The Butler County press. [volume] (Hamilton, Ohio) 1900-1946, 1915-06-04

Charges that union miners have been
convicted of murder by a jury packed
by the Colorado mine owners and that
hundreds of miners now under indict-
ment for otfenses alleged to have been
committed in the course of the great
strike are held under eXorbtant bail
have been filed with the United States
commission on Industrial relations by
the executive board of the Colorado
State Federation of Labor. The letter
to the commission is as follows:
To the United States Commission On In
dustrial Relations. the Hon. Frank F.
Walsh, Chairman, Washington:
II Is respectfully submitted that the
system of ,wosecution conducted in the
courts of southern Colorado against the
coal miners recently engaged in strike
tlould be investigated by your commits
zion.
Hundreds of miners are now under In
dictment in the courts of Las Animas and
Huerfano counties. They are denied trial
excepting in few instances, and bail has
been fixed in such exorbitant amounts that
the jails Of these two counties are now
crowded with miners.
The methods pursued by the coal COM
panies to secure convictions form a hor-
rible example of the extent to which. un-
der the form Of law, prosecution can be
resorted to. Two cases have now been
tried in which verdicts of life sentence
have been secured. One of these cases is
that of John X. Lawson. the union labor
leader, a man of the highest character
and national reputation. The other is the
case of Louis Zancanneli, union miner
accused of the murder of a Baldwin-Felt2
strike breaking detective. This case was
fr.faI fire nd n iIIr Cnl ta1
the first instance was so doubtful of the
guilt of the accused that eight out of the
twelve members voted for acquittal. The
coal operators, seeing with a fair jury
who would fairly try the case the accus
ed would stand some chance determined TO
pursue their methods in the trial of the
cases and the infamous open venise sys-
TEN was thereupon resorted to. and the
notorious partlsans of the coal companies
We're brought In as jurors. Coal company
doctors, coal company managers, kin peo-
pie of coal company managers and men
who had participated in battles with the
striking miners were selected, and before
this jury Lawson and Zancannelli were
convicted.
The Judge of the court who has presid
ed at these trials and who proposes to
preside at the other trials, is a coal COM
pany attorney and was employed in other
cases against the miners. To secure the
services of this judge and to prevent the
possibility of the trials being heard before
an unpreiudiced Judge the coal companies
secured the passage of an act by the legis-
Iature of the state Of Colorado for the APP
pointment of a judge for the district and
they thereupon secured the appointment
OF a man who had been their attorney in
cases against the strikers. and this Judge
calmly holds. in the face of affidavits set
ting up the facts, that he Is in no way
disqualified to try the miners cases. On
the trials he refuses to permit jurors to
be asked the question as TO whether or
not they could give the defendants the
benefit OF the rule of law which provides
that a man accused Of crime shall at the
outset of the trial be presumed to be in
nocent. He even permitted to serve as
Jurors in one of the eases a Juror who,
according to the undisputed affidavits. had
a gambling wager on the result of the
verdict.
We respectfully submit that these mat
ters constitute a fair subject OF inquiry
at the hands of your commission
The worllinSmen of the United States
have often made claim that they do not
secure justice at the hands of the courts;
that the corporations control the courts
II this claim is well founded it is ter
ribe arraignment of our judicial system
Your commission constituted as it is of
able and competent men. can do much to
determine the truth or untruthfuness of
this accusation. and we appeal to you to
make the suggested Investigation
EXECUTIVE BOARD, COLORADO
STATE FEDERATION OF LABOR.