Wheeling majority. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1907-192?, 1914-03-26
Congressional Investigation Finds
Anarchy RGigniDg In Colorado

Denver, Colo, March 18,-C Speciall
Southern Colorado todaya Is in al
state of anarchy. Men are held slaves
in the coal mines, terrorized by muir
derous mine guards and robbed Of
practically every cent of the small pit
lance they are paid. The striking coal
miners are intimidated and murdered
by the hired assasins of the operators,
denied their constitutional rights by
the militia of the state of Colorado.
These and many other outrages were
brought out by the congressional COM
mittee which closed its months in
vestigation Of the Colorado coal strike
/ Saturday.
For years the coal miners of the
state have maintained that they had
less personal liberty, less rights in
Colorado than have the people of
Russia. For the same length of time
the prostituted press of the state, their
personnel putrid with the blood mon
| ely of the operators, have denied these
reports. asHz
If there was any doubt in the minds
of the people Of Colorado as to the
real conditions in the coal fields those
ideas were dispelled by the oppressed
witnesses who appeared before the
congressional Investigation committee.
Disregard Of Human Life.
The operators and their gunner
have run their nckspittles in ONCE
with such a high hand, with such ut
ter disregard of the laws and human
life that conditions as they exist seem
impossible to the man who has not
suffered or failed to spend some time
in the district
/ One Of the just grievances Of the
miners, established by the men as well
as mine superintendents and foremen,
was that of short weights. Since the
first mine was opened In the state
1t has been the common practice Of
the coal operators to steal from 400
to 800 pounds of coal from miners on
each car. To Offset this highway rob-
berry the miners had bill passed
providing for checkweighman. When
the miners sought to take advantage
Of this law, they were promptly dis
charged or given such a poor room
i that they could not make a living and
were forced to quit. Instead of abol-
fishing this thievery of coal by the op-
i
ed to increase it for the operators
were filed with a desire to demon
strate how they we're superior to the
Flaw and could do as they pleased in
a state where they owned a majority
Of the officials body and soul.
Blacklist System.
Probably one of the most notorious
works of the operators exposed by
the witnesses was the blacklist sys-
item that has always been In existen.
ce against union miners. After the
10000 strike 5000 men were black
listed and but few Of them have been
able to get work up to this time ex-
cept where companies signed up with
the union. Witnesses testified that
superintendent at all of the mines in
the state had a. list of the union men
They told OF going to mines, being re-
/ fused work because they were union
i men and seeing scores of men employ
ed while they stood there.
| One of the most notorious condi.
tions existing In the south has been
the domination of politics by the coal
companies. They own the courts, the
juries and practically every other Of
ficer. An example of the rotten condi=
ton existing in these counties was ex-
posed at IWalsenburg About a month
ago Deputy Sheriff Miller, thug who
boosted that he has seventeen notches
on his gun and has threatened to "get"
% more red necls," walked UP to a
young striker at o'clock in the after
noon and broke his jaw. Miller was
arrested, tried before jury compose
/ nf Il aNfn
members of his gang and acquitted
To the resident Of a state where laws
are in effect this would seem like
an exceptional case, but it Is cases
like these happening every& day in the
year for twenty years that have led
UP to the present strike.
Company Picks Juries.
Jack McQuarry, a witness and who
was deputy sheriff of Huerfano coun-
ty for seven years, testified that when
a man or number Of men were killed
in the mines, he was ordered to take
the coroner to the superintendent and
find out who he wanted on the jury,
as well as what the verdict was to
1fbe.o -
q I Stole Elections.
| When JeH FAR and his ring did not
have sufficient votes to carry an cleo
ton, they voted the sheep in the hills
or else arrested enough of their OPP
ponents to carry the election and held
them until they promised to vote the
way Sheriff Farr wanted them to.
1t has always been common practice
for the superintendent to take his
men to the polls and vote the entire
| gang one way.
This was accomplished as follows:
A man who knew how he was to vote
was sent in first. He marked the Of
fetal ballot and instead of depositing
| it in the box placed another similar
looking paper there The marked bal
lot he took out to the superintendent.