Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-01-11
Nonsense" Is answer
to Report on Strike
by U. S. Investigator

| CALUMET, Mich, January 1O.-Mine
managers of the copper strike district
| tonight were disinclined to discuss in de-
| tail the Department of Labor's recon-
| mendations on the strike situation be-
] cause of the fact that only partial re-
| ports of its contents had reached them.
Some of the principal points, however,
! had come to their attention and these
| were taken up by A. E. Petermann of
| counsel for the Calumet and Hecla MIN
ing Company, F. w. Denton of the cop
per range consolidated indorsing his
| statement.
| I'VE take it that the charges relating
to imported men, alleged shooting OF
workmen and excessive profits came
| from Walter B. Palmer. as he was the
only one of the three Department of
Labor men who visited us who came as
an Investigator. Neither John A. Moi
fit nor John B. Densnore asked US for
data. 1t might be pertinent to call at
tention also to the fact that Mr.. Palmer
left here last August when only one of
the mines had imported any workmen,
and that one, the Quincy, had brought
in only fifty.
Conditions Described.
1.-The charge that outside workmen
were induced to come to the district
lutely disproven. The Calumet and Hecla,
for instance, has in its file signed ap-
plication for work from every imported
man, this sheet stating that a strike
was in progress, that the men were to
work underground. that a certain wage
would be paid and that board was not
to cost more than certain amount each
month. l think this latter figure was So.
but l believe that as matter of fact
the deductions have been less than that.
Furthermore, the word strike was
printed in letters half an inch high In
what the printers call 'thirty-point'
type, so that this one word was bound
to catch the eye the first thing. Each
workman retained copy of this agree
ment.
..Tbe charge that men were taken to
the mines at the point of pistols is alb
solutely not true and is in fact arrant
nonsense Guards accompanied the men
from the trains, but this was necessary
to protect them from the strikers and
was not done with any idea of forcing
the men to work. Mr.. Palmer could
scarcely have misunderstood this condi-
ton. Trains have been tired on, attempts
made to wreck them, at least once by
dynamite, and another train was smashed
with stones right at the station in Han
cock. Even the sleeping cars were stoned
on that occasion.
Strikers Convicted.
"I would refer Mr.. Palmer further to
the fact that some seventeen convictions
of strikers have been obtained in the
circuit court at LAnse within the last
week. The greater proportion of these
trials have ended with pleas of guilty to
such offenses as intimidation, resisting
officers and carrying concealed weapons.
This court record simply wipes out Mr..
Palmers charges.
ANY argument in favor of the
strikers from the standpoint of the
profits of the Calumet and Hecla is not
worthy an answer. The fact that the
federation itself has expressed itself
as satisfied with wage conditions
nroves it silly. The profits of the Calu-
met and Hecla have been due simply
To the fact that the Creator put such
rich copper deposits in the ground.
Further the immense profits came
when the company. was working on
the deposits near the surface, where
II cost less to lift the ore and when
other production costs were less than
at present. Those rich days have gone
and recollection Of them had no appli-
cation to present conditions.
II wonder IL Mr.. Palmer took into con-
sideration the fact that many mines in
the district never have made a profit
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