Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1904-02-15
THE COLORADO WAR.
a FIGHT ID THE DEATH BETWEEN
LIBERTY AND DESPOTISN.

Civil and Military Powers Pr">titut-
ed 40 Aid Gn>lauGhts of TIutnrrncN
U?Uii the. CONSTITUTION and Express
ed VIII of th, People.
Tar daily newspapers of tn ctGH,tN
seI reasons Of their own haEo ha'.-...tl#s=
cl. nu,..5n- 10 say ,foo'.i t.., .-s.. .,.@s.
.-.4A2,la tildl- has bcrl.-- ..... ........ -.
o4aGp fcY months. Can tAe ~.leue. Il.
lhe great purvoNors Of puair lasrjr.e
.,e= because the situation in the Cea'r94=
naI State he&glr> dcserip1.oH> 81 t...t
as it may, il is truth tiat lie e1rsH-
spoudent WAo values his raPalIttau III
Veracity hc~itatcs to teli IN ,tlls1f tire
Aorrp!a story Of tAc tieSiautte!44 4eAof
c.S,d ~ the authorities, respectfully tin
militia, af Colorado during the Ffp-' III
contest between the miners and t.Ie
minrownrr%.
Citizens oI Colorado have been robbed
OF their citizenship, have been }broNn
into the bull pom driven from t}Ie
counties in which their homes Werr 10
Gated, have been bayonctcd and Saot 5Y
the militia OF the state with the consent
and approval of q governor Who haS
shown himself to be the Supine tool 0t
lawbreatng plutocrats. mine owners
who aided by quiescent and sub
servient legislature, refuse to submit To
the Will of the people Citizens have
been arrested without warrant or other
process of law and incarPeratcd in
filthy military prisons. The militia has
detied the officers Of civil courts, refus-
ing to accept service of processes issued
by courts Of competent iuristiletion
Writs of habeas corpus have been de
MED when properly served. Courts
have been invaded when in session by
armed miitiamcn for the purpose Of
terrifying Judges and officers ot th"
courts Frce press has been suppressed
in the strike district l5y Il military cen
sorShip. The militia has Shot down
citizens Who attempted to defend jtezf
property from invasion by !aWleSS
searchers after arms. and Il rclssn Of
military terrorism has been established
in one of our United States whic,.
would be in harmony With the moss
autocratic and brutal regime in darkest
Russia.
Let us pause fer Il moment and tllll,
retrospective view of the Colorado
trouble What has brought down up
on the honest and industrious miners
OF Colorado this terrible wrath of the
powers that be?
At the general election in 1902 the
people of Colorado. by ma iority OF
10000 votes. adopted a constitutional
amendment empowering the Legislature
to enact Il law making eight hours =
legal days work in mines, mills and
smplters. The legislature which can
vened in January, 1908, absolutely dis
regarded pledges made in platforms,
turned its back upon the instructions
given by the voters to the extent of Ia,
oGo majority and refused to pass the
eight hour law The Western Fedora
ton of Miners then tried to get their
employers to voluntarily recognize the
eight hour law and, falling in this, de-
ciarCd Il strike, first at Colorado City
and later in the Telluride and Cripple
Cronk districts The strike was peace
V
timOny of the GheriftS and other peace
officers of the districts affected. All at
tempts to break the strike by import
inc sca5s failing, the bosses appealed
to the governor foi' TIE state militia. al
leGing acts of Interference" ami laWlesS-
ness uFOn the part of tie strikers.
AGAINST the protests of the pence otf-
t{'+ jttl5 n 1o
crnor sent the militia to the SCENE of
the strike, and the outra&es outlined
above followed.
In answer to Il call issued by the
Colorado Federation of Labor a con
vcntion composed of 300 delegates as
sembled in Denver, Jan. II, to consider
tho labor conditions of the state. The
following resolutions adopted by the
convention Will show the present feel
ing of organized labor in Colorado
Whereas Org anizcl labor in the state
of Colorado is lighting deathless battle
for the right 20 organize and live, and,
Whereas. NE chief executive and the
state administration have eonspired ard
ente red into eoi]usion With the Mine Own
eHs' association the smelling trust the
Colorado Fuel and iron company and the
commercial allies known as the Citizens
alliance IN Geiea ting the political mandate
of the people as expressed at the polls in
November. 1a02. and,
Whereaa The state militia have become
corporate hireijngs and resolved them
selves into a military mob, to annhilate
organized labor. to train Gatling guns up
on the tetnples Of justice. to defy the
courts. to invade the sanctity of homes,
to arrest without warrant or process of
law and incarcc rate in a prison. known
as a military bull pen" men who have
committed no crime save to clasp hands
under the banner of unionism, and,
Whereas, The governor Of this state has
declared martial law in Teller and San
Miguel counties and with the power of
armed might deported law abiding citi-
zcrs and branded them vagrants and
outlaws, and,
Whereas. Free speech has been stran-
gled, the press muzzled and the writ of
L I