The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-08-09
STANDS BY MINERS
Labor Commissioner Doyle says They
Have Been AIisrepresented.

owen Doyle, commissioner of labor.
comes to the rescue of the mine work
ers of Cherokee county in connection
signed statement, part Of which is as
follows;
+, 1t is quite true the foreign element
/ believes in taking a drink when they
feel like it, and they never spend nights
I In saloons. never lose a days work as
a result Of drink but quite to the cor
I trary-they are the steadiest workers
We have in the coal mining district.
/ Where they 90 their wives and children
/ go with them, and as a result of this
there is no domestic trouble of any
kind. and seldom a divorce among
them. Can this be said of some cases
/ Of people who proudly boast that the
| foreigner is inferior and should be de-
/ ported?
I am convinced that the statements
which I have referred to above are not
/ based on facts after a careful, fair and
| thoughtful Investigation, but upon d
1 superficial knowledge OF a few days
/ spent in the district among the drink
| ing people. and not in the residence dis
/ trict where the good people reside. IF
/ these men who seem to defame and de-
stroy these working peoples standing
/ in the stete Will go with me into thu
! districts. 1 viii take them, net around
| the places where liquor may be obtain
are TO be found. but 1 viii take them
| into foreigners and other WORKING
mems homes and show them the finest
conditions that can exist around a
| nome I viii show them we'll furnished
homes. and in the average families
healthy children Can this be said os
the average family or all other classes
Of people in our state.
The foreign element are also anxious
U =
send their children to the public schoO
in order that they may become familiar
with the English language. customs
and institutions.
Il is quite true that this class Of peo-
pie have their quota Of reckless and
daring characters. but 1t must be con-
coded that other classes of people. bar
ring none. are represented in this man
ner, also. In all honor and justice s
1t right, is II fair, or is it manly to
represent all these people on the basis
OF what these few vfolators Of the pro-
hibition law do2
am prepared at any time to go
with anyone into these counties and
make a thorough investigation over
the entire counties, and 1 feel that
after this Investigation IS made there
win be no longer room for slandering
and stigmatizing the people Of CherO
kes and Crawford counties as whole.
viii also prove To their satisfaction
that there are no facts existing by
which they can hOnOrably, Justly and
lawfully deny or deprive the people of
the coal uining districts OF the school
OF mines. which was authorized by the
legislature. II this raw, its purpose
and intent can be suspended and set
aside as null and void at the within
and caprice Of a few parties who hold
little power, given to them by the
legislature, then any other law pass
"a by tie Ian making body Of this state
can likewise be suspended, set aside
and rendered null and void and obso-
lete.
Statements have also been made in
the past to the effect that the foreign
element that come TO this country were
Of the lower classes Of Europe. ana not
the better classes. This impression
has gone out through the malicious
statements that have been made along
these lines. 1t is quite strange If this
he true, that these foreigners change
their mode Of life. become thrifty and
never wilfully violate any Of our laws.
/ The facts in the case are quite the re-
verse. The lower classes Of Europe are
/ without ambition. and never able TO
| accumulate sufficient funds to bring
/ them to this country 1t is the better
/ class that come here-WiIling to brave
/ the hardships Of a strange land in 7r-
der 10 DO better. These people, be
/ caIse Of their inability to speak, read
and write the English language, can
not understand why they are treated
in this manner. and look upon these
/ officers with terror AMI awe They
! cannot understand why Pc feet
! stranger to them should come into
their homes and walk through :hei-
| private apartments without emory
! or explanation. The constitution OF the
| United States guarantees a man against
invasion OF his home or searches and
seizures without due process of the
Law.
want to inform the good people
| of this state that Cherokee county
with it's vest mineral resources such
as cldl. lead AMI zinc. has contributed
1 in a larger degree to the material
wealth OF this state than any other
county in the state
Another significant feature Of the
WI he thing lies in the fact that all
Of the officers hiatt have been sus-
pended or charged with dereliction OF
duty are Cherokee county officers and
none from Crawford county There
/ IS no difference SO far as the profibi-
ton violations are Concerned IN these
1 counties. because the are composed
Of the same element and character of
! pe1pie and the mining camps are
/ equally divided as between the two
| counties.
! have. u4tti now refrained from
making anv statement along these
lines and am not seeking newspaper
notoriety. but when 7 became con-
WINGED that these people were being
! grossly reUresented, I felt 1t my
duty to at least make protest
OWEN DOYLE.
Commissioner Of Labor