The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1904-04-21

militia come among us. II some trou-
BILE had arisen which we experienced
difficulty In handling. then there
might have been some excuse for
sending soldiers over here. but moth
ing of the kind has taken place"
On the part of the miners it is thus
charged that the first employment OF
armed force was needless; they MAIN
tain that the only purpose of 1t was
to intimidate the strikers; they say
that when in response to the pro-
tests of the community the governor
came to Colorado City to see for him
self what the conditions We're, he con-
ferred with the mill owners. and with
the men at work in the mills, but re-
fused to go to a meeting of the
strikers to which he was invited.
If these statements are true, the
governors attitude in the matter was
ill-advised.
They gave color to the complaint
that he was acting In tho interest Of
one side in the controversy: and they
probably tended to irritate and embit-
for the constituted authorities.
The next trouble In which the mi
litia was called out was the strike of
the Cripple Creek districts which be-
gan August 10, 1908, and which has
not yet been settled.
That this strike was unjustihable
Is n nearly-universal opinion. 1 talk
ed with number of Intelligent union
men. In other trades. and every one of
them condemned the strike.
One small smelling establishment
at Colorado City had refused to adopt
the schedule agreed upon by the other
companies; to punish the proprietor
of that mill all the mines In the
Cripple Creek district were closed
This would never have been done II
the miners had been allowed to vote
on the proposition, for tho great ma
jority of them were opposed to the
strike: but the officers. at the prccod-
ing convention. had secured tho pass
age of n resolution empowering the
without rosorting to the referendum.
1t was fatal mistake. and bitterly
have the miners rued it.
l have read carefully all that the
officers of the federation have to say
In justification of their action, but It
seems to me that they do not make
out their case. The conditions in the
Cripple Creek district were excellent:
there was no complaint of wages and
hours: the calling out of 1000 men
was violent proceeding for which no
good excuse can be given. 1t demon
strated the recklessness and irrespon-
sibility OF President Meyer. When la
Dor unions are foolish enough to put
unlimited power in such hands. and
loyal enough to the organization to
follow them implicitly. tragedies may
be looked for.
The fact that this strike was called
against the best judgment OF the best
elements among the miners. made IL
certain that In the enforcement of It
the worst elements would como to the
front, and they undoubtedly did.
1t was not long before some brutal
and dastardly deeds were done.
Whether the local authorities were
both able and willing to repress these
disorders Is question Mt issue be-
tween them and the governor of the
state.
All of them maintain stronuously
that they were both able and willing:
they averred that arrests had been
made and that others would be: the
sheriff OF tho county asserted that he
was abundantly competent to deal
with the lawless clements; tho county
commissioners OF Teller county. who
are reported to me as exceptionally
able and fair-mlnded mon. declared
that there has been no unusual as
sembly of men and no more violence
than at other times that the parties
guilty OF the late assaults will be
apprchended by the civil authorities
and prosecuted" a petition signed by
5000 citizens protesting against the