The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-06-13
DENVER MAN TELLS
OF COLORADO STRIKE
Declares 1t Is Not Safe for
Residents to Criticise
Governor

l. 4
ing the mining trouble in the CRIPPLE
Creek district have no doubt / would
be arrested as soon as / returned to
Colorado; it is not safe for union
man of-any craft to even criticise the
actions of Gov. Peabody and Gen. Bell,
and l would rather not talk about it.
This was the reply Of Albert Peter
son, the delegate from Denver to the.
bookbinders' convention, when seen at
the Windsor last night and asked for
his views of the trouble now existing
in Colorado between the union miners
and the state militia.
Mr. Peterson is not radical in his
ideas Of unionism, and does not attempt
to excuse the acts of iaWleSsness
charged to the union miners, but he
says the manner in which the governor
and Gen. Bell are handling the trouble
is so high handed that it cannot be
appreciated by people who are not in
touch with the trouble. He says the
lawlessness charged to the miners has
been inspired by the unprecedented
and uncalled for acts of the state mill
tia, under Gen. Bell, whose actions have
the sympathy of Gov. Peabody.
Policy of State Condemned
even in Denver, 100 miles from the
seat of the trouble, the feeling, par
ticularly amongst the laboring and
common people, is running high, and
the policy of the state is condemned,
said Mr.. Peterson.
''The stories sent out from Grip
pie Creek district do not begin to tell
both sides of the story. A cofrespon-
dent who would attempt to send out
report not approved by the mine own
ers and the state authorities would not
be safe. He would be treated the same
as hundreds of innocent miners are
being treatedAeither shot; thrown in
Jail or deported. The military gives
no thought to the law; the mine own
ers dictate and the soldiers carry out
the orders. Columns could be filed i'll
relating the outrages committed by
Gen. Bells men. When the truth is
known there, is little wonder the min
ers in the district are rising up IN
arms; it is wonder they have stood
as much as they have.
1T is true that some of the laWless
element of the miners have done things
they should not have done, but many
of these miners are poor and Ignorant,
and while they should be punished
for any crimes they may have COM
mitted, these crimes should not be
laid at the door of the Western FEEDER
alton of Miners. That body does not
sanction lawlessness, and if given an
opportunity would put a stopsato it
quicker than the militia can do.
Situation Is Terrible
Scores of miners, thrown out Of
work by the soldiers, have been ar
rested and deported, and even, killed
when they had not attempted to take
a hand in the trouble. Men have been
driven out of the camps with their
wives and children left behind at the
mercy of Bells erEsThe situation is
something terrible ~--.7--zzs3
Gov. Peabody and Gen. Bell have
been denounced for closing the Port
land mine and throwing 500 miners out
of work. This mine, one of the largest
in the district, was being worked With
out trouble Of any kind. The owners
were paying the scale and the men
were satisfied but other mine owners
decided that it should be closed, and
Gen. Bell, backed by the state troops,
ordered it closed down.
What can be expected of these 500
miners who were thrown out of work
They had not mixed in the trouble, but
enforced idlenesse among miners does
not breed good will, and it is no sur
prise that some of these men have
resorted to lawlessness in their efforts
to protect themselves and their fam
lilies.
Hard to Tell Outcome
''What will the outcome of the trou-
bic be? Well, there is no telling The
mining district is now in a state of
civil war, with the state troops ruling
but what the results will be is hard
to tell. Some of the details have been
exaggerated, but the situation is a
most serious one, and it is safe to say
that many innocent persons are being
murdered"
Mr.. Peterson says it is an actual fact
that the people of Denver do not dare
to criticise openly the acts of the gov
ernor and Gen. Bell, while any one in.
the district who would do so is sum
marily dealt with by the authorities
1t is going to be a hard fight" said
Mr.. Peterson. 1.-The miners are we'll
organized, but in dealing with the mine
owners, backed by the state aufhori-
ties, they will have all they can at
tend to-
Mr.. Peterson arrived in st. Paul yes
terday from Denver, coming here to
represent the Denver bookbinders at
the biennial meeting of the interna-
tlonal, which begins a four days ses-
sion in ST