The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1915-03-02
The Colorado National Guard
Is Held Responsible
For Much of the Trouble at C.
F. & I. Coal Mines.
lin SCATHING ATTACHMENT
Found Conspiracy in Restraint
of Trade in Mines.
"Owners and Directors Cannot
Escape Responsibility"

arraignment of the Colorado militia
| for its treatment of striking miners
and their families is contained in
yoluminous report submitted to the
house today by the mines and mining
! subcommittee, which Investigated
conditions in the Colorado coal fields
under resolution adopted a year ago
| in January.
While scoring conditions generally
in the coal fields and criticising many
! of the mine operators, including al
legged violation of state laws, the COM
mittee reports that no evidence was
found of a conspiracy in restraint or
trade to limit the output of the mines
nor conclusive proof of the existence
Of peonage-
The strike was settled long before
the committee completed its report,
so no specific recommendations are
made The committee appeals, now
ever for arbitration in such situations
1t declares that these disturbances are
nationwide in their importance; that
the federal government is the only
power competent to deal with them
and, after referring to the testimony
of John D. Rockefeller, Jr., who dis
claimed responsibility for Colorado
conditions, adds:
Absentee owners or directors by
their absence from the scenes of such
disturbances cannot escape their NOR
al responsibility for conditions in and
about properties in which they are
Interested"
Liberal extracts from the 1000
pages of testimony taken by the COM
mittee are embodied in the report,
with this comment:
considerable testimony on both
sides of the controversy, we believe
unreliable and no confidence should
be placed in it. Colorado has good
mining laws and such that ought to
afford protection to the miner if they
are enforced, yet in this state the per-
centage of fatalities is larger than any
other, showing there is undoubtedly
something wrong in reference to the
management of its coal mines
Militia on Operators Side.
1T seemed the militia was on the
side of the operators in this contro-
versy," says the report, after reciting
the action of the governor in calling
out the state troops, land the evidence
seems conclusively to prove such to
armed in the service of the state learn
that the men with whom they may
deal may be poor and ignorant and
even violators of the law, but are still
human, the better it will be for aHbcen-
cerned.
1.-The, recruiting of mine guards as
members of the militia, in our judg-
ment, was a mistake, since intense ami
mostly had existed for some time be-
tween the mine guards and the min
ers and it was difficult or even i'm
possible for the miners to feel that
these men were neutral conserVators
of the peace. Some of the milttiamen
seized the opportunity while clothed
with the authority of the state to en-
gage in various lawless acts.
I'm other instances the acts were of
an immoral kind and such a nature
as to be unfit for publication in this
report. There were acts of brutality
testified to before the committee
which might be enumerated; men on
slight provocation were thrown into
Jail and kept there without the OPP
portunfty of proving their innocence.
There were many good men in the
militia, both officers and privates, and
the strikers testifying said that GER
tain companies were composed of kind
men and If their homes were to be
searched they asked that members of
those companies might be sent; but if
others We're sent to do the searching
they would be subjected to indignities
and would probably be robbed of
whatever they might have that the
militia wanted"
Chase Is Denounced
The committee denounces John NJ
Chase, adjutant general of the militia
of the state, for his refusal to testify
except upon condition that he would
not be questioned by representatives of
the miners, and declared that he was
overbearing to all who came in con-
tact with him"
Reviewing the testimony of many
witnesses, the report says, from the |
time the strike was called until the |
federal troops were sent into the field |
by the president of the United States |
there were a series of battles which |
seemed to be fierce while they lasted |
and a number of people We're killed !
and wounded on both sides. 1t con-
dennis as ineXcusabIe the attack on |
Berwind camp by men alleged to have
been strikers as we'll as the assault |
upon Forbes camp colony by armed |
guards using machine gun.
"A private guard system may be
thought necessary the committee
here comments, but wherever it ex-
lists sooner or later trouble will occur
and proper officers of the law should
be substituted who will be impartial
in maintaining peace and order"
Testimony of present and former
county officials is quoted to show eff
forts of mine operators to control
elections in Las Animas and Huer-
fano counties and the committee re-
marks that the manner of selecting
JurleS in these counties, where, ac-
cord1ng to witnesses in one case at
least, seven out of twelve jurors were
deputy sheriffs, appears to be
against the provisions of the law
TOPEKA !kM CHANGE