United labor bulletin., 1910-10-13
Miners Strike
Is Endorsed
Trades Assembly Believes
the Strike of the Min
ers Is Just.


and devise ways and means that the
strike in the northern coal fields might
be brought to a successful conclusion
and that the coal famine in Denver might
he done away with reported to the as
sembly Sunday that the committee had
met Friday evening in the State Fedora
tion of L abor headquarters with all men,
bers present and had drafted resolu-
ton. The resolution was adopted as
read. 1t follows:
| Whereas The coal miners of the
northern coal helds are asking for
raise of approximately only eight cents
per ton for mining coal, yet the operat-
ors are now charging the people rs cents
more per ton for coal than was charged
prior to the strike, while they still have
the men locked out and are refusing the
advance asked for, and
Whereas, In addition to the extra
charge of rs cents per ton for coal, the
operators have secured a reduction in
railroad rates for handling coal from the
northern fields to Denver of 25 cents per
ton, so that they are now receiving 81
per ton more for their coal than they re-
ceived before the strike; and
Whereas, The coal miners have
been on strike for six months and have
at all times conducted themselves as
peaceful and law-abiding citizens, large
portion of them being owners of their
own homes, showing them to be desir
able and thrifty class Of citizens; and
Whereas, The mine operators, in
their frantic endeavors to crush their
men, who for years have served them
faithfully and produced good dividends
for them, have imported numbers of pro-
fessional strike breakers, thugs and des-
peradoes to act as guards for the
mines, this word guarus being mis-
nomer, as these thugs have done and are
doing everything to create trouble, par
aiding the different camps armed, threat
ening, beating and browbeating inoffens
i've men, women and even children,
whenever there happens to be no deputy
sheriffs about to preserve the peace; and
Whereas, The coal operators have
Deen informed by the sheriff of Boulder
county of the action of these so-called
guards, and in reply have stated that
these guards were selected and hired for
just such work as that complained OF,
thus conclusively showing that the oper-
ators, in their desire to crush their men,
are willing to resort to any means or
species of lawlessness and tyranny; be
it, therefore,
Resolved, By the Denver Trades and
Labor assembly, that we condemn the
actions of the mine operators of the
northern Colorado coal fields and con-
denim the operators themselves as a set
of men who are exciting lawlessness and
crime in their efforts to crush the men
w civ
service, in order that the camps of the
northern fields may have system of
peonage inaugurated, where company
stores shall supplant free merchants and
no check weighman shall hinder the rob-
berry of their employees in the matter of
weighing the coal produced by the men;
such conduct being, in our opinion, un-
American and contrary to the best inter-
est of our state; and be it further,
Resolved, That we denounce the ex-
tortion of these operators, who are ROD.
bing the people by extortionate charges
for coal. We further pledge the coal
miners our sympathy and support in
their battle for wage that will enable
them to maintain an American standard
of living"
The motion to adopt the resolution
was made by Delegate Koch of the Brew
cry Workers. Delegate Hickey asked
that the floor be granted to Executive
Board Member j. r. Lawson for district |
No. 15. This action was taken and Mr.. |
Lawson took the floor and in a talk of
20 minutes he showed the delegates why
1t was vital to the coal miners of the |
state and of northern Colorado in par
ticular that they indorse the strike of
the miners in the northern fields and |
give them moral support.
1t was brought out in the talk of Mr.. |
Lawson that the operators had endeav-
ored to sign up one of their mines with |
the union that they might use this mine |
to whip the remaining miners into line;
but that the United Mine Workers of |
America had taken the stand that as the |
operators were fighting the union /
an organization and that the or |
ganization was behind the move to sign |
up one mine with the miners, the miners |
could only deal with the situation by
dealing directly with the association and |
signing up with all operators in the as
sociation or none. This is the plan of |
operation in other districts in the United |
States. Where there is an association |
of operators the operators in that asso- |
citation are death with through the asso-
citation. Mr.. Lawson said that they were
not after financial support, but wanted |
the government to give them a square |
deal and keep its hands off, and that
the miners are bound to win. He said |
the operators were whipped and knew it, |
and now wanted to sign up one little |
mine, while the same men operated an
other mine under unfair conditions and
ship all the coal to Denver and offer it |
as union coal. He said that when the
strike is won in the northern coal fields, |
the miners in the southern field will be |
organized and an attempt made to stop
the slaughter of miners that is going on
in that field.