The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1907-05-09
THE HAYWOOD TRIAL
CONTINUED from Page IL


in the Occur d'Alene mountains of
northern Idaho. For a time the
mines were worked by individual
prospectors of the type of the hardy
pioneers who had flocked to Califor-
mia and Cripple Creek in quest of gold
There were no labor troubles, since
every man was his own employer,
with always the possibility of great
wealth following the stroke of pick.
A decade later Standard Oil came
to the district. looking for investments
for the surplus wealth accumulated
by means of rebates and other devious
practices of commercial piracy. From
that time forth trouble looned large
on the horizon of the Occur d'Alenes.
The red flag of socialism followed the
black banner of industrial greed. All
of the big mines of the district were
merged into the Federal Mining &
Smelling company. owned and con-
trolled by the Standard Oil company.
The old days Of independence for the
miner were past. The trust had swal-
lowed him.
With the advent of organized wealth
came organized labor. In 1892
strike was declared by the workmen,
who demanded better conditions of
labor and more pay. Several of the
labor leaders were sent to Jail in
Boise. and utilized their leisure by
planning an organization that was to
include all the mine and smelter
workers in the western states. The
Western Federation of Miners, which
was organized at a convention held in
Butte, Monot., on May Is. 1892, was
the result. In their first strike the
miners of the Occur d'Alenes achieved
victory. Every mine in the district
was organized, with the exception of
the Bunker & Sullivan mine near
Wallace.
Peace reigned until 1899. Then the
mine managers announced a reduce
ton in wages, giving as the reason the
fact that the Bunker e Sullivan mine
was paying less than the union scale.
All attempts Of the federation's organ
izers to unionize the workmen of this
mine were futile. The men remained
obdurate in their determination to
keep clear Of the federation. Then
the concentration was blown up.
The explosion that wrecked the
Bunker & Sullivan concentrator and
resulted in a declaration of martial
law for the district occurred on April
20. 1899. A mob of a thousand men
took part in the affair A considera-
BILE proportion were union miners, al
though they afterward declared that
they were not aware that an explosion
was planned and had no other pur-
pose than to make peaceful demon
stration. The mine managers declared
that the explosion was deliberate
attempt upon the part of the Western
Federation of Miners to intimidate the
company and prevent reduction of
wages, as we'll as to gain revenge up
on the non-union men employed at the
concentrator. Union miners assert
that the destruction of the concentrate
or was accomplished by detectives in
the employ of the Federal Mining G.
Smelling company, which owned the
Bunker & Sullivan property. AS proof
of this they point to the apparent fact
that the plant was old and almost use
less and that new machinery had al
ready been ordered at the time it was
destroyed. The dynamite used by the
mob was taken from a powder maya
zine owned by the Federal concern,
with the knowledge of the manager in
charge.
Federal troops, most of them me-
groes, were Immediately sent to the
Occur d'Alenes and martial law was
declared by Governor Steunenberg,
who then occupied the executive chair.
This action is declared by the prose-
cution In the present murder trial to
have furnished the motive for the as
sassination of Steunenberg by Hay
wood, Meyer and Pettiboone. What
ever the crimes OF the miners. they
could furnish no possible excuse for
the brutalities that were inflicted up
on them by the black brutes in blue.
A bull pen was erected and in this
noisome den Of filth a thousand min
ers were herdei together for months.
Dozens of outrages upon defenseless
women were reported. yet none of the
assatlants were ever punished. Min
ers who remained defiant were tied to
posts and made to witness the insults
to their wives and children. The
whipping post was revived and was
used daily. Peonage was inaugura,-
ed, with the negroes as masters and
the white miners as slaves. Deporta-
ton followed the horrors of the bull
pen. and every union miner in the
Occur d'Alenes was sent forth with
warning never to return ringing in
his ears.
Frank Steunenberg, who was held
responsible for these iniquities by the
Federation members, was elected gov
ernor of Idaho on the populist ticket.
He made his campaign as friend
of the laboring men," and most, IL not
all, of the miners had voted for him.
The glad acclaim soon changed to
bitterest hatred, and this was respon-
sible for Steunenberg's death on De-
cember 30. 1905. So say the prose-
cutors.
II you wear ANYTHING white. it is