The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1904-09-26
Cruel TIES OF
CRIPPLE CREEK


was assaulting the citadel of Span
ish oppression in the Philippines,
the working men in Colorado were
engaged in the equally laudable work
Of preparing for the overthrow of
the system that permitted men to
labor in unhealthy places for long
hours at stretch. From that time
to the present the working men Of
Colorado. through their labor organi-
cations. have persistently kept up the
!, fight for the legal establishment OF
the eight-hour day. In 1893 such a
law was passed by the legislature.
but when II was atatempted to be
made effective In the middle Of the
year the supreme court held the same
to be unconstitutional This decision
was reached by the court after the
smelter men in the state had gone
on strike to enforce the plain pro-
visions Of the statute. In passing.
it may be stated that the mine man
ayers, or the smelter or steel works
managers have never once obeyed the
eight-hour laws or given heed to the
demands of their employees In this
direction The loss Of the eight-hour
law in 1899 only made the -labOring
men fight the harder for law that
would stick.
Accordingly they set about to
elect men 20 the Legislature who
would be strong enough to amend the
state constitution authorizing the
! Legislature to provide for an eight
hour day In occupations that were
declared to be unhealthy. This was
/ easily accomplished. and in the gen.
eral election Of 1902. at the same
time when Governor Peabody was
elected, the amendment in question
was adopted by the immense major
ity Of le.71l. Notwithstanding the
imperative language Of the constitu-
tional amendment. the Legislature
that met In 1903 failed to comply
with the will Of the people as ex-
pressed at the polls. and adjourned
without enacting the Legislation call
ed for by the people. This failure
| to carry out the wishes Of the peo-
pie in q way that would be Of SUBJ
] stantial benefit to the wage workers
| Of the state. who had earned hard
fought battle and become victorious
at the polls. then became the real
basis for the strike that was called
by the men working in the unhealthy
mills and reduction works, and final
~ resulted In making q standing
army Of occupation out Of the state
militia. the abuse Of innocent citizens
and the long drawn out lawlessness
that has characterized the attitude
of the Peabody administration from
the very first day of its Inauguration
10 the present time, and which seems
| likely to continue till the end Of the
dynasty that has perverted the will
OF the people and set the statutory
laws of the state at naught.
EN- approaching the more recent
and exciting part of this presentation
Of facts It must be said that In a
short lecture no pretensions can be
made to exhaustively treat the sub
ject, nor to give in detail all the hap,
penings that have been heaped upon
a defenseless citizenship by the arm
ed mobs in Colorado. Nevertheless
1t is possible to give fairly COM
prehensive account, which viii be
just as true as a more minute de-
scription. The difficulty is not so
much what there Is to say as what
may be left out.
western Federation Of Miners.
| TN the first place. 1t may not be
amiss to say Of the organization
known as the Western Federation of
Miners (which organization Ia really
bearing the brunt Of the fight by or
ganixed, amalgamated and federated
capitaD is composed OF as sturdy and
true lot Of American citizens as
inhabit any part of this great land
of ours. They formed what is known
as the Western Federation of Miners
because the men working I'm and
about the mines in all parts Of the
west had many interests that were
common to all. Hence. the various
local unions perfected the federation
at Butte. Mont. May Is. 1893. It's
life and existence is co-existent.
practically. with the eight-hour
struggle In Colorado.
'Distinctively. there are three
kinds Of woriemen eligible to men,
bership In the Western Federation of
Miners. namely. the miners who work
underground with hammer and drill
and powder. which occupation is not
only dangerous and hazardous, but
It requires q great amount of skill
as well. Besides all this, the man
who works underground must know
his fellow workman. His fellow
workman must bear the relation of
brother to him for the sake of
safety. This makes organization I'M
perative. The engineers who hoist
the ores from the levels and who
run the engines that lift and lower
the cages containing the miners 60
ing on and of shift also become
members. This occupation is a con-
slant mental strain on the engineer
and should 1t be followed for long
successive hours and many success
I've days, the person pursuing II
would become a mere automatofn and
finally permit. through sheer exhaus-
ton, accidents that might cost the
lives OF hundreds OF his fellow work.
men For this reason he becomes o
member of the Same organization as
his comrade who works In the bowels
Of the earth. and his neighbor who
takes care Of the product after II
] reaches the top of the shaft. His in
4 terest ia common to that OF the min
er. Then we have the mill and
smelterman. The men who crushcthe
ores In order to concentrate the
values. as we'll as the men who smelt
the ores and tho concentrates to OK
tract the precious metals, all work
In unhealthy surroundings. They
likewise have interests that are com
mon to the miner and his coadjutor,