Saturday news. (Watertown, S.D.) 19??-19??, 1914-05-07
Coal Mine Strike
Brings up Questions

Grand Junction, Colo, April 80,
What of the future with respect to the
coal mines?
Bloodshed, reprisal, destruction Of
property, the killing Of militiamen,
the wanton murder of innocent, wo-
men and even babes, have character
lied the industrial warfare in Colo
rado. To contemplate 1t is appalls
ing, heart-rending, heart-crushing
! find people everywhere asking the
question with which this correspond
ence opens There are those among
Colorado's population, both republi-
cans and democrats. who cannot be
said to entertain even a thought Of
tolerating what has come to be re-
garded as socialism, but who are ask
ing the same question in all serious
ness; who have swung around to the
unwelcome and almost repugnant idea
that in the cad the state or the fed
eral government will take possession
of the coal mines and operate them
for the public good in order that
neither capital nor unionized labor
may use them for exploitation.
] couple capital and labor together
in this connection for the simple rea-
son that, based upon the newspaper
=. = - 4. - a. ~ e
claims of each, ] am unable to deter
mine upon which lies the greater re-
sponsibility for the conditions pre-
vailing in Colorado's strike region.
Unionized labor ito which, / con-
fess. my personal sympathies go out)
alleges that the Colorado Fuel and
Iron company, for which John D..
Rockefeller, Jr assumes to speak. has
not kept faith with respect to these
points: the eighthour day, the reg
ular pay day schedule, the weighman
representing the miners, nor with re,
gard to the freedom of the laborers
to become members Of the unions.
On the other hand, young Rocke-
feller, in a published statement.
claims that concerning all of these
the company has kept faith. He
bases his principal contention against
the miners upon the assumed ground
that the comp anysst taai ssse sss ior the free
dom OF the laborer either to belong
to the union or to refrain from afilfa-
tion Herewith, as the laborer may see
fit. Mr.. Rockefeller alleges, In effect,
that the company's sole fight is for
the principle involved in the right Of
the laborers to do as they please
about affiliation with the unions. He
claims that ninety per cent Of the
company's laborers are not union men
but that the ten per cent are seeking
to compel the ninety per cent to
unionize themselves. In other words,
reduced to it's essence, the company
refuses to recognize the miners un-
ion, declaring that it will deal only
with Its workmen as individuals and
not through unionized federations.
All other demands, infer from Mr.
Rockefeller's statement, the company
either has already granted or Is will
ing to grant All the sacrifice Of hui
man life seems to hinge upon this
single point, seemingly 50 vital to
both capital and labor,
i do not belong to labor union.
i have never affiliated with labor un-
ions. But confess that I see no
hope for the laborer Of the future if
labor declarations are to be wiped out
Of existence. Modern industrial meth
DDS and systems have made labor or
ganizations necessary. We must ~,
tognize the fact that Capitalization
and cooperation have become a well
settled policy on the part Of capital
engaged in Industrial enterprises; in
deed, it is not confined TO industrial
undertakings; it has permeated sub
stantially every fiber Of our capital
ism, with its multitudinous ramifica-
tions everywhere excepting on the
farms and among the producers OF
wealth from the virgin soil. and IT is
beginning to get slight foothold
even there.
N So long as capital is In the hands Of
men endowed with all the elements
that enter into the. brotherhood of
man there need be no fear that It Will
he used to Cypress. But human greed
Ii human greed wherever IT is found.
Wipe out ali labor organic zations 50
that capital treats with laborers as
individuals, with only the force OF
the individual to support q claim Tor
wages and other rights mmensurate
with the cost of living and the needs
lof the times, and we would soon find
our laborers reduced to mere serf-
dom.
n FROM the standpoint Of mere cap
ital bent only on drawing IT'S diyi-
sdends. Mr.. Rockefeller is justified,
perhaps, In refusing to treat with I'M
aonzed labor. But without the infiu-