Evening star., 1915-05-21
sonal influence that extended even to

sonal influence that extended even to
| the state house at Denver and pre-
sumed to dictate letters that went to
| the President of the United States and
! to the governors of states over the
| signature of the Governor of Colorado
Letters submitted to the commission
| by Mr.. Rockefeller include consid-
era BILE correspondence. bearing on the
| strike, between himself and l.. NJ. Bow
| ers, who was chairman of the execu-
tive department of the Colorado Fuel
and Iron Company In a letter dated
| October 8. 1913. to Mr.. Rockefeller at
coal strike, said:
with the exception of a few small
operators who have no funds to fight
with and who expect to reap rich
harvest frcm high prices. all of the
coal operators are "a unit and under no
conditions whatever will they submit
to the diCtation of the United Mine
Workers of America. Unfortunately
Secretary of Labor Wilson. appointed
by the President, was secretary and
one of the big men in the above-named
union and all of his associates in Of
fetal positions in his department have
been officers or were employees of the
union. which. to my mind. bespeaks
rough road ahead for our industrial en-
terprises during the present admins
tratiOn."
nn October II. 1913. Mr.. Bowers
wrote:
Rifles Supplied to ''Slugsers.'
1t is now proven that Winchester
rifles in large numbers and revolvers
| with large quantities of ammunition
are being supplied to the sluggers
whom these men have brought in from
other states together with the blood
| thirsty Greeks who have just returned
from the Turkish war.
We also find that Ethelbert Stew
art, representing Commissioner OF
Labor Wilson. has been for years con-
nected with labor unions. He came
here under false colors. representing
himself as being appointed as mediator.
When this government places in the
ca binet men like Commissioner of La
Dor Wilson, who was for many years
secretary of the United Mine Workers
of America, which has been one of the
unions that permitted more disorder
and bloodshed than any class of labor
organizations in this country, we are
not skating upon thin ice, but we are
on top of volcano.
Reference to Presidents Letter.
In another letter to Mr.. Rockefeller,
date November 2S, 1913, Mr.. Bowers.
referring to a visit of Secretary of
zone, sa id:
Il will inclose herein. or forward to
you later in the day, copies of Presi-
dent Wilson's reply to my letter of No
Vember and my answer to all OF the
points he raised. You will notice III
his letter that he lodged all the essen
tials, excusing himself in way that
men usually take when they have the
worst of the argument, and he falls
back onto arbitration law and the
spirit of the times
After the reading of Mr.. Rockefel1ers 8
statement Chairman Walsh subjected
him to vigorous cross-examination Mr..
Walsh first made the declaration that
he had received information that w. w:
Wilson, a biscuit salesman, anu one OF
the jurors who convicted John r.
| Lawson, one of the strikers. of murder,
was the holder of an exclusive contract
to sell his goods to all the camps of
| the Colorado Fuel and Iron Company.
Mr.. Walsh asked what Mr.. Rookie
feller would do in the interests of
| right and justice if it proved true that
one of the jurors in the Lawson case
| had had exclusive favors from the
| Colorado Fuel and Iron Company. Mr..
| Rockefeller replied that he certainly
desired that injustice should be done
no one, and that he thought the facts
should be Investigated by the district
attorney He added that he would wish
to withhold any detailed statement as
| to what he might do until he knew all
| the facts.
Subjected to Further Questioning.
| Mr.. Walsh read letter written by
| the witness. during the strike. to L. NJ.
Bowers, in charge of the executive de-
partment of the mining company. in
which he said John D. Rockefeller. sr.,
| had been following the events of the
/ strike and was very well satisfied with
! it's progress. Mr.. Walsh wanted tc
| know whether the elder Mr.. Rookie
| fe1ler had expressed his satisfaction
| after men and women had been killed
| and other violent events had occurred
| Question after question was put tc
| the witness by the chairman with light.
ninglike rapidity, emphasizing the hor'
| rors of the strike. Mr.. Rockefeller sait
| he could not recall exactly what events
| had occurred at the time he wrote the
letter giving his fathers views.
| Aggressive methods employed b.
| Chairman Walsh in examining Johr
| D. Rockefeller. Jr.. before the industria
| relations commission yesterday result
| ed last night in a conference of dis.
| satisfied members of the commission
| who drafted a letter to the chairman
urging that he adopt a more moderate
| attitude toward witnesses in the fu-
| ture. Mrs. j. Borden Hartman is said
| to have been the leader in this action
| which was the climax to general diff
| ferences of opinion over the conduct OF
| the hearings, although none of the
| members would talk for publication.