Arizona republican., 1915-05-03

:. - -.: say a word in reply, except to state
 that united labor was often able to
 secure what they would be unable to
 get unorganized.
 "He was told that we woplG work
 such mines as we could protect and
 close the others. and that the writer
 with every official of this company
 would stand py this declaration until
 our bones were bleached white as
 chalk in these Rocky Mountains" 1 The next communication bearing
 on the correspondence contained CO., pies of telegrams between Secretary l Wilson of the department of labor land John D. Rockefeller, Jr., which the latter sent to MT. Bowers Nov. I21. Secretary Wilson asked MT. Rockefeller to have representatives 1 of coal companies in Colorado meet
 the union leaders with a view to finding q basis for settlement. MT. Rockefeller declined to act. referring
 the secretary to the company's off
 cers in Colorado. He added: "The action of our officers in refusing to
 meet the strike leaders is quite as
 much in the interest of our employees as of any other element in the com pany Their position meets with our i cordial approval and we shall sup port them to the end"
 Appreciation for your splendid ! support" is expressed in the letter which Mir. Bowers wrote to MT Rockefeller Nov 2. In this com munication he said. "all the hot air
 in regard to bad conditions and un-
 fairness, so far as the Colorado Fuel X Iron Co, is concerned. have eva porated The only thing that is de- manded now is a conference, so that they can claim recognition of their uniOn."
 Mr Bowers goes on to say that ! the strike is developing into a po- litical issue and expresses the opinion that none of the Colorado political leaders would dare to come out in opposition to the open shop. So long as the politicians can ride two horses going in opposite directions at the same time without attracting the at tention of the public they are reason ably safe. but that time is coming to an end
 No further communications were exchanged until April IS, 1914. In that date Nr. Bowers again wrote to Mir Rockefeller pleading that he had been busy and that few matters of importance in connection with the strike had come up.
 Three days later a telegram from Mr. Bowers appraised AIr Rockefeller
 of the fight at the Ludlow tent col ony MT. Rockefeller sent a brief dispatch in reply, regretting the loss of life. On the twenty-third of April Ee asked Mir. Bowers if any of the disturbances occurred in connection with mines owned by or with former or present employees of the fuel com pany." MT. Bowers wired a nega- tive reply Later in the same day Mir Rockefeller teegraphed for a full
 wire report daily of the various dis turbances and some of these appear in the correspondence
 On April 25, Mir. Bowers wrote to Mir Rockefeller enumerating objec- tions to a "co-operatiVe agreement sent you by MT. J. B. Cory, of Brad dock, Pa The nature of this agree ment was not revealed in the letter but it was rejected by MT. Bowers because of conditions prevailing in 
 west of the Missouri river-principal- iy because of the great number of small mines "so that no cooperative agreement has ever been possible" of these small concerns he wrote: No dependence can be placed on their adherence to any working plan for any length of time"
 in this letter MT. Bowers takes oc- t.II af. he had received" a large number of
 letters, telephone calls and personal visits from prominent men in all lines of business and professions complimenting you on your testimony before the congressional committee. He also forwarded letter from George J. KindelI, a Denver congress- man, but this letter does not appear the commission.
 On April 2S, 29 30 and May 1. 2 3, i, and eth, Messrs. Rockefeller and Bowers exchanged numerous tele grams regarding various strike dis orders, newspaper accounts of the happenings and statements by con gressmen and telegrams sent by the Operators to President Wilson and other government officials.
 on May MT. Bowers sent to Starr J. Murphy a long letter con taining notes from the legal depart ment of the government regarding criticism of the company which ap peared in the New York Evening Post of May 1. These notes were in tended to show that the reforms mentioned in Nr. Bowers letter of Sept. 19 had been initiated by the company voluntarily rather than un- der pressure of legislative enactment
 in Colorado The eight-ho law, the semi monthly pay day. check weigh men and scale inspection, the com pany stores and anti truck act were discussed as was also the question of armed guards. The use of these lat ter was justified on the ground of necessity.
 The next communication of inn portance was dated August l, 1914, and was addressed to w. l.. Mac