The Colorado statesman., 1905-04-29
COMPANIES COMBINE
TO SUE FEDERATION OF MINERS
Damage Suits for Destruction of Prop
erty and Loss of Time-statemen
That Complaints Are Being Pre-


That Complaints Are seino Pre-.
pared.
Denver, April 26.-According to the
statement of the Denver News. dam
age suits which. if successful, would
virtually bankrupt the Western Fed
GRAFTON of Miners, will be filed in the
Federal and District Courts within a
few days. The suits involve 81 600. 900,
and are brought by the mine owners of
the Cripple Creek district and the
smelter trust in Colorado against the
labor organizations. The complaints
are now being prepared by some OF the
ablest attorneys in the state.
The common defendants in these
suits are:
Western Federation of Miners. as an
organization.
Charles Meyer, president Western
Federation of Miners.
William d. Haywood. secretary
Western Federation of Miners.
Frank Schneider, member executive
board Western Federation of Miners
John M O'Neil, member executive
board Western Federation of Miners.
Charles G. Kennison, president union
No. 40, Cripple Creek. Western Fedora
ton of Miners.
A. G. Paul, secretary union No. 40,
Cripple Creek, Western Federation of
Miners.
Arthur Parker. member Western
Federation of Miners.
p. M. Mullaney, member Western
Federation of Miners.
d. G. Copley, member Western Fed
Grafton of Miners.
Against these defendants nine COM
panies will file separate suits These
companies are:
United States Reduction and Rein
ing Company.
Vindicator Consolidated Gold Mining
Company.
Granite Gold Mining Company.
Golden Cycle Gold Mining Company
Elkton Consolidated Mining and
Milling Company.
Mary Mckinney Mining, Company.
Ell Paso Consolidated Gold Mixing
Company.
Stratton Independence. Limited.
Findley Gold Mining Company.
All of these suits will be brought in
the District Court except that OF the
United States Reduction and Refining
Company. AS this is a foreign corpo-
ration, it will be necessary for it to file
in the United States Court.
Among the attorneys interested are
Hall, Babbitt & Thayer for the United
States Reduction and Refining Com
pany; the Vindicator has Potter &
Banks. the Granite c. c. Hamlin, the
Golden Cycle H. NJ. McGary, the Elk
ton, Mary Mckinney and FL Paso,
Gunnell e Chinn, and the F'indley
Schuyler & Schuyler.
The suits are a direct outcome OF
the Cripple Creek strike, and it is un-
derstood they are intended to Offset
similar suits brought by the Western
Federation of Miners. The result has
added Importance from the fact that
IL the mine owners should be success
full, damage suits will be started
against the federation in other sec
tions of the state.
The complaints are all similar in
wording, the main difference being in
the amount of damages asked. The
Vindicator asks damages in the sum
of $4,000, divided as follows:
For injury done to machinery,
pumps and workings through submer-
gence of it's mine because of lack of
men toi operate the pumps, 10000.
For loss of services of employees
through the strike and consequent
crippling of business and depletion of
profits, $4,000.
For estimated cost necessary for
the removing of water from the lower
level and workings of the mine so that
it can be operated, 100000
For other injuries and damages to
business, $4,000.
For exemplary damages against de-
PENDANTS because of the strike, $40 900.
1--WE have had no intimation that the
Western Federation of Miners is to
be sued by the mine owners cf the
Cripple Creek district and the smelter
trust for $1,000. .0O0," said President c.
H. Meyer. "The only question that
could be involved in such a suit would
be the right of organized labor to
strike. If such a suit should be filed
it would be in line with the suit filed
by the mine owners and the Colorado
Fuel and Iron Company against the
United Mine Workers of America for
S450,000.
THE right of labor to organize and
to cease work has been so often de-
cided in the courts that have no fear
of the outcome of any damage suit
that might arise.