The daily sentinel., 1914-02-09
STRIKE PROBE
BEGINS IN
COLORADO
Congressional Committee Opens
Sessions in Denver; viii
Make a Foil Report.
CHAIRMAN OUTLINES HIS PLANS
Sentinel Special servlce.

oentlnel special Service.
Denver. Feb. 9.4-The congression-
al committee consisting OF ]. NJ. Eos
ter tchairman) of Illinois: ]. f..
Austin. of Tennessee James NJ.
Evans of Montana. and James f.
Byrnes of South Carolina. will hold
a two-days' preliminary inquiry here
before going to Trinidad.
Foster says the object of the probe
is not TO settle the strike. but to
gather the exact causes of the strike
for the benefit of congress for the
for future beneficial legislation.
Particular attention will be paid to
the facts where the federal law is
constitutional where the rights of
individuals are said to have been vi
olated or abridged.
The investigation will be of the
widest possible range, declared Chair
man Foster.
The coal mine operators and the
officials of the United Mine Works
ers, representing the strikers. have
been busy the past week preparing
evidence to be submitted to the com
mittee. Both contending sides have
already informed the committee that
they will gladly aid the members in
arriving at facts surrounding the |
strike troubles.
Two local stenographic reporters
have already been secured to take
the entire testimony and transcribe |
the same for the Investigating COM
mittee. Horace N Hawkins, attor-
ney for the miners union, and james |
II. Brewster of Boulder, also legal ad-
visor for the union. will assist the
! committee in any way possible in
prosecuting its lfSpe OF the. strike
which probably will take about ten
days or two weeks.
Joseph S. Myers. a special repre-
sentative of the department CT labor
at Washington, who has been in
Colorado making an investigation OF
the strike for more than month.
also will appear before the commit
tee and give to it whatever informa-
tion he has been able to gather. The
report OF Mr.. Myers will be a fair
review of conditions as he came to
the state to get both sides of the
trouble. He has taken pains to in
terview both the operators and the
miners officials to the end that this
report would not be biased.
The congressional committee ex-
poets to also visit the Northern Col |
orado coal fields as well as that in
the northwestern part of the state.
If this is done more than likely the
inquiry will take more than two
weeks, but Mr.. Meyers says that the
committee intends to make an ex-
haustive investigation even If it takes
month to cover the ground. He
says the idea of the inquiry is to ar
rive at some equitable conclusion
which may end the strike. and he
believes the work of the committee
will bear good results.
The presidents of big corporations,
labor leaders, attorneys, stenogra-
piers and spectators were in attend |
ance when Martin ID. Foster, chair |
man, called the session to order at I
1880. He read the resolution au-
thorizing the investigation, and call
ed Prof Russell D. George, state |
geologist, as the first witness, who |
gave preliminary outline of the
mining industry in the state. George, |
with the aid of charts. located each t
coal field and explained the charac-
ter of the coal and the method OF
mining in each. He was given close
attention and was frequently inter-
rupted by questions of the commit
teemen.
The committee appointed A. w.
Rucker, former representative from
Colorado, legal advisor of the COM
mittee. At the opening Chairman
Foster requested the parties to the I
controversy to name attorneys, who |
will represent them at the hearings. |
General John John Chase obtained
permission to have the national guard
of Colorado represented by Major
Edwin Broughton and Captain
banks. Before the sessions opened
the committee called on Governor
Elias NJ Ammons, who agreed to ap-
pear as a witness, If wanted.
James Dalrymple. chief state in
spector of mines, explained the da- !
ties of his office and the conditions
under which coal is mined in Colora-
do. saying. Il don't believe any |
mine in the state complies with the
law in its entirety"
Asked what he was doing about !
those companies, he replied, Moth |
ing-I have not had time" /
He explained that he only had
three deputies because of lack OF
funds, although the law allowed him
five.
When Representative Austin ask
ed why he did not ask the legislature
for an appropriation to carry out his
work he said: II would rather ask /
the devil for transfer to heaven.
He said III men were killed in
Colorado mines last year