The chronicle=news., 1914-08-28

out VI tHe uuliy wages OF the mtnerI
of the country there had been col
lected money to pay, among Other
things, salaries and expenses as fol
lows:
Frank j. Hayes. nine weeks
huidTy ......... 4O52,9S
Frank j. Hayes. nine weeks
expenses -. ...... l667,2(
i Total for salary and ex-
II Pehses -. $5720.12
| Frank J. Hayes was thus paid over
$50 day, or at the rate of over
$4,000 a year.
For this same period OF nine weeks
John McLennan received for salary
$26s3.55; for expenses $14G9.55-
$66 day.
John X. Lawson received for nine
weeks salary S1773.4O.
Mother Jones. whose sole duty was
to agitate, received $266S62 as sal
ary for the same period-$42 a day.
Colorado miners with their high
wages evidently offered glittering
prospect to the treasury OF the Unit
ed Mine Workers of America.
Miners Not Responsible.
UP to the time the strike was call
ed. however. but few of the work.
men had responded to the urgent ap-
peals to join the union. The rec
ords showed that on May 81, 1913,
in the three states of Colorado. Utah
and New Mexico. where $4,000 men
were employed In coal mines. only
2.04S were members of the union.
The strike in southern Colorado
was nominally called by a so-called
convention" held in Trinidad. Two
hundred and fifty delegates" were
present: 100 were striking and idle
miners from the northern Colorado
coal field; about so were officers and
paid employees OF the union: the rest
were selected by those in charge of
the convention.
A careful poll by the Colorado
Fuel and Iron company at its mines
a few days before the strike showed
opposed to the proposition.
When the strike was called only
1850 men laid down their TOOLS
Many leftthrough intimidation; 9TH
ers took their families away to avoid
the threatened bloodshed. Many men
returned to work almost Immediately.
The union provided tents for the
strikers to, live in while the strike
was in progress. Many nominal
"strikers'' were naturally employed
from outside to go and stay In the
tent colonies.
AS the real strikers returned to
work or left the district, other out
siders were sent to recruit the tent
colonies.
At the present time, although the
mine managers are prevented by the
federal government from soliciting
new men to work their mines, the
tent colonies are constantly receiv-
ing additions from outside-not from
the working miners.
Instead of the managers hiring
miners, the union is hiring "strik-
ers."
Testimony of a Soldier.
That the union men of the coun-
try who are contributing to MAIN
tain this appearance of an effective
strike are being misled is indicated
by the following statement by Cap
tain Hildreth Frost, of Company A,
Second Infantry. N. G. C., who was
also judge advocate in one of the dis
tricts of Colorado during the military
occupation of the strike zone.
My district included the produc-
ing miners of Wooton, Morley, Stark
vile, Piedmont. Sopris, Cokedale and
Mclaughlin and the coke ovens of
Sopris and Cokedale, with a popula-
tion of the district of between six
and eight thousand.
There was one tent colony in my
district and large number of strik-
ers and their supporters.
Il took a careful census of the en-
tire district and either myself or one
of my lieutenants personally exam
ined the union cards of practically
every union man in the district.
I'VE found approximately 700 men
In the district holding union cards
Every card bears the stamp of the
date the man joined the union
Il found only one card of resi-
dent of the district who was mem
ber of the United Mine Workers of
America prior to or at the time the
strike was ordered year ago this
July. and only fouS or five VINO were
members of the union prior to the
tfmethe strike was actually COM
menced on September 23, 1913.
Il found that less than 300 of the
approximately 700 union card hold
ers in my district were actually in
any coal mine in southern Colorado
at the time the strike was called.
THE balance of the 700 had SIM
ply Joined the union to swell its ap-
parent strength and to draw the SO
week stipend"