Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1914-02-13
John c, 0sgood Takes Wit
ness Stand and Tells Own
erS Version of Strike by
Employees in Mining District
ARMS PURCHASED FOR
ELF-PR0TECTI0N ONLY
Emphatic Denial Is Made Of
Charges That Short Weigh
ing Was PractiCed by EN-
pIOyers.
u. r-.ulua ,our... e..e.l L,..,p ul.,l

tus sesame jouENaL srrclAL ttAste wisel
Denver Feb, l2.-sI don't want any
relations with the United Mine Work
ers OF America ana win not have
any"
Frankly / have always been OPP
posed to the c,ght-hour day In coal
mines
n have never knowingly permitted
false weighing"
"Wa have done all We could'to COM
ply with the state mining law"
THE operators bought arms and
ammunition for the use Of the mine
guards
81 want to take an the responsibility
that's coming to me for the purchase
of machine guns
so far as the operators are con
cerned the strike is oycr."
These were a few of the statements
made late today by John G.. osgood
chairman Of the board Of directors Of
the Nictor-American Fuel company
before the congressional committee
investigating the Colorado coal min
ers strike Mr. Osgood was put on
the stand as witness for the mine
owners. TO tell the story Of the labor
war from the operators standpoint
The witness outlined the earlier
labor troubles, including the strike
of 1910, in the northern fields which
still exists. at Is nay belief that the
strike Ia southern colorado lis a di-
rect outgrdwlh Of The northern Colos
RADIO trouble" he declared "Wc
have information that the officers Of
the United Mine Workers have at
times considered calling the northern
strike off, as IL is utterly lost Later
according to evidence furnished by
their own publications, they took up
the matter of calling out the southern
miners 10 aid the fight of those I'm
the north. I'm the summer. Frank j..
International vice president of
the union, visited Colorado. At that
time ] was approached by Governor
Ammons on the subject of meeting the
OF the mine workers in a con-
ference. We told the governor that
we did not want to make a contract
with the United Mine Workers 0f
America and we refused TO meet
Hayes Some time before we had
granted the eight-hour day. ana had
increased wages ten per cent
II do not question the right OF
workmen 10 organize and DO business
but think "a business
man has right TO do business with
whom he pleases."
Mr.. 0sgood then told of the wage
scales IN Colorado and neighborius
states. He attempted to show tina,
wages in Colorado We're not substan-
TALLY lower than those in Wyoming,
ana he declared they were twenty per
cent higher than in Kansas, Oklahoma
and Illinois, where the employers
have contracts with the United Mine
Workers
Discussing the mueh-mooted aues-
ton Of check weighmen. the witness
declared his company was willing TO
allow the miners TO have their own
men at the scales, but in most cases
the men had failed to avail themselves
OF the privilege.
Ho said the men were not required
to trade at company stores. and that
the use of scrip, under the present
system, was legal and not eompuI
sorry. The scrip being ISSUED only at
the request OF the men. as a matter
Of convenience.
Mr.. Osgood declared that NOT NOR.
than fifty per cent Of the workers mad
struck.
"Now. I'd ike to explain this motto
rious and criminal guard system hc
continued When the strike WIS
called, we realized that we would have
10 protect our property and the lives
Of our Workmen. The maximum
Of guards employed at amy
time by the Nict0r-American COMPANY
was 700 never more than fifteen or
twenty 10 "a camp.
when tbc strike started, vlolenaa
started with IT, The day after the
men went out the town marshal 800
segundo was killed. Shortly thereaf-
ter the strikers took two women
from stage and held them prison
ers in a tent colony until the governor
interfered and secured their release.
During this strike fourteen men have
been killed three Of them strikers
before die governor called out the
troops. tim sheriffs could not protect
us. hc said we rot machine guns
We got them on The same theory INIT
Won gentlemen build battleshlps. We
thought it was in the interest Of hue
mainly to provide our guards with
weapons 81 formidable that the strik
ors woull De- afraid 20 attack them"
The witness then entered upon
lengthy account of the various effor.s
To bring peacf all of which failed.
Before 0scood was PAT on the stand,
A. G. Felta, in charge of the Colorado
l.v.,,rb 20 as. baldwin. Epltg defaettt,.