Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1914-02-12
STORY Of BITTER
HATRED REVEALED
BY LABOR LEADER
Coal Miners and Operators of
Colorado Are at Dagqers'
Points, Declares Off
ciaI of Union.
HIS RECITAL is DRAMATIC
Warfare and Misery Outgrowth
Of Industrial Injustice
and Civic Corruption
Says LaWton.
HIS RECITAL is DRAMATIC

Denver. Colo, Feb. 12.-John r
Lawson. Colorado member of the in
ternational executive board of th
United Mine Workers of America, to
day asked the House investigatin,
committee to excuse him from reveal
Ing all the details of the district con
yention at which the Colorado Goa
strike was called.
You gentlemen must remember" III
said, that this strike is not over We
and we do not care to reveal anythin.
that might give away our hand to thu
operators" The labor lender was al
lowed to give such information re
gardlng the convention as he saw fl
and was not pressed for union secrets
He said that the convention was hele
September 16 1913, and consisted o
about 200 delegates elected by th.
members OF the loca, unions and tina
the vote to strike was unanimous.
A dramatic story of the Colorado
coal, strike from the lips of John r
Lawson, one of the most conspicuous
leaders Of the miners. was unfoldel
yesterday before the congressional in
vestigating committee
Near the very end OF the session
after several hours OF preliminary skir
mlshtng Lawson took the stand
For an hour committeeman, attorney.
and spectators followed with almost
breathless interest the testimony of tho
Colorado membe. of the internationa
executive board of the Uifitcd Mine
Workers of America.
Strikes are hell We do not believe
In strikes unless they are absolutely
unavoidable. They iEjure not only the
strikers and their wives and children;
not only the coal operators but the
public
Thus Lawson announced what he de-
I. cihred to be t:le policy of the United
Mime Workers in labor disputes. He
7 recounted the miners version of the 10.
year controversy in Colorado.
AS he talked his rich, distinct voice
only now and thor trembled with sud
den passion.
Attorneys forgot to make objections
tne chairman forgot the adjournment
mad passed; spectators crowded about
the platform to listen.
Jesse II Welborne. president of the
S,oloTado Fuel & Iron company, touched
shoulders with Adolph GermerNsoc1alis1
and labor leader, as both stood before
the high reading desk, busiy taking
notes.
They Shot to KILL
It was a recital of blood, hate and
misery which the labor leader poured
out. He told of battles in which both
sides shot to kill: of a state OF war
rare in which strikers and militiamen
DraVed bllzzards in cheerless cainps
Ihe labor leader told the committee
that he began working In coal mines
when child OF years HI. outlined
h .he mesnods ny which. as he alleged,
the United Mine Workers call strikes
Then he entered upon the history of the
tp toal til nilnlng INDUSTRY in Colorado from
was lost by the miners
IN that strike he declared, "thc
Who e1stols pod haor nrougdt sl,. In gunmen-thuss
crime on the % os,a,ds, .e,,ds Oh Almost every
tho Miners e ,rsh.,,. s,,chia,...o lntilnldat te
snnoa as r. inea 4.;,. were successful.
into poine. 'I las,l s1rikefs Sc We're frlshtened
others ,,,ase na SO ~ c., " we mines The
MnnM we,e Ses5 SSee.eIeu 20 the lour Winds.
..;ro fiI1 ,,,1, p'Ia e.u.
comnan,as . 'i, h-ol,apt Ie %, o., .ae strikers the
Rmt snnn thesl. ,. ~. .il stlike l.p breakers.
diseoreraa .i,s, 4,s Sels slrike breakers
fnto ,ei,eas 49, ,nhe Ill, .hes iad been put
.llo .!liiles 1, Wne.e lhe conditions We're
iinss were no+ heii ..i,. sohlIort m thelr very
Thns # came ,a. abo,,t nhes .ls,. INTO i account:
t;,na thosa 80. "'oul .a. eilat IN course of
org, ,ization te setS ,S,t ,nei, appealed to our
.rinr -. ,t,;,. lites l Ma.tea 10 JOIN the
a ..1Ma ts,. 70 s.fihe .,, TOY tneir rights.
% .ooh @ the!n INTO the union, but
aa,:a ausissu tmehi not 10 strike, We
eai,zeu lhal llen 1hey could not win"
ca.ss "Ioi, IN t,,,io,, .i,ln m .otu 81 number Of
s''S oAiioli ildu
prevented strikes LIN the meantime,
however the men We're joining the
oraer: .
1ut an organizer took his life in his
nands When he went into the camps
hsa, Apinlmei. lp;i,na1 some organizers nave
Voc" A'Aeu M soulherh Colorado.
Mex'cans on Jury.
Were any of the murderers tried on
interrupted Representative Byrnes.
Yes; they were tried by hand
picked juries," flashed back Lawson.
The operators picked the iuries and
the sheriffs. Look here-I've seen an
English speaking man tried for mur-
der and on the jury were j. Mexicans
who could not speak English"
Then the witness told of the calling
of the strike of 1913 in which he
claimed 95 per cent of the miners
walked out within a week. He told of
the exodus Of miners from their homes