New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-06-17
ROCKEFELLER GOLD
SENTENCED TO GO
Court of 81" Convicts
Him of Murder in Colo
RADIO Mine Field War.
PROTEST COMMITTEE
AS JUDGE AND JURY
Poem Included in Penalty for
Certain Rich Young Man
Mailed to 26 Broadway.

Asserting that John D. Rockefeller,
ir has banished American institutions
from the Colorado coal counties, that
he kills twelve times as many men IN
accidents as lose their lives in Aus
trian mines. and that he controls the
Justice of the state in which his prop
critics are situated, thirty-oue members
of the Colorado Protest Committee
have found the fnancier guilty OF muir
der in the first degree, according 10 a
letter made public yesterday.
This was sent to Mr.. Rockefeller,
and states that, although he is indicted
before the bar Of humanity, he should
not be punished by confinement Tor
life. the sentence given 10 John K. Law
son. member Of the executive board OF
the United Mine Workers. The com
mittee believes the contiscation OF Mr.
Rockefeller's properties would be mt
ting reward for the deeds il alleges.
The statement contains, besides the
letter 10 Mr.. Rockefeller, extracts from
his testimony before the Committee on
Mines and Mining of the House OF
Representatives and a poem by Clement
Wood, one of the signers. entitled, To
a Certain Rich Young Ruler"
"A year ago." says the letter, "this
committee addressed to you a series
of communications, imploring you in
the name of humanity TO change the
policy decreed by the Colorado Fuel
and iron Company, the destruction OF
the unions Of he miners. We declared
that If this policy were persisted IN
if the strike were crushed without
compromise, we would hold you person
ally responsible before the civilized
world Since these letters were pub
lished, not merely has the strike been
crushed without compromise, but an
other crime has been added 20 the list:
the conviction, for murder, and the SEN
tence TO life Imprisonment of John r.
Lawson, whose offence was that he was
the leader of the miners in their re-
sistance to your company"
Then is cited the indictment Of
eighty-two other miners officials, who
ARE to be railroaded to prison by the
corpOration-controlled courts and juries
OF Colorado"
The case of Lawson is then pictured
in detail, after which the committee de-
clares that, 1--WE hold you. John D.
Rockefeller, jr., guilty of murder IN the
first degree, and we here indict you be-
fore the bar of humanity. We should
not even wish to punish you as you
seek to punish Lawson, with confine-
ment in a prison hell for life" The
sentence suggested is said to be that
which Mr.. Rockefeller's neighbors in
Tarrytown have voted-that the United
States government should confscate
his properties.
The signers are Leonard d. Abbott,
Jessie Ashley, W. D. P. Bliss, viii
Harrington Comfort, saba Cowan, Al
Gernor Sidney Crapscy, Floyd Dell
with the reservation that ne considers
the death penalty would be we'll suited
TO what Rockefeller has done), George
Allan England, Herman Epstein,
Hutchins Hapgood, Paul Kennedy,
William Balfour Ker, Daniel Kiefcr,
Sinclair Lewis, Donald Lowrie with a
protest against the implication that ex-
convicts, as a class, would be willing to
do the sort of work done by the mine
guards in Rockefeller's employ, John
G. Neihardt, Harvey J. O'Higgins with
a reservation that he does not care to
say that Rockefeller should not be sent
30 PRISON., Edwin. Davies Schoonmaker,
Frank Shay, Mary Craig Sinclair, Up
ton Sinclair, George Sterling, Louis
Untermeyer. Allan Updegraff, Maud
Davis Walker Ryan Walker, Joshua
Wauhopc, James p. Warbasse, Clement
Wood, Art Young and Charles Zueblln.