Denver labor bulletin., 1915-03-06

adjutant general of the militia of the
state, for his refusal to testify except
upon condition that he would not be
questioned by representatives of the
miners, and declares that he was over
bearing to all who came in contact with
him.
Some of the men brought into Colo
RADIO by detective agencies employed to
guard the mines, the committee finds,
had been in the same kind of service in
West Virginia and they brought with
been used in an armored car against
strikers in that state.
Concerning the charge that the op-
orators were guilty of peonage the com
mittee reports:
1--WE did not find it clearly proved
that a condition of peonage existed in
the coal fields of Colorado, but we found
that during the strike men were brought
in from other states by the car and
trainload and were delivered to the min
ing camps under guard of the militia,
many of them being foreigners and un-
acquainted with the work of mining
coal. We do not believe it was proved
that the operators forcibly kept men in
camp until their debts were paid, but
that they rather endeavored to hold
|
the strike and to prevent those who had
been taken in as strikebreakers from CO.
ing outside"
Federal Assistance Needed.
Declaring that the mine troubles are
nationwide in scope, the committee
reaches this conclusion:
1T should be the duty of the govern
ment to assist any states in settling .
| a.. th,k - Il. -. -.
and if any federal law can be enacted
that will help not only Colorado, but any
other state that may be similarly sit
uated, it is the duty of congress to
| speedily put upon the statute books the
necessary laws 50 that such industrial
disturbances may forever cease"
The committee criticizes the state au-
thorities for failing to prevent the sale
of firearms to the contending forces.
Criticism is directed also at condi-
tions in incorporated towns where the
companies are permitted to put up a
sign, Private Property and exclude all
except those whom they see fit to per.
init to enter, all the officials of the city,
the mayor and the school board being Of
ficials of the mining companies.
The committee declares that John d.
Rockefeller jr., did nothing to improve
]
company in which he is stakeholder and
director.
Rockefeller Held for Deaths.
Mr.. Rockefeller says the report, "a
large stockholder of the most powerful
company in the state, has done great
deal for the uplift of people in other
parts of the country and in foreign
lands, spending millions of dollars in this
work, yet he has not endeayored to i'm
prove the condition of the more than
5000 employees in the company with
which he is connected, and has not Wis
tied the state for more than ten years.
Mr.. Rockefeller is a long distance di-
| rector, not having attended q meeting of
the stockholders or directors of the COM
pany in ten years. 1t seems to have
been his practice to select such men as
he thought best for him and then look
only to them for the management with
out any personal knowledge of the con-
ditions. 1t is true that he did spend a
large part of his profits coming from the
Colorado Industrial company, a part of
the Colorado Fuel and Iron company, in
the bettering of conditions in other parts
of the country, but what of that when
the money is gained in such way and
at such expense to the state and its peo-
pie.
Spent Money for Guns.
-Mr. Rockefeller was not good Judge
of conditions in Colorado and knew moth
ing about them. He was not willing to
submit to fair board of arbiters to set
tie this strike. He was obstinate and
the statement that he was fighting for
liberty for the workingman will not bear
investigation The strike could have
been settled without recognition of the
union had he desired to do so, and the
employees could have worked for him
whether members of the union or not
We believe he did not desire to ar
bitrate and in that way end this strike,
and one must conclude he would rather
spend the money of the company for
guns, pay of detectives and mine guards
and starve the strikers into submission y