Durango semi-weekly herald., 1904-08-18

something like 1000 men working in
and about the mines, all but about TOO
members OF the union. All were con
| tent. All were working under the so
called Waite agreement, then In force
about nine years. The minimum wage
was 81 a day for eight hours work.
| and ran up to $3.50 day for engin-
| eers. Mr.. Atkins. n local newspaper
man. told me had made a careful cen
sus of the entire district shortly be-
| fore the trouble. and he found the av-
| erage pay for all the men In and about
the mines was s3.i6 day and all had
| the eight-hour day.
Probably there is not another min
ing camp in the world where labor
| conditions are better than they are
here. The wages are high, the work
| steady. and about 500 month Is the
smallest income, even for mere labor
ers; eight hours is the longest day:
the work Is clean and nice, nothing
like coal mining; there is no fire
damp In the mines, and the only dan
gers are of mechanical accidents: the
visit TO the level l,20O feet below the
main drift, is almost as pure and sweet
as outdoors. the men do not have to
i've in bunkhouses, as Mt many mines.
but occupy their neat little cottages.
scattered about on the hillsides, and
ride to and from their work In steam
or electric cars with low fares; liv-
ing is but little dearer than in Chi.
cago; single men getting good room
and board for So or So a week: there
are plenty of amusements aud recre.
ations; good schools are near at hand
for the children, the climate is health
ful and delightful.
Military Not Harsh.
Up to the killing OF thirteen men at
Independence station military rule in
this district has not been harsh A
few men had been thrown in" the
bullpen, There had been some con
hict with the courts over babeas cor
pus. General Bell has used his ter
rible tongue with telling effect, but
not man had been deported. Moth
ing had occurred which could Justly
cause the military to be condemned
as tyrannical Military law Is never
soft or pleasant But in this case 1t
was not unnecessarily drastic. Guns
and gatlings were in evidence. and 1t
was bad judgment to surround the
courthouse with bayonets But the
men who behaved themselves we're I'm
molested. Business went on as usual.
Over AT Telluride things were lit
tie different. There the federation
broke signed contract before its
specified period of operation had ex-
pired. to force their sympathetic
strike. There the union had long
maintained a reign of terror compar-
able only to the days OF Molly la
guireism In Pennsylvania Murders
and assassination were common On
one occasion eighty-three unarmed
nonunion men were frightfully beaten
by an armed mob of unionists and
forced to flee over the mountains. The
federation thus set the example of de-
portation In this region. This was in
the strike of 1901. and during that
strike 250 rifles and $4,000 cartridges
were ordered by President st. John
of the Telluride federation, and paid
for with draft bearing his signature.
st. John was an anarchist, a danger
Gus man, and Is now fugitive from
Justice. There were no troops there
Governor Orman had refused to call
them out-and the federation ran
things with high hand.
Accuses Meyer.
eli
and William Haywood as the men
who are to be held morally RESPONSE
BILE for this crime against organized
labor, this offense against our civiliza-
ton. And offer to convict them be-
fore jury composed OF the leaders OF
the decent. honorable labor organiza-
lions of the country.
The Western Federation OF Miners
Is composed for the most part of hon
est and Industrious men. It Is their
duty to repudiate these evil geniuses.
reckless, unfit, dangerous, II not worse.
Before the Western Federation can
hold up Its head among the useful and
respected labor organizations OF the
United States 1t must purge itself OF
leadership that leads TO political am
bition. lust for power. anarchy and
crime against Its own followers and
against society.
Meyer and Haywood have forty men
in the East soliciting subscriptions
from sympathetic union labor. They
are receiving 10000 a week. char
lenge them to make public state
ment of their disbursements.
Why should union men support this
organization under its present leader
ship? In his annual address a year
ago President Meyer declared: Trade
unionism has proven Intellectual to
better the condition OF the laboring
man" Ever since he had advocated
socialism and political action-"to get
| control of the government" as Hay
wood said.
/ advise self-respecting union men
everywhere not to give a penny to