreement, which in