The Irish standard., 1914-05-16
CoLoRADo's TROUBLE

lug e1eTc4se0.
COLoRADO's TROUBLE
Colorado. like ireland, is now ex-
periencing the woeful effects of alb
sentee ownership. The owners Of
the Colorado mines thousands of
miles distant from the seat of oper-
atoms are deaf to the cry and unin-
terested in the demands of the min
ers OF Colorado. The New York
World has declared that the State
OF Colorado has gone out of bust
ness. 1t is as q commonwealth At
tempting to deal with the problem
within its borders woefully and
painfully lacking. Colorado. how
ever. has brought this upon itself.
"A decade ago when the miners Of
Colorado attempted to improve their
condition the State Of Colorado, act
ed as the agent Of the mine owners
IN attempting to defeat the laborers.
No matter how Rockefeller may de-
clare his unyielding stand not to rec
ognize the labor unions the ghost Of
decade ago has arisen to haunt the
richest man in the world. It ia no
answer to the labor unions of Colo
RADIO for John d. Rockefeller to state
tnat ne does not believe in labor un-
ions. The history Of the Colorado
trouble is one Of brutal lawlessness.
but the conscience Of the SUNDAY
school teacher Of New York seems
not to trouble him. Murder. starv-
alton. plumber. eviction 70 on anaca
An armed strike has been in pro-
sress Tor three months. The Colo
RADIO militia detests the miner. .na
.ne miners detest the militia. Wom-
en- and children had been wantonlv
ana fecklessly shot down by the
militia. State militia officers ara
LOW indicted on charges of murder
- tne nrst degree. The highland
60 methods that Rockefeller and ~.
cohorts have adopted in dealing v,+s
.ne labor question in Colorado ha,
ueprived the mine owners and oner-
seors OF any sympathy. In deai,n,
WIN the Colorado strike Rockafe,'
.er mas refused to listen to the en-.
treaty OF President Wilson. and re-
FUSED to have the trouble referred
10 a body of arbitrators. In tho
meantime they have asked the state
ot Colorado to bodily destroy those
mno are opposed to working the
IL OF Colorado by non-union,s,.
Inc mining corporation demands
wnae they claim are their nature,
1 n as the owners of the property.
But herein is the fault Of their ~.
a soning. Corporations have no M
eu.ai rights. They are not natura,
entities. They are the creature. -,
law and have nought but a legal a.
,s'ence' an existence of which thu
Jaw may deprive them at any time
ana an existence for which the I.~
Is responsible. The National ~.
ernment has interfered to save ~.
llves OF the combatants in the armed
struggle In Colorado. The mach,n-
cry OF Colorado has broken down r..
power is exhausted. Colorado had
gwen to the public one Of the poost
pltiful examples Of the weakness. -,
government when arrayed ap.,n.+ .
great and growing cause. The st.+e
VI Colorado and the integrity Of tn.
commonwealth is weaker than tha
cause OF labor. Neither the mach,na
Oh the Government nor the wealth ~
eue most hated man in Colorado can
prevail against the cause Of labor
Inc individuals charged with en,oro
ing the laws Of Colorado have taken
LOT granted that a strike is in ITSELF
a criminal proceeding and the strir
efs' instead Of having their deman. /.
.aAen unoer advisement, have been
treated as criminals. We have on
one hand the State of Colorado d.
nyins to the laborers in its mine. ~.
r'ent to collectively dispose Of their
,aoor and treated as criminals. W.
nave the failure Of the state "a
maintain itself when dealing with
the miners upon this basis. Al
against this we have John d. Rookie
Teller. Jr.. declining at the request
of the President Of the United States
to submit the difficulties to arbitra-
ton. John d. Rockefeller IL defied
in the good Offices Of the President
of the United States and the miners
In Colorado are defying the power
of the State Of Colorado. We need
not halt long between two opinions.
The state Of Colorado needs to retuv-
enate itself. Its law and order repre-
sentative should get abreast Of the
times. The present situation has
done more to create socialists, an
archists and enemies of Government
than anything that has happened in
this country since the Colorado trou-
BILE ten years ago.