The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-03-02
COLORADO MILITIA ILL TREATED MINERS.
 SAY INVESTIGATORS
(Continued from Page onc)


 sihility for conditions in and about prop critics in which they are interested"
 Liberal extracts of the 2OOO pages of testimony taken by the committee are en bodied in the report with this com ment.
 Considerable testimony on both sides of the controversy we believe unreliable and no confidence should be placed in it. Colorado has such mining laws which should offer protection to the miner if tl'ey are enforced, yet in this state the, percentage of fatalities is larger than any other, showing there Is undoubtedly some thing wrong in reference to the manage ment of it's coal mines. It Is contended by the miners as one of their grievances that the operators do not obey the law and however good the laws may be, if not observed, they are of no protection. Sided With Operators Tt seems the military was on the side Of the operators in this controversy, and the evidence seems conclusively to prove such to have been the case The sooner men armed in the service of the state learn that the men with whom they deal may be poor and ignorant, and even vio- lators of the law, but are still human, the better it will be for all concerned "The recruiting of mine guards as mem- bers of the militia in our judgment was mistake since intense animosty had existed for sometime between the mine guards and the miners, and 1t was diff cut or even impossible for the miners to feel that these men were neutral con- servators of the peace. Some of the mili- tiamen seized the opportunity while clothed with the authority of the state to engage in various lawless acts. Tn other instances the acts were of immoral kind and of such nature to be unfit for publication in this report. There were acts of brutality testified to before the committee, which might have been enumerated; men for no provoca- toi, were thrown into jail and kept there without the opportunity of proving their innocence. There were many good men in the militia, both officers and privates ard the strikers testifying said that cer- tain companies were composed of kind rnen, and if their houses were to be searched they asked that the men of these companies be sent but if others were sent | to do the searching they would be sub
 
 be robbed of whatever they might have l that the militia wanted"
 Testimony of present and former county 1 officials is quoted to show efforts oi l mine operators to control elections in Las Animas and Huerfano counties and l the committee remarks that the manner of selecting juries in those counties where, according to witnesses in one case at least seven out of F jurors, were deputy sher- l ifs appears to be against the provisions l Of the law
 Report On Peonage
 Concerning peonage the committee re | ports:
 We did not find it clearly proven that a condition of peonage existed in tho coal fields of Colorado, but we founf that during the strike men were brough in from other states by the car and trair | lead and were delivered to the mining camps under guard of the militia. many O them being foreigners and unacquainte. with the work of mining coal We do no
 beiieve>it was proven that the operators fo-cibly kept men in camp until thei
 debts were paid. but that they rathe
 o',deavored to hold those who alread.
 were in camp before the strike and t I prevent those who had been taken in a str ikebreakers from going outside" Declaring that the mine troubles arr
 ns tion-wide in scope. the committe
 rea ches this conclusion:
 Tt should be the duty of the gov
 ernment to assist any state in settlins
 dispute that is nationwide in it's scop
 ard if any federal law can be enacte'
 that will help not only Colorado, but an,
 otl CT state that may be similarly sltu ated, it Is the duty of Congress to pu upon the statute books the necessary law SD that such industrial disturbances ma forever cease"