United labor bulletin., 1914-06-20
|. W. W. Rioters Want to
Disrupt Union
Celebration of Unions 34th Anni-
versary Made Occasion for First
Labor Disturbance in District

President Charles H. Mover OF the
Western Federation of Miners left Dem
yer Wednesday night for Butte, Mont,
to investigate the trouble among mem
bers OF Local Union No. l, which started
last Saturday during the celebration OF
the thirty-fourth anniversary of the
unions organization and establishments
OF union conditions in the copper mines
OF that region. According to press re-
ports, portion of the members had be-
come dissatisfied with the local union
Officers and threatened to secede. In
addition to this, about ! 900 miners have
been laid off during the past month
Taking advantage of this situation, pro-
selyters for the l. W. VS. went into
the district and were successful in in
fluencing the diseontented members to
turn what was intended for a protest
into a riot. The parade was broken up
an assault made on the union hall. car
pets, furniture and fiNings wrecked. L
piano thrown down stairs, and the
unions safe, containing about $1,000
and all official books and papers, car
ried off and dynamited.
Insurgents Assault Acting Mayor.
The ballot boxes. containing about
4.500 votes cast for union officers at a
recent election, were destroyed and their
contents burned in the street Alder
man Frank Curran, acting mayor of the
city, Socialist, went to the union hall
to appeal to the rioters to disperse. and
was thrown from second-story window
to the pavement. He was taken to the
hospital severely injured.
BY Monday semblance OF order had
been restored. and most of the men re-
turned to the mines TO work The repu-
lar union men, who exceeded the seced-
ers and /. w W contingent by more
than three to one. restrained themselves
and refused TO be drawn into an inter-
Gene war. and thereby probably averted
loss of life. The home of p. X. Sui
iivan, an officer OF the local union. was
dynamited early Tuesday morning. The
house was badly wrecked but Sullivan.
his wife and three children were unin-
jured.
Peace in Butte for "a Years.
Governor S V. Stewart OF Moptau,
made a request upon President Wilson
for federal troops, but later sent word
that local authorities had the situation
well in hand and that soldiers would not
be needed.
Since the miners union was first or
ganized in Butte. thirty-four years ago,
there has never been strike. and all
differences with the copper mine man
ayers have been amicably adjusted
through friendly conferences. and the
companies ar. not believed to be in
volved in the present trouble. Butte
has been recognized as the best organ
lied labor town in America. where all
crafts are paid the highest wages.
Street laborers and unskilled workmen
receive minimum OF 81 per day. and
there has never been any union con-
tingent there.
1. W. WIS Cause All the Trouble.
1t was lett for the |. W. VS. to break
IN on this peaceful condition OF affairs
and start trouble. Apparently their
purpose is to secure sufficient num-
Der OF seceders from the Western Fed
Grafton of Miners to organize an Inde-
pendent Industrial Union. which is even
tually to be transferred boot and bag
gage over to the l. W. W. crowd OF
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