The Lamar register., 1915-07-21
LAMAR VS.. ST. JOSEPH

Fresh from the employment of the
very coal operators of Colorado and
the country, including the Rockefel-
lers, who have pressed and engineered
these prosecutions.
yourself coal company attorney,
engaged TO assist as a practicing law
yer in the trial of cases arising, like
mine, out of the industrial disturb
ances of 1918 and 1911, you had no
right, when challenged, to sit as trial
judge in the case Of any striking min
er,.-,..-
"You were so deeply prejudiced
against me that my case was trav-
esty on justice from the start. Not
withstanding the afiidavits of reliable
citizens who have sworn to your pre-
judice, you have persisted on the
bench.
Second only to the resolution with
which you hold your seat upon the
bench was the method adopted by you
for selecting a jury TO try me.
r'You refused TO permit the jury to
be drawn from the regular jury box
provided by law and you ordered an
open venire. This method was exact
ly adapted to procure what none were
surprised to discover: hand-picked
jury of coal company partisans.
after you had removed the cor
oner as a summoning officer, over my
protest, you selected your own instru-
ments to pick this jury. And the jury
SO chosen was naturally subject TO
the self-same coal company influences
which with hue and cry now seek to
drive me to the penitentiary."
These extracts will Indicate the ten
or of Lawson's speech all through,
and it is a mat r OF great surprise
that the court permitted him to con-
tinue in such an abusive strain.
For there is not a word of truth in
most of what Lawson said. 1t is true
that Judge Hillyer might at some
time have assisted in prosecuting cases
as a lawyer, but there is not a scintil-
la of truth in the statement that the
Rockefellers, or coal companies, had
anything to do with his appointment
to the bench from his home at La
mar. And it is a significant fact that
when Hillyer was appointed to the
bench by Governor Carlson he was
unanimously confirmed by the senate
and the democratic members Of that
body were even stronger in their
praise of him than the republicans.
But Lawson and his lawyers have
agreed that everybody must be crook
ed who takes part in a conviction or
a member of the United Mine Work
ers. The jury in this case was select
ed after very careful study. l. was
composed Of farmers and business Il IN
and not a coal mine employe was up
on it. Lawson's lawyers are among
the best in the state, and until the
verdict was announced they thought
they had picked jury for acquittal.
The fact is that Lawson and his
friends cannot conceive why any jury,
should be found that would convict
them of their crimes of rioting, and
treason and rebellion. They believe
they have the right to go forth and
slay and never be punished. They be-
lieve they are a privileged class and
that TIE laws which apply to other
people do not apply to them.
While they continue their baseless
and unwarranted attacks upon the
courts they pass over the fact that
tn same courts have brought in ac-
qmttsls of other labor leaders. The
case # Bob Diamond followed Law
soa 1t was the same court, same
sl., -.iff, same Rockefeller" district,
and yet Diamond was acquitted Was
that a travesty upon justice, by a
suborned court and "hand picked"
jury. What about the La Veta mur-
der cases which were tried in Pueblo
a few months ago? There is no
doubt that the victims of these out
RACES are dead, but yet the jury re-
turned verdict of acquittal of the
miners charged with the crime. Was
that another travesty on justice
1t appears to us that liberty of
speech is degenerating into license
when Lawson and his LAWYERS are