Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-04-29

| the open shop, namely the right of
every American citizen to work on
terms satisfactory to himself without
securing the consent of the union, l
reiterated to DR.. Foster what l had
| said in my examination before the
committee on mines and mining in
| Washington few weeks ago-that
we regarded this as a matter of prin-
| ciple, which could not be arbitrated.
In reply to his request for some
suggestion as to how the strike could
be terminated, We said to DIR. Foster
that if the President Would make a
public statement that the Federal
troops were being sent to Colorado
for the purpose of enforcing obedience
to the law and securing to every citi-
zen the right guaranteed to him by
the Constitution to be protected in
life and liberty, whether he chooses
to work as member of a union or
not, it would go far to terminate the
deplorable conditions which now
exist
at was a source of profound regret
to us that our conference with DR..
Foster did not result in any sugges-
ton looking toward a solution of the
difficulty.
Responsibility for the Trouble.
1.-THE effort has been made to place
the responsibility for the continuation
of this strike upon us as individual
owners of stock in one of the mining
companies involved. AS outlined
above, in our talk with DR. Foster,
the record of the Colorado Fuel and
| Iron Company in providing for it's
| employees, long before the strike. the
very things for which the union is
ostensibly eontending, should make
it clear that the only point at issue,
SO far as the Colorado Fuel and Iron
Company Is concerned, is that of
unionizing, and unioniZing at the be-
hest, not of our employees, less than
ten per cent. of whom were union
men, but at the demand of an out
side body. This, as I have said, is a
matter of principle which We could
not concede or arbitrate.
In order to correct an impression
which seems to have gained currency,
| desire to restate what was fully
stated In the congressional examina-
tion, namely, our position with refer
ence to organized labor. We do moi
question the right of any workmen
to freely associate themselves in
unions for the furtherance of theII
common and legitimate interests, but
we do assert the equal right of an in.
dividual to work Independently of 6
union IL he so elects We are con.
tending against the right of unions tt
impose themselves upon an industry
by force, by assault and murder, an6
not against the right of men to or,
! ganize for their mutual benefit.
but the issue is not only of merel,
; local Importance. 1t affects every
worlSingman throughout this land
J The fact that labor unions represen
/, AaYA =
workers of the entire country seem,
J to be lost sight of by those who urg,
} the termination of this local difficult,
at the price of surrender to unioi
: domination. Surely, no thinking maj
J can ask, much less expect, that W,
7 will abandon our own employees an,
3 the cause of the workers of the entir
country because violence and whole
) sale slaughter are brought about b.
: an element which has come to regart
( itself as above and beyond the reacl
: of the law.
| But there is final aspect of thi
E grave matter which deserves NOR
: than all else the attention of tn
American public in this crisis
Whether the Colorado Fuel and Iro
Company and the other operator
have been wholly free from blame o
not in the present controversy, tn
Issue now to be decided is whethe
: the State, or, failing the State, tn
nation, shall make good the consti
e tutional guarantee of law and order
r At the present moment in Colorad
: funds are being openly raised an
4 citizens are being armed with tn
, avowed purpose of resisting the au
g thorities of the State. Since that issu
4 of resistance to constituted authorit,
is raised, it is unthinkable that tn
? Colorado Fuel and Iron Company, o
, any of the companies operating in tn
Y State should be asked to yield it
position on a preliminary and nov
z extraneous matter of dispute as tn
} price of securing the withdrawal o
; forces armed to combat their owl
{ government.