The Washington herald., 1915-01-31
SAYS DEMOCRACY
FAILS in CAMPS
J. R. Lawson Gives Gripping
Description Of Life in the
Rockefeller Coal Fields.
COMPANY IS MONARCH
Political Corruption and Mediaeval
Peonage Alleged by Union Official.
Amos Pinchot on Stand.
.peciaI to The washington Herald.

Special to The washington Herald.
New York, Jan. 30.-"Democracy in
Colorado Is a failure" declared John
r. Lawson, testifying today before the
Federal Industrial Commission.
The Colorado member of the execu-
tive committee OF the United Mine
Workers presented a dramatic indict-
ment of John D. Rockefeller jr., be-
fore the commission on Friday after
noon. Today he added a series OF fresh
counts to It.
"On April 6, 1914" he said, ''Mr.
Rockefeller made a statement that SO
far as his company was concerned they
would not recognize the United Mine
Workers of America, and would rather
lose all they had invested in Colorado
than give in. He said 1t was fight to
the finish. On April 20. just two weeks
later to a day, Colorado had its Lud-
low.
II hope there was no connection. But
I want to call your attention to 1t. l
think men who have such great power
and whose words mean so much, ought
to be very careful, as to the words they
use, especially when the company has
gunmen in its service as deputy sheriffs.'' .
Lawson read a striking list Of the
deaths due to accidents in the Colorado
mine fields during the year 1913.
Lives valued at S3OO.4O.
"Forty-four miners were killed" he
said. leaving thirty-seven widows and
eighty-one orphans. An average of
S3O5. 20 has been paid for each death.
The fatalities in the Colorado mines
have been higher than in any other
place in the world. They have shocked
humanity"
Lawson told the commission an absorb
ing story of life in the Colorado Fuel
and Iron Company's camps.
"A man being put to work there"
he said, would have to go to the
company store, and, II hurt, to a com
pany doctor. And l want to say that
il he died he would be examined by
a company coroner. I have known
only two verdicts rendered by Coro-
ner's juries that were not friendly to-
the company. The Coroners have Il
habit of declaring that a man COM
mitted suicide or was killed through
his own carelessness. In the case of
one man I know of. his death papers
were marked, No relatives and id
few friends 1 am not sure but in
his case the company also furnished
the burial place"
"Vote Mules and Box Cars
Social life among the employees in
the camps, ne QeCIdFtu, Is lIupOSb!DlG
The men are not permitted to have
clubs or organizations, and according
to the witness:
The camps have gunmen marshals,
and IL the men gather together in
groups 10 discuss grievances. or their
conditions generally, they are liable
to be put out OF the camps. Marshals
interfere with the minister of the
Gospel, who lives in the camp: who has
got to say what the company boss or
superintendent wants him to say. It is
the same with school teachers"
Lawson described political conditions
which led to his declaration that Demo
cracy is a failure in the State.
We discovered some time back" he
said, that there was no use trying to
improve political conditions. The opera
tors control the judiciary. to begin
with, and it is impossible to cope with
them at the polls. They vote sheep,
mules, box cars, and dead men. l
have known of cases where the re-
turns were held up until 1t was known
how much was wanted to give the
operators friends a majority, and then
the necessary votes were furnished"
Amos Finchot followed Lawson and
was reading a statement when the COM
mission adjourned until Monday.