The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1906-03-09
THE FEDERATION OF MINERS
Flat River Miners Teke Note OF the
Persecution Of Their Comrades
in Colorado Egd Idaho.
FLAT RIVER, Mo MARCH :

OF the most outrageous acts OF the
kind that has come to pass in these
later days Of predatory wealth agains,
labor. ! he Western Federation OF
Miners is perhaps the most powerful
organization in the West, organized
for protection and to forestall, as much
as possible, the hear,less marcel Of
capital against the laboring man. The
tight made against this Federation Of
Miners is the work of the Mine Owners
Association, the Citizens Alliance and
the American Manufacturers ASCOT
alton, and their paid agents on the staff
OF the Associated Press.
Every miner that reads will re-
member the fight made on the miners
in Colorado some two years ago by
Governor Peabody and his Attorney
General, Sherman Bell Meyer and
others were then arrested without
warrant and thrown into prison and
not permitted to communicate what.
ever with their wives and children, and
were most brutally treated, yet but
one out of hundreds tina; we're arrested
was afterward, convicted. The pre-
tense for arresting Meyer at this time
is Il charge Of conspiracy against him,
| Haywood and others for the murder of
Stucnenberg, at the time Governor of
/ Idaho.
II is q concerted effort, and intended
for no other purpose than 10 destroy
organized labor in the West, and the
men who are at the head OF 1t are hid
ing behind the cloak Of responsibility
and protected BY the power Of their
dollars Everyone knows how diff
cult It is to fight the power Of money.
These respectable gentlemen buy up
the writers for the press, control the
machinery OF the law ana close up
every avenue leading to their detection,
and strut around over the country,
clothed in brOad-clOtn and fine linen.
And the big.eyed world says ii is i'm
possible for such respectable men as
they are to comm, crime, for crime Is
but the pastime Of the poor. But
think you, my reader, how about the
Metals, the McCurdy's and a hos, Of
others that might be mentioned Of iu,,
a. much responsibility as the biz mine
owners.
l. WI be- remembered how, two
years ago, Peabody wa, forced out Of
The gubcrnaorial char aud how con.
tcnppliblc he acted, and how the Lcgis-
laturc, owned by the mine owner, Of
Colorado, selected Mcdonald aud
seated him instead Of declaring Adam,
elected Governor, As he was by the
people of the State. And il will be
further remembered how the Supreme
Court transcribed all constitutional
authority and supported the action of
the Legislature in holding that Nc
Donald was the lawful Governor
against the will Of the people.
This demonstrated the power OF money
and its methods, and there can be no
doubt to anyone who is familiar with
the conduct and nefarious practices of
the Standard Oil Trust, the Beef
Trust, and in this instance the Capital.
istic Mining Trust OF the West, that is
now making such desperate fight
against the Western Federation of
Miners TO destroy tina, organization,
simply because the wage Garner, which
ii seeks TO protect, is seeking an eight.
hour law in those States aud better
pay for the protection Of himself and
family.
And the most dscouraging aspect
of the whole situation is, that the law
officers, whe under their, oaths are
sworn TO and ought to protect the peo.
pie, on the contrary, prostitute their
positions and corruptly stand by those
free hooters Of the West, who have
been trying for the last twenty. five
years to own it by force and fraud,
abetted by the power Of money, re.
CARELESS of right. We have no doubt
that Meyer and others will be freed in
time, but things have come to n pretty
pass when men can be arrested at
night by Pinkertons, and in irons
hurried away from home, on suspicion,
to distant state without even being
allowed 10 say, good.by 10 thrtr "ves
and children, that such palric, arrested
might have some connection with the
murder OF an arbitrary time serving
Governor. The people OF the country
should rise up in their might, and so
arouse public conscience and opinion
against such conduct as to force an
investigation by the Judicial Depart.
ment of Washington into such miser-
able conduct on the part of mine
owners, who have been and are now
guilty of barbarities that would be alb.
horred 10 brutal Russia. Talk of law
Tho g. ,,,, ~