The chronicle=news., 1914-08-26


charge of one district during the
time the militia was in the field in
southern Colorado, makes public the
following letter. together on Febru-
airy 16. In view of the contents of
that report which has not been made
public until now, the whole will be
of considerable interest. The letter
follows:
In the Chronicle-News of August
IL, 1914, published at Trinidad.
Colorado, l find the following item:
Robert Arguello and Lee Romero,
two strikers. were arrested late yes
terday afternoon by the federal
troops stationed at Starkville. and
brought TO the county Jail last night
By Undersheriff Zeke Martin.
charged with beating up an employe
of the Santa Fe railroad at Stark
Vile"
In the Starkville-Piedmont
district there were four Tor five) To-
America-Wootton local. Morley To-
cal. Starkville local, Piedmont-Sopris
local, (the Piedmont-Sopris locals
seemed to be substantially onel. The
total membership claimed by the un-
ion officials was about 700. In this
letter | shall speak particularly of
the officers of the Wootton local,
Robert Arguello, its president, and
Lee Romero, its secretary. Perhaps
later l will find time to tell about
some of the others.
These two strikers are very fair
examples of the kind of men the un-
ions have as their officers. l doubt
if either of them could recollect the
time they did an honest days work
as coal miner, but they are no more
vicious or criminally inclined than
the average union official in south
ern Colorado. In fact they represent
SO well the type of men found in con-
troll of the unions in the Colorado
coal fields that I feel inclined to give
them little publicity.
With the permission of the mill
tary authorities, reproduce here
with an exact copy of one of the re
ports made by myself to the COM
mander of the military district on
February 1. last, at the time the
congressional committee was con-
Quoting its investigation. 1t re-,
lates particularly to these two union
officers but it will perhaps give you
some idea of the general situation.
This is sample of the sort of un-
ion official l had to deal with and
of the sort of thing ! had constantly
to guard against in the Starkville-
Piedmont-Sopris district. l believe
the report itself is a fair sample of
the sort of reports that General
Chase was receiving daily from the
commanders of the various subdis-
tricts throughout the entire SOUTH
ern coal fields.
The report dated at Starkville.
February 16. this year. and which is
now made public with permission of
the military authorities is as fellows:
1. Replying to your request for
information as to the attitude which
the strikers may be expected to as
sumo when the congressional COM
mittee leaves and whether an out
break or depredations are to be ex-
7ected. I report as follows:
.. The general talk of the strike
leaders and the strikers in this dis
trict tStarkyille-Piedmon Is
to the effect that everything is to be
kept quiet until the congressional
committee is through with its inves-
legations. Thereafter to commit dep
relations and to engage in intimida-
tion. or perhaps wait till the ma
tional guard is withdrawn and then
pull off big stunt
8. as to some of the intended
depredations, / have considerable
definite information-I will especial
ly mention to the plan to treat the
Piedmont mine in the same way that
the Dawson mine in New Mexico and
the Vulcan mine on the western
slope were handled.
4. 1t takes upward of 200 pounds
of high percentage dynamite. prefer
ably 500 to 400 pounds. favorably
placed to start dust explosion of the
same character as recently occurred
in the Vulcan mine on the western
slope, and in the Dawson mine in
New Mexico. Unless the walls of
the mine are completely saturated
an explosion of 500 to 400 pounds of
dynamite shakes down, or raises
enough dust to cause disaster of
this kind. The union men of this
district make no bones of saying
that these were union jobs and of
telling in detail how the Jobs" were
pulled OFF, and how many .'scabs"
they got.
8. Some of the men (there are
not over Z or S in on the job who
have been figuring on causing such
an explosion at the Piedmont mine
are known to me, also the method by
which they intend to effect entrance
to the mine and where they intend
to place the dynamite. There is an
old we'll in Jerryyi1le (riIe union