The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-04-26

Col, with a radii Of perhaps
- twenty-five miles. At least 400
persons. men. women and chill
dren, have been killed In that area since
last September 20. They have been shot
to death, blown up by dynamite, dubbed
o. kicked. Fifty have been killed since
last Tuesday. Twenty-Five persons,
women and children among them, were
trapped in mine which was set on FIRE
on Wednesday and only escaped by a
miracle. Five thousand women and
children are wandering over the barren
foothills Of the Rockies. homeless and
well nigh foodless.
II 1t were not for Mexico the breath
less attention OF the United States would
ne turned on Trinidad and the southern
coal district Of Colorado to-day. At that.
the men who endeavor to take q large
view Of affairs, declare 1t even more sig
nifioant to the country than its foreign
policy.
It IL more important than the great
strikes OF 1873 and more important than
the railroad strike OF 1893 1t Is the de-
liberatc. organized resistance Of an en-
tire State and of the entire United
States for that matter by an interna-
tional labor union operating through not
more than $4,000 men.
II Is not passive resistance, but
armed open revolt against conditions.
The entire State militia OF Colorado has
been defied. the rights Of private prop
erty have been forgotten and even the
mandates OF the Federal courts have
been ignored.
Men have declared openly that they
will die and take their families to death
xSff rat har In
burned. dynamlted, killed in the face of
machine guns and modern rifles. They
have instituted "A reign OF terror where
they could. In a score OF mining camps
tonight. around the ashes OF burned
works, are armed men patrolling-in
some camps. soldiers or guards: in
other camps, strikers.
And i, IL all for the principle that the
coal mine operators Of the district shall
recognize the United Mine Workers of
America as "a labor union and deal with
II as a union.
A hundred arguments on one side or
the other may cloud the issue. but since
the failure Of the conference OF No
vember 20. 1918. that fact has stood
forth az the true cause. Having Won
every single demand they made but that
one thing, the miners declined to return
to work by formal vote and since then
they have persisted in that refusal and
endeavored to prevent all others from
working. The Federal Grand Jury's
presentment at Pueblo. the Grand Jury
return at Denver will bear witness to
the statement.
The strife between the coal mine
operators of southern Colorado and the
sinners dates back a decade and half.
As matter OF fact there has always
been trouble The geography invites II.
The score or more OF camps are isolated
In canyons OF the foothills OF the
Rockies.
Tiny little towns are built about the
Nnines The houses which cling to the
Aounta.n sides belong to the mining
Companies. the stores at which they re-
ceive their supplies belong either to the
companies or to interests affiliated with
the companies.
Virtually the companies hold the
power of life and death over their work
men. The nod OF company officials
means work; their frown means no
work and ejectment. perhaps into the
surrounding deserts.
Three great companies and perhaps
thirty smaller ones control the entire
field. The Rocky Mountain Fuel Com
pany. the Colorado Fuel and Iron Com
pany and tire Victor American Fuel
Company are the big three and the other
thirty are Independents who do busi-
ness much as the independents Of the
Pennsylvania anthracite coal regions.
Ten years ago II strike OF the Colo
RADIO coal miners was defeated by the
introduction into the camps Of a horde
of Greeks, Italians. Slavs and Mexicans
rs strike breakers These are the strik-
ers OF to-day. They drove out the
English speaking workmen until only
10 per cent. Of the original number re-
manned. There were $4,000 of the for
eign miners working in the various
camps a year ago. With their families
they made approximately "A population
bf 10000 persons. including merchants
and hangerson.