United labor bulletin., 1911-07-06
JAIL YAWNS FOR MINERS
while The WOMEN PRAY
SEVENTEEN MEN BEFORE WHIT
FORD FOR CONTEMPT OF
COURT.


Judgment as to whether the dignity Of his
court had been impaired.
Yesterday In Louisville and Lafayette
the Northern Colorado coal fields-the
wives and children set the day apart as
a season Of prayer to their Creator that
the Injunction judge would not send their
husbands and fathers to prison for fight
ing for their homes and for living for
their families. over the entire district
the miners and their families gathered in
the churches and knelt or stood with
bowed heads and offered up solemn
supplication to their Heavenly Father
to soften the heart of Whltford, who con-
>'ictedx Imseif out of his own mouth for
sendissmen not known to be guilty Of
violating his Injunction to jail for one
year 'for the good of the community"
The contempt of court in the present
case involves seventeen men, all mem
bers of the coal miners union. They are
Jack" Cassidy. day marshal at Lafay-
cite; Edward Johns. night marshal at
Lafayette, and the following miners:
Walter Gaboury Martin Koenig, Andrew
Burt. John Maxwell. Grover Wiseman,
Edward Doyle Frank Koenig. Guy Cor
don John Bolton, Sr.. Joseph Carr, An
tone Kochinis, George Bagadonas. Daniel
Williams and William Crawford
The contempt charges against the men
grew out of their alleged violation of the
November 80. 1910. in favor OF the North
ern Coal a. Coke company against ofhc-
ers and members of the United Mine
Workers union, restraining them from
Interfering with mines, unlawful assem-
bling, assaults, threats. etc Out OF TINS
injunction grew the movement in the last
legislature for impeachment of Judge
whitford and the dismassal of the com
plant out of the latter grew a charge
of conspiracy against A. T. Ardourel.
member OF the house from Boulder coun-
ty. John McLennen, president of the
State Federation of Labor and others.
charging conspiracy to thwart the court
The case was called yesterday. Attor-
ney II. E. May and Attorney E. l.. VIII
liams. for the men, and Attorney James
H. Blood. for the complainant, took up all
the time until $3.50 in the afternoon in
arguments and motions.
The attorneys for the men argued to
quash the writs on the ground that they
were not properly filed and that no &C
tuai damage is shown. II tried for Grim
fnal contempt. the men are entitled TO
hle answers denying the allegations and
are therefore entitled to release; that
Judge Whitford was without 1urisdic
ton: that the men were not guilty Of
even civil contempt. that the afidavits
filed by the prosecution do not state
facts Judge Whitford overruled all
these motions to dismiss the defendants
and he also refused a trial by jury.
At 3: 80 O'Clock in the afternoon six OF
the seventeen accused men were called
in and placed on trial.
Attorney Blood called Charles Sher-
ratt an old man. as witness for the
complainant. the Northern Coal and
Coke company. Sherratt rated" after
having been one OF the organizers. on
June s. and went TO work for the coal
company. He testified that he had been
cursed and ridiculed by various people
The case was resumed this morning
and probably will not be closed until the
middle OF next week there are in the
neighborhood of thirty witnesses to be
called.
II was apparent to those who were in
attendance at the trial this morning that
Whitford had not been affected by the
prayers of the miners.
The miners in this district have been
on strike since the first OF April, 1910,
and have put up one of the best fights m
the history OF organized labor in the
state. The miners have been law-abiding
to marked degree, and have fought
fair fight and have asked the citizens OF
the state for their moral support along
these lines but have not received 1t.
The raise in wages asked by the men
amounts TO but few cents a ton. while
the company has raised the price of coal
$1.00 a ton.
Failing to get the support of the cit
liens of the state in bringing the strike
to n successful close, the miners and
their families have resorted to prayer.
What this will avail remains to be seen.
The rich coal operators support the
same religious denominations through
which the miners ask relief by prayer.
They believe in the same God: bow their
heads to the same Supreme Being-bat
bAn ltt,sv fat
and city government and using the
courts and the jails to accomplish their
ends in more direct way than praying
to. the Unseen Being who "loveth those
whom He chasteneth."
But IL prayer availeth not-then what?
VIII these hundreds of men who have
trusted the government of the free and
the brave; and when that failed them.
resorted TO prayer on bended knee-will
these men continue to submit to persecu-
ton by corporations that own the courts
and the government that opens the doors
of our prisons at their bidding?
We think not And we shudder when
We think of the time when prayer and
supplcation no longer availeth.
The Bulletin has said before, and It
repeats, that It is time for labor to take
the aggressive. Prayer is good in its
place. but we suggest prayer while we
fight. While we stop for prayer the en-
emy advances TO new position.
waycross (Ga.) painters have secured
eight-hour day reducing the hours from