The Snowflake herald., 1915-10-29

was to Gust the Mexican employees
from the district During the ensu
ing two weeks the Fedora ion organ
izers adopted bo.der methods and by
importuning, har~assing and persecut-
ing the men, succee Ged in forming
local organization of considerable
strength. Not until then did the COM
panies take active measures by dis
charging certain ringleaCers who
were guilty of flagrant breaches of dis
eipline.
On Sc Otember 11th two leLte. with
demands from the agitators for con-
ference with the Western Federation
of Miners were dispatched 10 each
of the three mine company managers.
The old employees CT he com
panies had submitted detaied
grievances to the managers.
The trouble was preclp1tateo on
September 18th through the sole dc
tation of the Western Federation or
Miners. which, acting under the lead
ership of Guy e. Miller, called a
general strike in the district At IL
o. m, the employees in the mines, con-
centrators and smelters of the Ari-
zona Copper company were called out
or forced to leave. On the following
morning the employees Of the Arizona
and Shannon companies at Clifton
were ordered to cease work, and In
the afternoon the smelters Of the
two companies at Clifton were
closed down. Each and every order
came from the Western Federation
OF Miners. Such procedure as &C
companies outlawry attended the
closing of the plants Opportunity
was not accorded to tap matte out
Gf the furnaces; to finish blowing the
charges then In the converters. OBJ
stacles were raised by the Fedora
ton against efforts Of the companies
either to protect their properties or
to save them from destruction.
The Federation stationed pickets
in and around the plants. These
pickets denied entrance even to Of
ficers of the companies and watch
men regularly employed by the com
panies were run off, The companies
were thus forced to accept the sit
uation created by the Western Fed
GRAFTON. and in order to meet 1t In
the only way left open, the plants
were surrendered into the care of
the sheriff.
The companies managers deter.
mined to appeal to their old en-
ployes and agreed to meet on Sept.
II committee representing the en-
ployes of the Arizona Copper com.
pany. The committee which re-
sponded admitted that majority OF
its members was chosen at meetings
of the Western Federation. It was
therefore q Western Federation com
mittee acting under explicit instruc-
tions from Federation organizers
Manager Carmichael, Of the Arizona
company, told the committee that be-
fore a conference could be held, the
employees would have to send a rep
resentative body of men selected
fairly from the ranks OF former trust
ed employees. Thereafter meetings
organized and conducted by the West.
ern Federation were held and a com.
mittee made up In many instances OF
officers and leaders Of the Western
Federation were chosen.
The mining company managers
previously had made it clear that
they were eager to confer with com
m;ttees which were not hand-picked
by the Western Federation Word
was received on Sept. 20 that com
mittees had been named and a joint
conference was agreed upon in spite
of the fact that the mine managers
were convinced that :1ey were being
deceived and the Western Fedora
tion was indeed In complete control
President Meyer of the Western Fed
GRAFTON arrived in camp from Den
yer on Sept. "a. thus finally and
effectualIy putting the Western Fed
Grafton brand upon the acts and
doings of the strikers and their com.
mittees. Meyer arranged so-called
mass meetings at which resolutions
were adopted. At one of these meet
ings a Federation leader publicly
announced that the mass meeting
movement "was merely little orange
juice in the castor oil to be admin
istered to the companies by the
western Federation of Miners"
A Joint meeting was arranged on
Sept % at which the resolutions
adopted at the Federation mass NEE :.
lngs were read. These resolutions
called for, amol-g other things, the
adoption OF wage scale which would
put the Detroit Copper Company and
the ShanA- Copper company out OF
business permanently and reduce the
lifJ of the Arizona Copper compa nv
possibly fifty per cent. The Joint