Rocky Ford enterprise., 1904-06-17
A MINERS PLEA
IN DEFENSE or THE STRIKERS
Statement Issued BY Secretary Hay
wood in Behalf Of the Western
Federation Of Miners.

HAYWOOD OF the western Federation OF
Miners has issued a statement for sew
eral eastern papers. in which he sets
forth his views with reference TO the
present strike in Colorado. The exseu'
Tive board of the Western Federation
Was requested To prepare a statement
OF their side OF the trouble BY an East
graphic matter 10 more than 200 East
eFn newspapers,
The statement follows In full:
The cause OF the strike OF the West
ern Federation Of Miners In Colorado
Is one OF Long standing and Involves
tho failure on the part ot tho mine
managers in various parts OF the state
TO live up to their own written agree
ments. As far back ms 1884. as q ~
suit Of the strike kt that lime. the
mine owners agreed that eight hours
should constitute q days work: that
the minimum daily wage should be
90 and that there should be no dis
elimination against union men In the
hiring and discharge OF labor. Al the
outset OF tho present trouble Manager
MaeSeIil of the Standard mill At Colo
rado City prremptorily discharged for
ty.nys men, members Of the Western
FEDERATION OF Miners. for no other rca'
son than that they had become union
men. All OF these were old employees
OF from two to six years standing.
Mlllmen are afiiia'ed with the
Western Federation Of Miners and
are entitled to all Of III. protection
that goes with such msmbeTahip.
To-day the only qucstlons involved
arc tho enforcement Of the clsht'hour
| day. tn. right Of men To organize In
the unions and To prevent iiscrimina'
| ,lun against union men OF all kinds.
The responsibility for the ia~l"ss'
! ncss connected with the contest rests
entirely on the shoulders of the mine
operators. the Citizens alliance and
| their allies. backed up by III, assumed
military power Of tn. state govern
mcnt. The responsibility has been
| placed on these pcrsons and or.nnifa'
tiUnH by District Judge Theron Stew
ems, who denounced the military uhur'
patton in Telluride In strong language
from the bench: by District Judge y.
Walter Dixon. Republican. who openly
condemns Gov. Peabody and severely
cT,ticiHcH his acts Involving the dcpoF.
tatIun Of men from the state withou:
trial or other chance OF hearing: by
Ex-Governor Charles S. Th1maH. who
a, plainly points to the Mine Owners N.
1 socgation and Citizens Alliance as be.
!ng responsible for the many out
RACES committed on the persons Of
| helpless and Innocent miners: by the
J recent Democratic state convention.
which denounced In Heathlns terms the
/ line OF p.licy pursued.
The events OF the present week in
y the Cripple Greek district justly every
4 accusation contained above. The FOL
! lowing crimes upon citizenship have
followed swiftly upon one another:
The resignation OF Sheriff Robertson
I of Teller county. forced by mob nt
the point OF the pistol, and the coil OF
! the rope: the forced resignation OF
| Coroner Dornn of Teller County: OF
! the city marsnal OF Victor: OF various
aldermen and justices Of the peace In
| the district: the entire official dircc'
tory OF the city OF GoldHeld: assault
upon and demolition Of the union hall
In Victor: iorc!blc entrance into tho
four union cooperative stores and dc.
struction of the contents: destruction
of the Victor Daily Record by Rn armed
I mob; invasion OF Dunnviilc. outside
the military lines. by armed force
under military command: arrest OF
men Mt their work and incarceration
within the military lines: hundreds OF
men confined in unsanitary bull.pens:
forcible shutdown OF the great Port.
land mine. employing union me.. BY
order OF the military commandant on
the plea Of military necessity and sub.
seQuent deportation OF men therein
employed.
Concerning the explosion which
wrecked the depot at Independence
and killed sixteen unfortunate non.
union miners, It need only be said that
the selfconfessed train wrecker. Nc.
Kinney, In the employ OF the Mine
Owners Association. had n few days
previously been released from custody
at the behest Of the attorney for the
association, and that this same Nc
Kinney was observed going down
Potts canon In the immediate vicinity
Of the wreckage only a short time after
the disaster. Mckinney stated under
cross.examination during the trial Of
the union miners who were accused OF
the attempted trainwrecking. that he
and other detectives did, that for a
money consideration he would pull
spikes and wreck train. Blood
hounds used to follow the trail of the
criminal went directly to a house occu-
pied by a detective in the employ Of
the Mine Owners association and were
promptly called of.
Photographs of marked miners re-
ferred to by General Bell who. he
claims. were marked for death, must be
regarded as an invention OF his own
brain. The photographs in question are
those of strike breakers and were kept
for the purpose Of publishing "scab"
list with the pictures of the men ac-
companying their description, so that
members OF organized labor all over
the country would become thoroughly
acquainted with these men who have
committed treason to themselves and
to their class. These pictures are
nothing more than those having charge
of the strike in the district have pub
licly used for many months.
Charges that miners are not allowed
to vote on questions of strike are ut
terly absurd. As a matter of fact. ac-