Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-06-24
Attorney Darrow Makes Open
ing Address For Defense in
Miners Trial at Boise
DEFENDS THE FEDERATION
Declares Miners Organization is Not
Organized for Murder, But for the
J Benefit Of Mankind--Today Devoted
4 to Statements in Haywood's Behalf
!. and Outline Of Defense.

4 +
ence Darrow began the opening ad-
dress in behalf of the defense.
you have listened to the theory and
evidence Of the state" Darrow said.
aHawley has covered q wide ground
in his opening for the state and we will
have to meet him step by step. De-
fendant here is charged nominally with
the murder Of former Governor Steu-
nenberg. There had to be some nom
inal charge. But the state has told
you the case rests upon the giant con-
spiracy Of which defendant, among
Others, is part.
THE states attorney has told you
the murder Of Steunenberg was but an
incident. They have. told you the
western Fedora ton Of Miners was an
organisation to commit murder, con-
troll politics, hire lawyers, and other
criminal things. Part of this is true;
part is untrue, 1t ts true that there is
a labor organization known as the
western Federation Of Miners. 1t is
true the federation has spent money
for lawyers. It was unfortunate. but
most people have to employ lawyers
at some time or other.'
Darrow then went into an extended
history of the federation. saying it is
an industrial, and not q murderous
organization.
Darrow Sarcastic.
Darrow said there was no claim that
1 the federation was an organization OF
angels. Angels do not work in
Mines" declared the attorney. they
are the mine owners" He declared it
was not until ten years after the or
ganization Of the union that either
Haywood or Meyer took office In 1t.
eve are not here to apologize for any
/ thing the federation has done" declared
Darrow 1T has been fighting or
ganization from the first and If 1t dies
!. 1t will die a fighting organization. It
has had troublous career; it has
been opposed by every device the mine
owners had, but it has prospered."
Darrow went at some length to show
the trouble and opposition the union
has had since Its inception. In some
communities, he declared, the president
!. of the organization, when he went TO
visit the miners. was refused both
board and lodging by the mining COM
panies.
come thick and fast" the
attorney continued. "Some charges are
purely imaginary. In ndnety-nlne
cases out of q hundred the men have
not even been given the grace OF
trial. As soon as the federation was
born, the mine owner went about to
destroy it, and as the chief means OF
gdestmction they hired the Pinkerton
detective agency, with one>McParland
-at It's head. We will show you this
agency has been a busy sleufh follow-
ing the working men and lying to get
these mem We will show you they
have hired detectives and placed them
In positions Of responsibility as secre-
taries to the president of the local un-
I Ions: that these hired mem constantly
advised the miners 70 strike, and when
the strike was on they counselled vio-
lence, dynamite and murder. They did
It at Telluride; they did it at Cripple
Greek, and at many other places. We
will show that the Pinkerton detective
agency has been the chief factor in
this case from the very beginning.
They have organized themselves into
a band and spread calumny against
the Western Federation of Miners. We
will show that in one case. where a
cage 4ell because OF defective machin-
cry and sixteen men were killed, it
was laid to the federation. The burn
Ing of Moscow university was laid to
the leader Of the federation. Every
illegitimate child born west of the Mis-
sissippi has been wrapped in it's
swaddling clothes and hurried to Den
yer and laid on the doorstep Of the
Western Federation of Miners"
At noon the court took recess until
q o. M. with Da1'row still speaking.