The Socialist and labor star. [volume] (Huntington, W. Va.) 1911-1915, 1914-03-20

coal strike, While It's editorial columns
very fittingiv expressed the depraved
mind Of a hireling politician who has
reached the zenith Of his ambition as
a corporation toll and hangman.
a corporation and hangman.
Passing from the intellectual pros
their subselvancy 10 the operators.
will take up the coalition as it exists
between the state militia and the pri-
vate guards Of the coal companies.
In all of The coal camps they have
what is known as camp marshall. .
He is appointed by the company and
clothed with all the authority of a
regularly elected official. When the
militia came into the field these camp
niarshals rs we'll as the imported
Baldwin guards were taken into the
militia. They were now clothed with
double authority, and many of them
drew 4 double salary, one as town
marshall, from the coal company; and
the other as private or officer in the
militia, from the state. And this was
for a we'll defined purpose. AS an il
Iustration we will sight one case out
Of the hundreds: Mr.. Montgomery
Massingalc was and is today, town
marshall at Sopris. He is also pri-
vate in the militia, and stranger than
ANYTHING ever recorded in the fiction
relative 10 military discipline is the
position oc:upicd By Private MeSSiH,
gale. BEING camp marshall he is al
80 the company'S "strong-a1m man.
He is the incarnation and dispenser
Gf the compAny's law, and though on
ly private III the ranks 1t Is he ano
not tie officers VINO say what tie null
tia shall ana shall not do. Thi: X
enc III the facts brought out by the
congressional committee and which
Genera! Chase dared not 60 on the
witness st&nI and deny. Mr.. Massin-
gale did. however, himself go OF tho
witness stand though he never mtcnG
ed or desired TO do so. But as in
many another similar case Massin-
gale fell inro Il trap Of his own crea-
ton. On MIgch 6, while the congress
sional committee was in session II
Denver. MARSHALL Massingalc III the
capacity Of & private in the service Of
the militia came up 10 Denver as the
special escort Of one Of the company's
star witnesses by name Of Tony Lam
kansly. who was supposed to spring
the croWnng sensation Of the whole
investigation. And he did. Tony
testified that he waS the recording
secretary o. ;!c local union. Then ht
testified that he and he alone haC
charge Of all the dynamiting that haC
taken place in ana around Sopris
That he sccurcd the dynamite, con.
struc;cd the plant and fired the fuse
Which was ell very fine rs far as ii
went. Under cross examination this
poor tool confessed that he waS ali
the time arring under the instruction
Of "Alarshail MaSSingaIc" and that
the Marshal had paid him three dol
lars 4 day. while at the same time he
was drawing three dollars 4 week
from the miners relief fund. Mr..
Massingalc was himself placed on tho
witness Stan, and reluctantly admit
ted that tn" accusation wormcd out
Of his co-Workcr and conspirator
were true.
We mcrci. m,nt!on these incidents
here To show how the coal miners OF
Colorado are brsct By traps and dead
falls to snare thew into the tolls Of
thc law. Nol can we conclude with
out rccitinG ut least one more incl
dent which ?or downright cold-blood-
ness could lcl bc surpassed by Hour
I'll and his murdcrOuS companions who
planned and executed the cold-bloOd-
ed assassination Of MadcrO, president
Of Mexico.
Ever since the congressional COM
mittcc returned to Washington the
militia. which is now reduced in num-
brrs Ia practically about three hun
drcd cavalry, have been trying by
every violent means to nag the miner
into a position Of resentment that
would bc an excuse on their part to
slaughter; and on March 10 twenty
three mit,ti1mcM. operating under or
dcrs from General Chase. destroyed
the lower tent colony at Forbes and
left the inhabitants. men. women and
children. homeless and helpless. ON
the prairie II the midst Of Il binding
snow storm. Needless to say that if
the inhabitants had offered any rcsis-
lance they would have been slaugh-
tered. and that under the instructions
Of General Chase, for on the follow
ing day when the officials Of the un-
ion protested to the general and de-
cIarcd they woU!d reconstruct the
tent colony. he gave them to cmphati-
caliy understand that if they attempt
cd 10 io so he would kill them.
This attack Of the 10th having fail
cd of its mission--that was to have
the miners give these hired assaSsns
an excuse to kill them, they made the
second attempt on the 18th. This one
on the Ludlow tent colony. This is
by far the largest colony in the south
ern field. On March II some twenty
odd cavairymcn took position just
over d rise H. the prairie and within
easy rifle shot of the colony, but were
not noticed At the time by the miners.
When the west bound train pulled in
three Of them rode over on horseback
and while the pass cngcrs were en-
barking from the train rode in among
them and thereby knocking everybody
right and left. There Is not a shadow
81 doubt in nc minds Of the railroad
men who SIN the lineup back Of tie
Nn0Ic as the train pulled out. bat Tat
the militia h"d planned TO slaughter
the miners bad thee been any rrSis-
lance against the caralrEmen whr
rode into TIL crowd at the depot.
Their" is just ono more feature Of
this mi.tariSm 10 which we wish tc
call your attention 1t this time, w.!rk