United labor bulletin., 1914-10-03
PERICLES FOREICNBIRTH WRITES TO
WILSON DEFENDING ALIEN BROTHERS
Why Should Welborn and Associates Demean Their For
eign Workmen After Bringing Them to Colorado to
DiSplaCe Others Who Had Become Wise to the System?

Colorado. U. S. A, Sept. 80, 1914.
To the President of the United States,
Greeting:
With extreme regret we are compelled
by our interest toward our people who
are residents of the state of Colorado
and responsible to your laws, besides
also therefore entitled to proper and
lawful protection, to raise our voice in
serious and earnest protest against
new and malicious attack on the charac-
ter and general behavior of my people
in this state. 1t is with absolute pain
and distress that / suffer the humilia-
tion of having my people referred to as
outlaws and set forth as unworthy OF
the respect and consideration due to the
common and average man.
| desire to call your serious attention
in this connection to a communication
which is addressed to you from j. F.
Welborn, president of the Colorado Fuel
and Iron Company. In this letter the
foreign born people, many of whom are
from my country, are wilfully, mali
ciously and without cause set forth as
the most violent and inhuman and de-
generate. of mortals.
We are positively certain that our
people are on an average good, lawabid-
ing citizens. They may not affect the
same manners and customs as Ameri-
can citizens, but as far as their sense
of right and justice is concerned there
is no difference whatever. And they
are not the cause of the troubles which
the above-named writer accuses them. /
can assure you, most excellent President,
that my people are of a patient and
long suffering disposition. They will
suffer privations and abuses far beyond
those which Americans will endure. But
there is an end to which nature will not
bear further excitement. This end has
been reached in every instance where my
people have become involved in pro-
test for relief and reform. 1t is fact
evident to all land this is obviously the
reason why my people are in the em-
ploy of the above-named company that
my people are an honest and industrious
class of citizens; that they are even
preferred to American workmen by the
mine owners, and that the large ma
iority of those now in the employment
of said company are foreign born.
Now, in view of the fact that the
mines of Colorado, the mills and fields
are everywhere worked by my people
and other foreign-born people, it seems
to me that the calumniations and de-
fractions uttered against them by the
said Welborn is IN the highest degree
libelous. false and lawless, deserving the
boldest condemnation of every self and
fellow respecting person.
To remind you of the utter disregard
of the truth and complete annihilation
of feeling for common justice 1 sub
init for your consideration the follow
ing statement from the letter OF Mr..
Welborn. In referring to the character
of nv people he saws this:
'The problem is complicated by the
fact that so large a number OF these
men are of foreign birth. many OF whom
do not understand our language, many
more of whom do not understand the
meaning of Il government OF laws. 1t
is unfair, therefore, to judge the con-
duct of such men by the same standards