Evening star., 1915-05-19

, that the men voted right.
! The living conditions of many Of the
| mine workers he described as little
better than those Of pigs in a stye. The
| shacks owned and leased to the work
| ers by the company, he said, were
| wretched. wet and insanltary.
Tells How Queries Were Answered.
| of questions was sent out by the bu-
reau of mines Of the United states
! asking about conditions of the mines.
/ said Mr. Gaddis, officials of the com
I pany so answered them that no in
vestigation would be made by the gov
ernment into camps where no socio-
logical work had been underta ken,
which was nearly the entire number
of camps. He testified that he had not
. been allowed to answer the questions.
! Discussing the matter of schools, he
said that in some cases the company
/ had provided very good facilities. but
| that in some of the camps the scnoois
could not be worse. Some of the teach- :
ers cannot speak the English language
/ correctly. he said. and the school dl-
rectors are hirelings of the company.
The insanitary conditions in the camps
are due III large part TO the tact that
superintendents refuse to follow the rec
concentrations of the physicians employed
ny the COMPANY he said. In some camps
the sanitation is very good, but in others
conditions are horrible. The uninteilI-
gent class of mine workers. he said, seem
not to care about such matters.
, Camp doctors. he testified. are not fur
nished nearly enough medicines by the
company to supply their patients.
I The Colorado Supply Company with a
chain of stores represents the mercantile
operations of the Rockefeller interests in
the mining districts. said Mr.. Gaddis.
The rnanag gers of the company stores.
nj n =
prices on goods and practically robbed
The miners. The manner in which the
stores are operated was one of the
causes of protest at the time of the
strike.
The saloons in the camps said Mr..
G:tddis, were of the worst fea
lures of the mining camp HE. He sa id
that eishty-tWo saloons We're operated
i'll twenty-five camps. and many OF
them on leases and through concessions
by the company. He said that no eff
fort was made to enforce liquor laws.
Chamber of horrors was the de-
scription of 4 saloon after pay day.
Men drink up and gamble away all
places, he said. and they go home
penniless
Lawson Trial Incident.
Mr.. Gaddis. in reply to questions of
Chairman Walsh. said that he under
stood that w. W. Wilson, n traveling g
salesman. who had monopoly of bust
ness with company stores. had been one
of the jury which recently returned a
verdict of first degree murder against
John K. Lawson. one of the officials of
the United Mine Workers of America,
al Trinidad
Il wouldn't want a man in such a po-
sition to vote on my life il | had been a
striker" said Mr.. Gaddis.
He gave evidence to show that a
machine gun had been operated by
strikebreakers against the so-called
Ludlow colony with fatal effect upon
the miners and their families.
Criticises Statement.
Mr.. Gaddis criticised statement
made by the company officials to the
effect that large number of foreign
born employees had stuck by the COM
pany during the strike through 10y
atty to the company.
Those people are only there to make
money and go back to Europe. said
Mr.. Gaddis. They don't care anything
al bout the controversies between the
company and the mine workers. And
when the company told them they
would be protected they stayed on"
He testified in reply to questions by
Commissioner Lennon that the conduct
of the strike leaders had not been dis
orderly.
The strikers did not conduct them
| selves as Sunday school children dur
| ing the strike, said Mr.. Gaddis "One
| OF the most intelligent foreigners ! ever
| saw. a striker, told me that they be-
| lieved the whole state governme n
l against the strikers. The company