Las Vegas optic. (East Las Vegas, N.M.) 1908-1921, 1914-02-14
MICHIGAN MINE Owners REFUSE TO GIVE
Recognition To WESTERN Federation,
CLAIMINGIT IS COMPOSED OF SOCIALISTS
events which foilowed?' asked Mr..

kU OOlEAA OUkO
events which followedY' asked Mr.,
Brewster.
None whatever
Mr.. Welborn in response to further
questions denied that Judge j. G.
Northoutt had represented his conn
pany politically in southern Colorado.
| a long series OF questions about rela-
/ tive fatalities in American and foreign
coal mines brought the admission
from the witness that he had not
made study for foreign conditions.
Without wishing to reflect person
ally upon Mr.. Welborn, l think he is
too ignorant to be the employer Of
5000 mine workers, said Brewster.
| w. I. Hickey. secretary Of the Colo
RADIO State Federation Of Labor, then
was called by the committee.
He was asked;
'Did Mr.. Hayden tell you that he
would grant everything you asked ex-
cept union recognition, which he
could not grant because if he did the
Colorado Fuel and Iron company
would put him out Of business?"
"Yes,' replied Hickey.
The witness was uncertain whether
Hayden or another Routt county oper-
ator had told him that in the event
they wished to run the Routt county
mines during the strike, guards and
guns would be furnished by the big
companies in the southern field.
Women Were kidnapped
The operators called Claude W..
Fairchild, private secretary to Cover
nor e. M. Ammons. Mr., Fairchild
told what he knew about the alleged
kidnapping Of Mary Beniger and Mary
Ludyik by strikers from the Ludlow
colony. He said that he first heard,
while in Trinidad about October B,
that the two women. who were on
their way to Delagua to Join their
husbands, had been captured AMI
were being held in the Ludlow camp.
Il telephoned Governor Ammons,"
he said, "and he asked me to secure
their release. saw John R. Lawson
and he telephoned the tent colony or
dering the women set at liberty"
The witness then told Of his efforts
to free the women, who finally, he
said, were permitted to leave the col
ony. Attorneys for the operators told
the committee that the two women
in question would be put on the wit.
ness stand at Trinidad.
The next witness for the operators
was G. Baum, president Of the Con
solidated Coal and Coke company,
operating one mine in Weld county,
Mr.. Baum denied the published state
ment purported to have been prepar-
cd by e. v. Brake, deputy labor coin
missioner on mine wages. These sta
tactics indicated that the Baum min
ers earned on an average of 81 10
daily The witness gave figures in
tended to that the true average
was much higher,
L. "A. Hayden, president Of the Juni-
per Coal company Of Routt county,
was called as witness by the com
mIttee. He told Of a conversation
with w. 7. Hickey, secretary Of the
Colorado State Federation Of Labor
iii which he said he refused to sign
4 Contract with the United Mine
Workers of America
Representative Byrnes asked:
"Did you tell him that if you sign
ed the contract the Colorado Fuel and
iron company would put you ont of
business2'
Il don't remember any such state
ment BY myself
Was any one else presents" :"
Mr.. Serat. my manager, was pres
ent part OF the time
Banks Against Unions
The witness was questioned about
prices Of coal in Denver, with the ap-
parent purpose Of indicating the aoutt
county operators we're subjected to
ruinous competition.
"Did you tell Mr.. Hickey that If you
signed with the union. the bank with
which you did business would refuse
to lend you money! asked Repre-
sentative Byrnes.
Il made the statement that if we
did sign the contract, the bank-the
Denver National bank would be II.
able to refuse to lend us any money
/ Thought this was SO because an Of
fcer Of the bank had advised me not
to sign up He gave advice on an
occasion when ! had asked him for q
loan Of money to keep our mine run