New Britain herald., 1915-01-30
JOHN D. JR'S. TESTIMONY
 PLAYED BY LAWSON
Philanthropy Cause Of Industrial Dis-
 content, Says Nins Leader.

New York, Jan. 3O.-The policies 1 and purposes of the $10O,000, ,000 Rockefeller Foundation and the re- cent utterances on the witness stand of John D. Rockefeller, Jr., were viz ; OrouslN assailed yesterday by John R. Lawson, member of the board of the United Mine Workers of America for the district which includes Colo i rado, when he appeared at the hear ing being conducted by the federal l commission on industrial relations, as ! a representative of the coal miners. i Mr. Lawson asserted that: "A slilful attempt is being made to substitute philanthropy for justice.'
 Mr. LaWsOn's statement. which he read, was a rehearsal of ROckefeller's $ testimony. "Your body can well af- ford to let the testimony of John b. Rockefeller, ir.. bring NOur investiga- tion to an end,' Mr. Lawson told the commission. "Out of his mouth came a reason fol every discontent that aei- tates the labOring class in the United States today and if remedies are pro- vided for the injustices that he dis closed long step will be taken away from industrial disturbance" Refers to Philanthropy. To the philanthropy of the Rocke- felers, MT. Lawson referred as fol- lows:
 Health for China, a refuge for ! birds food for the Belgians, pensions for New York widows, university training for the elect-and never d thought of a dollar for the many thousands of men, women and chil- dren who starved in Colorado. for the widows robbed of husbands, children of their fathers. There are thousands of MT. Rockefeller's ex-employes in Colorado today who wish to God they were in Belgium to be fed, or a bird to be tenderly cared for.''
 Ignorant and Indifferent
 MT. Lawson criticised Rockefeller for his lack of knowledge of condi- tions and said that he was "equally as ignorant and indifferent as his trusted executives."
 The witness told of striking miners in Colorado being shot down by militia. lin the pay of the Colorado Fuel & Iron company" and of hundred of persons being dumped into the desert without food or water while others were driven over the snow of the mountain ranges.
 Due to Stupidity.
 ''If any appearance of poverty clings to the Colorado Fuel and Iron com pany,' MT. Lawson declared ''it is due to it's own stupidity and corrupt pol icy. Had it taken the money it has spent in controlling officials and cleo torate, in purchasing machine guns the employment of gunmen and in crushing the aspirations of human be- ings, and spent it in wages and the improvement of working conditions they would have had rich returns''
 The manner in which the directing forces of the Colorado Fuel & Iron company "handed down power from man to man." Mr. Lawson character ized "a chain that no individual can climb.''
 Attacks Investigation.
 As for the Rockefeller Foundations investigation into industrial unrest MT. Lawson said that it is to be con- ducted by Mackenzie King, an alien, whose chief contribution to the indus trial problem is law that prescribes a jail sentence for the worker who dares to lay down his tools.''
 Who are the directors of this fOund datiOn out of which comes this investigation % MT. Lawson asked ''The two Rockefellers, their profess sional advisers, Murphy, Gates Greene and Heydt, their secretaries, Flexner and Rose on the Rockefeller payroll and three others, Eliot, Hep burn and Judson, who furnished an outward appearance of independence the same control that has directed ~~1~ Iron company; the same voice that declared through young Rockefeller that the defeat of the union in Colo rado was a great American principle for which he was willing to sacrifice his money and the lives of his work CTS. And they ask the aboring class to believe that what they will feel as coal company directors they will not feel directors of the foundation"
 Questioned by Committee.
 Upon concluding his statement Mr. Lawson was asked questions by the members of the commission. Speaking of the new plan of collec- tive bargaining recently inaugurated by the Colorado Fuel & Iron com pany, the witness declared that it left the employees as much at the mercy of the company as they had ever been A national organization behind the men is needed, he asserted.