United labor bulletin., 1914-08-29
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
GRAFT ON THE OPERATORS
Denver. Colo. Aug. 25. 1914.

Denver, Colo, Aug. 25. 1914.
To the Editor United Labor Bulletin:
Dear Sir-I have been reading You pa
per for the past year with considerable
interest, and have been giving the labor
situation in this state particular atten-
tion. What / am going to say herein
is simply offered as a suggestion, and
as a little personal talk with the editor.
l am inclined to believe that wage earn
ers of every class are to some extent
interested in the labor movement, and
it seems to me that the most business
like way to adjust our labor troubles
(especialy the coal miners trouble in
this state) would be to begin at the
foundation of this trouble, and try to
eliminate the real cause of trouble.
Now | will just say to you that | have
been resident of Denver for the past
20 years. have closely watched the
labor movement during both this and
the "a coal strike, and | am personally
acquainted with all of the leading coal
operators of this city and state, and
| believe that if this bunch of men We're
correctly informed at all times as to
what is really going on in and around
their properties, that there would be no
serious difficulty in the operators and
the miners officials getting together on
some kind of an agreement that would
in some degree be satisfactory to both
parties. But here is the trouble.
The Baldwin-Felts detectives have
taken a contract to break this Colorado
strike, and no particular time has been
set in which they are to accomplish
this, and in the meantime, they are
drawing a regular salary from the op-
orators with all expenses included. l
know what | am talking about.
Now here is what | would
The BaldwinFelts people are not only
enemies to organized labor, but they are
an enemy of everything and everybody
that does not pay them some per cent
OF profit. They are even enemies to
the operators themselves, as they keep
them misinformed as to what is really
going on, and when conditions become
too quiet in the strike zone, those Bald
win-Felts people will start something
themselves to get the operators excited
again, and make it appear necessary to
have more guards at the different prop
critics. 1t seems to me that if the union
people would circulate petition to have
Baldwin-Felts discontinue operations in
this city and state that every intelligent
person would sign such an article, and
the people could have this firm put out
Of business by taking their petition di-
rectly to the governor himself or if
necessary. to the president of the United
States.
Such move on the part OF the or
ganized people could not make their CON
dition any worse than they are at pres
ent, even if the plan failed, and it seems
to me that it would really be worth try
ing. The miners will never gain any
of their points while this agency is al
lowed to keep their hired thugs in the
field, and while the union is planning
to bring about something of this kind
by legislative enactment, none of the
present members of organized labor will
live long enough to see the desired
changes brought about in this way, for
the other side is spending dollars to
block the union movement, while the
union people are not spending cents to
push their plans forward. The union
people are doing the best they can, but
unless they can bring about some radi-
cal changes in the present situation,
! they are playing a losing game to start
with. / know what they are trying to
do through both state and national leg
islative movements, and to secure the
union vote, they will be promised "A
great deal more before our fall election.
| What have stated herein is a known
fact and in closing / will just say, that
while the BaldwinFelts people are al
lowed to do business in this state. bust
ness conditions will never get any bet
ter, and the union people will be crushed
EGAT NOTICES