The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1903-10-04
STATE PAYING
FOR THE STRIKE
Eight-hour Trouble Is Costing
Colorado Dearly.
FALLING OFF IN PRODUCTIONS
SOLDIERS IN THE FIELD INDEFI
NITELY.

II ENvER, colo. Oct. 3.-suikes ana
/ Iockouts at the mines in Cripple
creek and other gold mining dis
tricts in Colorado have already reduced
the mineral production of the state
this year AT. least s.. $780, OO,N and if the
present conditions obtain until the end
OF the year the production viii fail
more than $1,000, 600 below what il
would have been under normal cOn6i-
lions. In consequence of the strike LOCO
soldiers of the Colorado national guard
have been doing police duty in Cripple
Creek for four weeks and as yet neither
the mine owners nor the strikers show
any evidence of weakening. The cost
to the state of maintaining the military
force in the field is estimated at $4,000
a month.
Cause of Trouble.
The unsettled conditions in the min
ing industry are due TO the failure OF
the legislature to enact an eight-hour
law applying TO mines. mills and smell
ters after the voters Of the state had
adopted a constitutional amendment
authorizing such an enactment. An
eight hour day had been generally
granted at the mines and the Western
Federation of Miners determined to
enforce the same condition in mills and
shelters. Strikes were inaugurate1
last June at the smelters in this city
and the mills in Colorado City, and
eight weeks ago 1900 miners in the
Cripple Greek district were ordered by
the executive officers of the federation
to go on strike in support of the de-
/ mand for an eight-hour day for mill
and shelter employees, which had been
refused BY the American Smelling &,
Refining company and the United
States Reduction & Refining company.
The miners obeyed the order. but re-
mctantly. as they had no grievance as
to their own hours of labor or wages,
and with few exceptions they have
since continued on strike.
Federation Barred.
/ The Mine owners association has an
Z nOmced that no further employment
! viii be given to any members of the
! Western Federation of Miners. The
! Portland company, which owns and OPP
crates a mill for the treatment of its
! ores made terms with the union and
I reOpened its mines, giving employment
/ to about 500 men.
/ The Woods Investment company also
continued to operate the Gold Coin and
Z other mines. shipping the ore produced
( to its own mill but. yielding to pressure
from the Mine Owners association, this
company has now locked all it's union
miners out and Joined in the associa-
tons fight against the Western FEEDER
alton
: Several companies are operating their
I mines with nOn-uniOl men. of whom, 1t
/ is claimed by the Mine Owners assO-
I citation, there are now LOO working in
the district. Officers of the miners
union assert that the number at work
is much smaller and that most of those
employed are laborers and not expert
enoea miners.
Troops Called Out
Three weeks after the Inauguration
of the strike two men were murder
ously assaulted by unknown men. Gov
ernor Peabody then sent troops to thc
camp in IespCnse to a request from tho
Mine Owners association. which repre-
scented that many Of the strikers would
return TO work IL guaranteed pr0teC-
ton. No violence has occurred since
the soldiers took the field. but there
have been many sensational incidents
resulting from the actions of the mill
tary in making arrests and disregard
ing the civil authorities. Although mar
tial law has not been declared. mort
a
members Of the executive committee in
charge Of the strike, have been arrest
ed and incarcerated in the guard house
otherwise known as the bull pen,
some of them being held there mOrt
than two weeks
In habeaS corpus proceedings DiStIic
Judge W. Z. Seeds decided that th'
military officers had exceeded their au
thority and severely censured them FOL
fs1y 80
with an armed force during the hearin,
Of the cases. After his decision wa
given the prisoners whom he ordered
released were taken back 20 the guar,
house, but were later set free by orde
of Governor Peabody.
Victims of Militia.
Of all the union miners who hav
been thus imprisoned only Presiden
Charles g. Kennison of the VictO
) miners union has been charged Wit
any crime He was confined i'm tn
bull pen" fifteen days. CONTRACTING
rheumatism, and when turned over &
Sheriff Robertson the only offens
charged against him was that of carry
ing concealed weapons.
/ The most sensational occurrence O
this week has been the invasion of III
Victor Record Office and the seizure O
the newspapers entire force. iucludin
; linotype operators, because Of the pub
LEGATION OF a statement that two sol
2 dier's on duty in camp were eX-con
victs. These prisoners were detained
t the bull pen nearly twenty hour
before charges Of criminal libel weT
made against them IN court.
Three thousand business men an
- citizens of Victor sent a petition {
p Governor Peabody for the recall of tn
2 trOOpS The governor refused Savfu
. I to the bearer:
The militia viii stay in the striB
, region until 1 am satisfied it is NJ
. needed"
a Law Disregarded.