Denver labor bulletin., 1915-11-27

minors should be watched carefully and
at the same time without Pre1udice.
while we do not for a moment ant'ci-
nate that such organization will replace
regular organized labor, it's step IN
the right direction. and It will at least
teach the rudiments of organization,
and II should be borne in mind that Mr..
Rockefeller said distinctly that there
was to be no form OF discriminapoif'
all the United Mine Workers OF Amel
ca have ever asked for is fair ana
open field and under this scheme sH
would appear this is TO be given ss-
The move ON the part of the Colorado
Fuel and Iron company is in itself
hopeful sign. OF course abuses OF II
must be expected when it is remem-
bered that it is to be administered by
present mine officials, and We well un-
derstand where they stand and the rea-
son for their attitude towards organ
lied labor in general and the Mine
Workers in particular. But many OF
their rotten games should now be at
least considerably curtailed and the
time is sure to come when this kinder
garden effort in the organization line
viii be superseded by thourough and
genuine organization. No body Of men
of the type Of Colorado coal miners will
long be content to be dry-nursed by
hostile coal mine officials.
II has all along been a mistake that =
many very well-intentioned people have
been made to think that the coal miner
is really low type of human being
and that he needs the fathcrly protec-
tion OF that long g-haired gehtry Of the
sociological cult who have some very
pretty but wholly unworkabie theories
ON the industrial question. Alongsidc
these one occasionally meets with hu.
man bipeds who actually believe them
selves to be OF superior creation, and
think It's their special mission 10 pro
tect their less fortunate "companions-
on this earth against their ignonnce
and weakness. Were conditions what
they were few hundred Year, ago.
these fellows might have had some r,.a-
sonable show OF getting away with
their folly, but today there l. no body
OF men who have more earnestly stud.
led conditions than the members Of or.
ganiEcd labor. And Il is a knoNu fact
that In all conferences between rmplcv-
er and employee. the employer aud.
their attorneys. through their want -
n full appreciation Of changed condi-
tions, have cut a very sorry hgur-.
II is positively amusing at time 80
see one Of these opcrstnfs' at;oFn~x.
laboring on argument; upon qusy
tion he knows nothing at all about. and
hasn't the ordinary ability 10 under
stand, and We have no hs.itatioD IA
saying that one Of th- great hand,caf..
that the operators hav-. Is being load
cd down with as ~oncc,sri a cro~d of
incompetent attorneys a. was ever IN
fiieted on any section Of the community.
To the ignorant and wholly inen~-.
tent advice Of the-- company a,i.,a
can be traced very iarg~ pcrc.n,sssc
Of the present hisfrust that exists h.
tween employer sDi employe. There are
today some four or five company a,tor-
ncys whose wiekcdiy selfish and nm
scrupulous conduct has ruined quite
number Of coal OPERATOR and ooet the
state dearly both in dollArs and In RIP
utation.
With some very few rAc.piions the
operators themselves are fair minded
men. and had they treated the miners
fairly instead OF listening to thc~~ fec
cadging trouble makers, they would to-
day be in comfortable circumstance.
aud would b. rcepccted by their employ.
90 instead Of bring bankrupt both f,n-
aneially and morully aud ON the Point
of being herdcd into a dishonorabIc com
binc where their boncs win BE- picked
by ~ hungry crowd Of yulturc- a.
ever attacked a carcass
The most undesirable class in The.
country today are the corporation law
yefs. especially those connected with (
the coal companies. whose principle oc-
cupstion is to find ways for Themselves
aud their clients To c,ade the laws oi
the land. They are the parasites Of
the community; they perform no use
fnl or reputable function; their very
cxi-tancc depends upon the amount of
trouble they can arrange 10 bring
about. their bodies contain neither heart
nor red blood and consist Of coverings
N human shape, over natures of sui
tnrcr. Inside this combination IL a Civ
zard which workes overtime digc-tiuv
their crimc.taintcd fees.
Th Industrial Commission in ruling
that the burden Of proving that an en-
Ploye had neglected TO use safety appIi.
ances he hid on the company, was wa.
really most oppressive. Just fancy ac-
tually ruling in such manner against
the very coal company whose president
has always 10 loudly proclaimed his
right to run his own busines TO suit
himself" IT'S really terrible abu.e
not 10 have allowed him to settle with
an cmpioye on a so per cent basis. We
shnll end by having 10 rcsnccf fha o.,