Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-03-02
HOUSE |NQU|S|TORS.
FILE MINE REPORT
Subcommittee Denounces COL
orado Owners, Militia
and Jurors.

A scathing arraignment of the Colo
RADIO militia for its treatment of strik-
ing miners and their families is con-
tanned in a voluminous report submit
ted to the House today by the mines
and mining subcommittee which in
vestigated conditions in the Colorado
coal fields under resolution adopted
a year ago in January. While scoring
conditions generally in the coal fields
and criticising many of the acts of the
mine operators. including alleged vio-
latfon of state laws. the committee re-
ports that no evidence was found OF a
. conspiracy in restraint Of trade to
limit the output OF the mines. nor con-
elusive proof of the existence of peon-
: age
: The strike was settled long before the
committee completed its report, so no
specific recommendations are made
: The committee appeals. however. for
arbitration in such situations 1t de-
clares that these disturbances are ma
tion-wide in their importance; that the
federal government is the only power
competent to deal with them.
Criticises Absent Owners.
After referring to the testimony of
John D. Rockefeller. jr.. who disclaimed
responsibility for Colorado conditions
the committee adds:
Absentee owners or directors. by
their absence from the scene of such
disturbances. cannot escape their moral
responsibility for conditions in and
about properties in which they are in
terested'
Liberal extracts from the 1000 pages
of TESTIMONY taken by the committee
are embodied! in the report. with this
comment:
~ dor ii ..ti n, hof sid
of the controversy We believe unrell-
able. and no confidence sho-'ld hr
placed in II. COLORADO" had GOOD min
ing laws and such that ought to at
ford protection to the miner. if they
are enforced. Vet IN this state the per-
centaca o: fatalities is larger than in
any other sha| ing there is undo'Ibt
eii, something wrong in reference to
til" man. .cilert of its coal mines. 1t
&c conte"deti by n" miners. one of
ft"ir Grievances. that the GENERATORS do
rot obey tie law and however good
she i3"s n.r Ne. if not observed they
- . ~ projection.
"r'c tes-i~> n,v of Jar,es Da1ryrnle
stnte mine insnecror. calls attention
TO the r,any violations OF the law by
ne ouerators. ard the miners claim
th's as one of the causes leading un to
the strike. Tho r-port % Mr. Dali
rr,rrle also says he fornd in some
the operators had put in opera-
tion new devices and systems of an ad-
vantage to the miners.
Criticises Militia.
"It seemed the militia was on the side
of the operators in this controversy"
saws the report after reciting the ac-
ton Of the governor in calling out the
state troonS. "and the evidence seems
eonclusivelE 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 violators of the law.
but are still human. the better it will
be for all concerned. ="
THE recruiting of mine guards as
members of the militia, in our judg-
ment. was n mistake. since intense ami
mostly had existed for some time be-
tween the mine guards and the miners
and 1t was difficult or even impossible
for the miners to feel that these men
were neutral conservators of the peace
Some of the militiamen seized the OPP
portunity Willie clothed with the au-
thcEity cE III state to engage in va
ions .dwless acts.
I'm other instances the acts were of
an immoral kind and of such a nature
as to be unfit for publication in this
report There were acts of brutality
testified to before the committee which
might be enumerated: men on slight
provocation Were thrown into Jail and
kept there without the opportunity of
proving their innocence. There were
many good men in the militia, both Of
fcers and privates. and the strikers
testifying said that certain companies
were composed of kind men and if their
houses were to be searched they asked
that members of these companies
might be sent. but if others were sent
to do the searching they would be sub
Jected to indignities and would proba-
bly, be robbed of whatever they might
have that the militia wanted