Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1915-03-08
COLORADO MILITIA
ARRAIGNED FOR
ABUSING MINE RS
Congressional Strike Commit
lee Reports Operators ViO-
lated State Laws; Appeals
for Arbitration,
t--se,.l eo..ssroposne, 70 no-.,ao ,ouas.u

N"SnlnFtuut MdICn "A ScatHlnB
arraignment of the Colorado militia
/ for IT'S treatment of striking miners
and their families is contained in a
volurhiuous report submitted to the
house today by the mines and mining
subcommittee which investigated
{ conditions I'm the Colorado coal fields
under resolution adopted a year ago
n January While scoring conditions
/ generally in the coal fields and criti-
cislng many Of the acts of the mine
operators, including alleged violation
4 OF state law, the committee reports
/ that no evidence was found Of a con
spiracy IN restraint of trade TO limit
the output Of the mines, nor con-
elusive proof of the existence Of peon-
age.
The strike was settled long before
the committee compiled its report, so
no specific recommendations are
made. The committee appeals, how
ever for arbitration in such situa-
lions. 1t declares that these disturb
ances are nationwide in their i'm
portance. that the federal govern
ment is the only power competent
TO deal with them and, after referring
to the testimony of John b. Rookie
teller Jr., who discalmed responsible
ity for the Colorado situation, adds:
Absentee owners or directors by
their absence from the scene 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 believed
unreliable and no confidence should
be placed in u. Colorado had good
mining laws and such that ought to
afford protection TO the miner If they
are enforced, yet in this state the per
centage oil fatalities is greater than
any other showing there is $50 ia
talities a year. Undoubtedly some
thing is wrong in reference to the
management Of its coal mines It Is
contcnded by the miners as one OF
their grievances that the operators do
not obey the law and however good
the laws may be, if not observed, they
are OF no protection
The testimony of James Dalrym-
nv NANAf IllliF Inspector. Calls at
tention 10 the many violations of the
laws by the operators and the miners
claim this is one of the causes lead
ing up TO the strike The report Of
Mr. Dalrymplc also says he found in
some cases the operation of new de-
vices and systems of advantage to the
miners
It seemed the militia was on the
side of the operators in this contro-
Vcrsy,' says the report after recit-
ing the action OF the governor in
calling out the state troops, land the
evidence seems ConclusiVelv TO prove
such TO have been the case. The
sooner men armed i'm the service of
the state learn that the man with
whom they may deal may be poor
and ignorant and even violators of
tho law. but are still human, the
better it viii be for all concerned.
The recruiting Of mine guards as
members Of the militia i'm our judy
ment was a mistake. since tsorng
luminosity had existed for some time
between the mine guards and the
miners and IT was difficult or even
impossible for the miners to feel that (
these men were neutral conservators I
of the peace Some of the militia
men seized the opportunity. while /
clothed with the authority Of the /
state to engage in various lawless /
acts.
I'm other instances the acts were |
of an immoral kind and of such a /
nature as to be unfit for publication |
In this report. There were acts of /
testified to before the com
mittee which might be enumerated /
81
thrown into jail and kept there with
out the opportunity of proving their
innocence There were many good
men in the militia, both officers and
priVates and the strikers tcstifying
said that certain companies were
of kind men and If their
houses were to be searched they ask
ID that members of these companies
might be sent; and if others were sent
20 do the searching they would be
subject to indignities and probably
be robbed Of whatever they might
nave that the militia wanted
The committee denounced John NJ
'hase, adjutant general of the mill
ia of the state for his refusal TO
estify except upon the condition that /
ne would not be questioned by repre-
of the miners, and declares
hat he was overbearing to all who
anne in contact with him"
Reviewing the testimony of many |
witnesses, the report says from the
me the strike was called until the
ederal troops were sent into the field
~ the president Of the United States,
here was series of battles which
eemed to be fierce while they lasted
md number Of people were killed
a. /, t.t.l
Iemns as ineXcusable both the attack
m Beuwind camp by men alleged to
nave been strikers as well as the as !
ault upon the Forbes ten colony by :
rmcd guards using a machine gun. .
"A private guard system may be
hought necessary the committee |
lere comments. but wherever 1t ex-
SITS. sooner or later trouble will oC-
ur and proper officers Of the law /
hould be substituted who will be
impartial in maintaining peace and
rider I
Testimony Of present and former :
ounty officials is quoted to show ef-
orts of mine operators 10 control
Elections in Las Animas and Huerfa-
10 counties and the committee sre-
marks that the manner of selecting
uries in these counties, where, accord
ne to witnesses in one case at least,
even out of twelve jurors were depu-
Y shcriffs appears TO be against the
'roNions of the law
Some of the men brought into Col
rado by detective agencies employed
o euard the mines. the committee
lnds, had been in the same kind of
erVice IN West Virginia and they
'rought with them the same machine
IA. .l. A
nored car against strikers in that
tate