The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1915-09-03
The Lawson Case
a BRIEF HISTORY BASED ON COURT RECORDS
AND INcoNTRovERTIBLE FACTS
Issued BY VIM. Diamond

SO many inquiries have been re-
ceived by the United Mine Workers
of America asking for detailed ac-
count of the recent trial and convic-
ton of John r. Lawson that it has
been thought best to prepare the fol
lowing statement:
John r. Lawson, recently sentenced
by Judge CRANKY Hillyer, at Trinidad,
Colo, to life Imprisonment, was born
in Schuykill County, Pennsylvania, IN
1871, the son of coal miner. At the
age of eight years he went to work
in the mines, picking slate as break
er boy" A year and half later he
became a "trapper boy" and after two
years mule driver in the mine, and
later a miner digging coal He has
worked as a coal miner in Pennsyl-
vania, Oregon, Wyoming and Colorado.
In 1898 he was married, and his fam
lily consists of his wife and a daughter
Is years of age. In 1904 he was elect
ed a member of the International EX-
ecutive Board of the United Mine
Workers of America, as the represen-
tative of District No. Is, which dis
trict consists of Colorado, New Mexico
and Utah. The miners of these states
have, with the exception of few
months in 1909, continued him in this
position. His home has been in Den
yer, Colorado, since 1908.
Prior to the coal strike in Southern
Colorado, which began in September,
1913, the miners appointed a policy
committee consisting of Frank j.
Hayes, Vice-President of the United
Mine Workers of America; John Nc
Lehman, President of the Colorado
State Federation of Labor and also
President of District No. Is; Edward
L. Doyle, Secretary-Treasure of said
district, and Board Member John r.
Lawson. This committee strove for
many weeks to secure a conference
with John D. Rockefeller's coal COM
pany, The Colorado Fuel & Iron Com
pany, and the other coal companies
which had allied themselves with Mr..
Rockefellers company to resist the
request of the miners for better con-
ditions in the mines All efforts to
confer with the coal companies were
fruitless. The allied coal companies
refused to even meet and discuss the
questions with the miners representa-
tives. Numbers of public bodies of
state, appealed in vain to the opera
tors to have a meeting with the rep
resentatives of the miners. There
was nothing left for the miners to do
when they were refused even con-
ference, but to strike, and on the 10th
day of September. 1913, 250 delegates,
coming from all parts of the state
where coal is mined, assembled in
convention in the city of Trinidad.
l ney came TO the convention Win
grim determination and with full au-
thority to represent the wishes of
their constituency. In taxing up for
consideration the advisability of call
ing a strike, in view of the arrogant
attitude of the coal operators, the del
egates were unanimous in favor of
calling a strike, and to take effect at
once. But, acting on the advice of
Frank ]. Hayes and John r. Lawson,
the convention voted to delay calling
the men out of the mines for a week.
This delay was created as last hope
that the coal operators would change
their unfair position, and for the sake
of peace and justice would agree to
meet in joint conference representa-
tives of their employees The exten-
sion of time brought forth no results,
and on the 23rd of September, 1913
the many thousands of miners in
Southern Colorado laid down their
tools. The companies owned the