Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1904-06-14

Western Federation OF Miners has FUR
| nished the newspapers Of the country
with matehal for exciting headlines,
| giving the outside world the Impression
| that Colorado Is IN "a condition Of am
archy and that terror relgns
But Colorado Us not lawless. The
fact Is that this state has been the first
large battle-ground OF a natural and In
eNitabe struggle which every state, not
entirely agricultural Will have TO go
through There have been many strikes
elsewhere, vastly more extensive and
much more exciting ana spludged red
| der with blood than the present Con-
ilict IN this state, bat they were not Of
the same fiber and did not mean the
same.
"The spirit OF colorado people Is to
| try the new things and adopt the new
| ideas. Denver Is AN automobile city.
| The women OF the state vote. And
| organized labor IN Colorado Is ten years
| ahead OF unionism IN the east The
| Western Federation Of Miners had
| pressed forward to a power and an in
| nuence which have not been achieved
| I'm the east ana which most people
| there only understand, vaguely, as ex-
! isting In Australia The metalliferous
force and influence that the unions In
the east are only trying 20 reach and
hoping TO achieve In the future.
For example, the terms Of settlement
OF the coal miners strike In PENN
sylyanid which the officers Of the
United Mine Workers called victory,
We're regarded as defeat 10y the Western
Federation Of Miners, which Is not
affiliated with the American Federation
of Labor, OF which Gompcrs and Nit
chell are leaders, but maintains proud
and advanced independence.
And, just as the force and Influence
Of the miners organization here We're
ten years ahead OF the power gained by
organized labor I'm the east, the OPP
position to labor unionism, on the part
of corporations and employers, was
equally ahead Of the feeling aroused
IN other places
In the east the argument is over
the closed shop versus the open shop;
iu Colorado a large number Of citizens
grew go believe that the demand for
the exclusive employment Of union
men was unlawful and a cOntraYen-
ton Of the constitutional rights Of all
citizens, and, therefore, labor unions
should be suppressed insofar, at least,
az they refused to work with non-union
men.
THE natural consequence Of these
conflicting developments Of sentiment
and belief was a trial Of strength, and
the laudable effort to enact an eight
hour workday law I'm mines, shelters,
ore mills and other dangerous places Of
labor, furnished the occasion for a de-
Claratiou Of war between the mine
owners and corporations and other
employers, and the powerful labor
union Of which the states prisoner Mr..
Meyer, is president
THE situa ton in Colorado left no
peace except truce, and no outcome OF
conflict except one side crushing the
other. This situation has not developed
In the East because both organized
labor and the employers have been
afraid TO fight it out squarely. While
struggles elsewhere have been ON
vaster scale, the spirit of them has
been that Of the skrmish lines which
always fall back on the entertainments,
whereas the smaller conflict in Colora-
do has been an out-and-out pitched bat
tie.
"Those who speak Of 'lawless Colora-
do. at this time viii discover, sure as
fate, that Colorado was not laWloss,
but that It's experience represents the
crossing Of the Yalu In struggle much
vaster and costlier than the war be-
tween Japan and Russia, and much more
important 10 civilization and society,
but, let US hope. with less bloodshed.
"The spirit OF the Far West is 10
fight the Far Westerners do not seek
safety In the neutrality which avoids
battle. and so, ON both sides, the issue
which has been avoided 10y both em-
ployers and unionlsts IN the East was
t1ap a of a
struggle was a question Of the exist
ence OF organized labor whenever II at
tempted to carry out its principles 10
the fun,
Realizing the nature OF This cam
paign and the fiat issues involved, the
remarkable fact remains that there
have been no riots until the explosion
Of human passion I'm the Cripple creek
district following the awful conclusion
Of the dynamite mine near Nict0rWhich
bore the Same relation TO organized la
Dor, In general as the Goehel assassin
alton bore TO the Republicans In Ken
lucky.
"Thc state guard had been I'm the field
continuously II rs true hut not az the
troops have been called out elsewhere.
IN other states the soldiers were called
10 suppress riots and disorder, but, Just
az the general situation was different
from strike conditions in other places,
the employment Of the state army was
different In Colorado
Gov Peabody declared the troubled
districts IN a state OF instruction and
put the military officers I'm charge of
them, I'm advance OF any Tiotlng and
for the purpose Of preventing the strik-
crs from using any influence, whatever.
TO keep the non.unlon men from work.