The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1904-06-19
Retired Mine Owner
BlameS Labor Lead
erS Chiefly.
But Unions Properly
Led He Heartily
ComnnendS.
Much Right on Both
Sides, and Much
Wrong Also.
Careful and impartial
Survey OF the Tense
Situation.

q am confident the mine owners OBJ
Ject almost exclusively to two prac-
tices-the maintenance of labor mon
Opoly by force and the extension of
strikes TO include unonending employers.
There has been much right on both
sides and there has been much wrong
on both sides.
Il am Informed that the coming Of the
troops prevented perhaps score CT
hangings
What ought 20 be done now? The
leaders ought to remove to some other
State. The men who remain ought to
start in anew, with some fair basis of
organization. In my opinion the mine
ON ners would not object TO a new union
differed and led by the best members.
What they object 20 now is the leader
ship Of men who have had years OF eX-
perience in making trouble.
The labor union beyond any question
of doubt should be encouraged 1t IS
undoubtedly fighting the battles Of our
children and grandchildren"
These sentences are the gist of a dis
cussion of the Cripple Creek disturb
ances by Thomas +. Walsh. retired
mine owner. and delegate-at-large from
Colorado to the Republican national con-
vcntior Taey were expressed in his
Office in the Colorado Building VIII e
his secretaries and clerks helped hini
close ND his business affairs before
leaving washington for the summer
NJ. walsh was deeply interested. He
smoke with noticeabls intensity OF man
ler. and especially in his plea for mutua
Cancellation on the part of both mine
owners and mine operatives. evidently
voiced lrm-rooted convictions. The re
port is verbatim
Not the Backwoods-
aTf you would understand the si,ua'
fion in Teller county he said, YOU
must understand that the Cripple Cr-S'
district is not the baclkwoods- II 10
ciudes twelve towns with a population
of 80 600 persons. IT has. school en-
roliment OF about 40OO pupils, with III
teachers. and il makes an allowance
$4,000 a year for the maintenance OF IL
free school system. There are owe
thirty places Of, religious worship. Un
der ordinary conditions over 5000 me-
are employed in its mines, and tn
monthly nav roll averages over S650,0J
exclusive of the large salaries paid gen
oral officers. The thirty big mines D.
The district produce annually SlVOet o
more each. In the twelve years OF IN
camp's existence they have produces
over s140.OO0.OO Cripple Creek and VIC
Tor the largest towns. were both par
tally destroyed by fire some time as'
and modern buildings Of brick ana SION
have been built TO replace the roughe
structures of pioneer days. These town
have none Of the look OF the Dlonee
town
This community is now under MAJ
tial law. in consequence Of a strike IN
stituted by the Western Federation Z
Miners out Of sympathy for a strik
among the smelter workmen of Denvel
As I understand the case, the cond
lions in the Cripple Creek district wer
entirely satisfactory TO the men employ
ed there, and the mine owners are en-
tirelv willing to restore those cond
lions with two provisos-that hereafte
they shall be free 10 employ union {
nen-unfon men as they choose; and tina
the union shall safeguard the mine
against further sympathetic strikes.
Owners Object to Two Practices.
MY own holdings in the district Al
ALI mine prospects. 7 have no actiy
mines there. But I am confident a
mine owners object almost eXclusivel
10 those two piactices-the maintenanC
Of a labor monopoly by force and d
extension Of strikes to include uno
tending enployers-and feel that the
are extreme and absolutely unjust ar
tyrannical.
"oftentfnles some Of the best and s