The Coeur d'Alene press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1892-1907, 1904-06-25
Is G0LORADO'S DISGRACE
MUTINy. MISERY AND MURDER
a waiter il MeCiarss Magazine Tells ~
SO Horrible cse@itisn Existing IN
caisraaae's zlaias Camps "A EGslea
- Terror.

" men 4 utet feathe1 Aoiotauu vas
surprised 10 find 30 little yiolenee,
20 little apparent cause for this dis
play Of force, writes Ray Rtannard
baker Ia Mcclure'H Magazine.
Vicionsness existed, but not to be
compared ia extent With that Of the
anthracite coal strike IN 1909. note
ing like the riots which the writer
aaw 10 Chicago Ia 1894, aud there was
surely not O. much "sluegiDgr ia
Cripple cEeek - theFe WAs In New
York city under the Parks regime.
Indeed, Sheriff Robertson OF Teller
county. union sympathixer, would
not call for troops aud this governor
sent them in spite Of the shsriH.
The subsequent Developments sho@
that the troops really made no attempt
20 do impartial police duty they sided
openly with the mine owners, we're
paid aud directed By tbs mine owuers:
The governor hlmsnlf sidAd with tho
mine oubers. The troops came ons
mol merely 10 prevent violence, bot
10 break the strike, ito do up this
anaFrhistic" federation as General
Sherman Bell himself told m~ The
simple fsct is this: the mine owners
had . friendly governor sud they
used him 10 accomplish their ends,
exactly ~ the miners. 10 1884 psed
Governor Waite. their friend, 90 &C.
eomplish their ends. Ia short. the
laboF problem has here hoen dragged
into politics. raising The most nnfort
innate complications. 90 which shalt
refer aRain. Ca the other hspd, 90
Que sho kao~s anything IL the bis
tory u the mineFs' union Ia Coiorn
DO can doubt that there would
huva bern violence aud assassination
u the operators bad attempted 90
open their mlnss without military
protection. A confederation Of THE
history b. necessary 70 an understand.
Ing of The character 81 The miners
lunlun aud ~ an explanation Ia part
Of tha trend ~ public opinion IN Col,
orado, which undoubtedly supported
tbs governor aud condemned the West.
ern Federation 81 MineTa.
/ ia 1901 a strike was called ia
Telluride. backed by ihe Western
Federation of Miners. IL was a
strike primarily against She contract
or piecc uork system. The union dc.
manding = uniftom work day with =
minimum sage.
After = month OF idIepeea Superin.
tspdeBt Arthur L. Collins Of the
SmueelSr Union property opened
bic mine with nounBion men.
The local union ordered 260 rifles
and go. 600 roupds Of ammunition
from Denver, the order being written
on Western Federation stationery,
and signed by 81 John the union
leader; the draft In payment also
bore the signature of St. John. On
the morning Of July 3, a. the ''scab''
miners Of tho night shift were leaving
the smuFRler. Union, they we're flrod
upon from every direction by men bid
inR among the rocks OF the mountain
eide. Il waa complete ambush. Sew
eral men foil wounded; the others
returned the Ore. Becker, q broth.
Or In Lac Of Manager Collins, bad
his arm shattered aoure the elbow,
an injury from which be has never
recovered, Jordan, shift boss, shot
through the hip. ,imps 20 this day.
Nicholson, badly wounded. lay In
the hospital for weeks. One attacking
striker, an Italian, was killed.
After . battle lasting several hours,
the party at the mine, outnumbcred
and outelassed In arms, displayed a
Gag Of truce. A parley was arranged
between st. John aud representative
Of the mine owners, exactly as Ia real
war. Possession % the mine was
finally yielded TO the strikers upon
the promise that tho ''ucab" workers,
the foreman and others, should be
aliowded to depart In peace. But
when the ''scabs" bad given up their
arms and were left unprotected, the
strikers surrounded them, tore open
their bundles, stole everything worth
approprtating, then, instead OF letting
them depart In peace, subjected them
10 ell manner Of abuse and violence.
Finally the ''acahs'' we're formed In
line. driven np The mountain side,
over . rocky trail, and out Of the dis.
triot. On the way, Thomas Ballard,
one Of the nonunion miners, an Amer.
! loan citizen, was shot through both
arms BY tho strikers and left on the
trail Il waa not until the next dag
that be was able TO drag himself into
silverton; today be has one useless
! arm.
Edwin Thomas, a Cornish miner d