Denver labor bulletin., 1915-09-25


tions covering the Colorado coal strike,
OF which the accompanying article h the
| fourth installment.)
That Mr.. Rockefeller's support of his
| Colorado officials became factor OF
tremendous Importance, if not a decisive
factor, in preventing peaceful settle
ment is made clear by study of the
testimony and correspondence.
'On May l3, 1913, Mr.. Bowers wrote
| to MIR. Rockefellers secretary: 1t is
well Known that the Rockefeller inter
ests are managing the affairs of the
| Colorado Fuel & Iron company Busi-
ness men, ministers, college professors,
| editors, and the general public knew that
Mr.. Bowers and Mr.. Welborn represented
| the greatest financial interest in the
world. They represented this interest in
| a comparatively new state, where de-
pendence OH eastern capital and the
habit of sedulolusly cultivating the
| friendship OF eastern investors still held.
They represented the worlds greatest
investor in a community of small busi'
| ness men newly arrived in the charmed
| circle of wealth and power and acutely
| sensitive to the glamor that surrounds
the worlds financially powerful.
IN tile business community Oi DtuNeI
Mr. Rockefeller's agents had prestige
comparable to that OF those strong men
of Rome sent out from the worlds cap
ital to carry its grandeur into distant
provinces. Three newspaper publishers.
preachers of the gospel. obscure Officers
OF the militia looked to Mr.. Rockefeller.
. stranger in distant New York, for sue
cor in their financial stress. When the
United States government, warned OF
the discomfort and the impending revolt
in the coal fields. moved to prevent n
disastrous strike. it was to Mr.. Rocke
fcller's office in New York that this gov
ernment sent its mediator. Ii was to
Mr.. Rockefeller that a cabinet officer
appealed early in the strike. and Mr..
RoclSefeller's answer then. in contrast
with his attitude after Ludlow. carried
no denial or reputation OF his supreme
authority and power"
There are submitted many extracts
from the correspondence between Messrs.
Bowers and Rockefeller in Denver and
Mr.. Rockefeller, or members of his per
-onal staff, Mt 20 Broadway, all bearing
on the question of Mr. Rockefeller's re-
sponsibility.
Start of Publicity Campaign.
The report continues
But Mr.. Rockefeller's part in the
Colorado conflict was not confined TO
these letters of praise and Endorsement
which 50 heartened and sustained the
Colorado operators. Prior to the mas
sacre at Ludlow ON April 90 the letters
proved quite sufficient for Mr.. RockefeI-il
ler's purpose But the storm of popular
wrath that rose after Ludlow demanded
more active participation. 1t was then
that Mr.. Rockefeller initiated the ma
l...A !. \.
he hoped to convince the country that
the strikers, and not his company's
mineguard militiamen, We're responsible
for the deaths of thirteen women and
children who perished at Ludlow, and
that the strike itself, instead of n strug-
gle for freedom, was revolt by blood
thirsty and anarchistic foreigners, led
by men who obtained huge incomes from
organized agitation and lawlessness."
''Still hiding behind his executive Of
ficials in Denver, Mr.. Rockefeller em-
ployed a publicity expert and advanced
him money from his personal funds to
begin the campaign. He chose for the
purpose Mr.. Ivy J.. Lee publicity agent
for the Pennsylvania railroad. The pres
ident OF that railroad consented that
Mr. Lee should devote part of his time
to Mr. Rockefeller's service. and the
pamphlets and bulletins were to be dis
patched in bulk from Mr.. Lees Pl,iia-
delphia office to Denver. for distribu-
tion from the office of the Colorado
Fuel and Iron company. They We're to
go forth under the name of the opera
tors committee, as correct information
gathered and written on the scene by
men fimiliar at first hand with the
facts.
False Bulletins Issued
Early in the summer of 1914 there be
gan that remarkable publicity campaign
by which Mr.. Rockefeller flooded the
nation with bulletin after bulletin, de-
Tending the coal operators and denounc.
ing the strikers and their leaders. These
bulletins contained false and deceptive
statements. Salaries paid to officials OF
the United Mine Workers in Colorado
for the year ending November, 1918,
we're conspicuously displayed as salar-
| les for the nine weeks ending in thaS
month. This gross and palpable SANDER
was mailed to thousands of congress-
men. editors, ministers Of the gospel,
school teachers, public officials, business
and professional men whose names ap-
peared on Mr.. Lees carefully prepared
mailing lists. No correction was made
until ii had been exposed by this COM
/ mission during the hearing in Denver in
December, 1914. M
'.The preparation and distribution of
| these bulletins was carried on with the
greatest secrecy as to the authorship Of
sIr. Lee and as to his employment by
| Mr.. Rockefeller. When this commission
demanded the name of the writer's of the
bulletins of Mr.. Welborn, during the
hearing in December, Mr.. Welborn re-
fused to answer until he had consulted
his attorney. Even then he carefully
refrained from revealing the fact that
the publicity campaign had been initiated
and paid for by Mr.. Rockefeller.
An Oligarchy in South.