The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1916-08-11
WALSH WRITES
TO ROCKEFELLER
Mine Official Responsible for
Prostitution of the Ballot,
Says Walsh

Rockefeller, jr., in reply to his owl
letter concerning the Colorado Su
preme Courts condemnation of thu
Rockefeller methods in Colorado
Frank P. Walsh, chairman of thu
committee on industrial relations, de
clares in a letter just sent to Mr.
Rockefeller that "the total Ignorance
and misunderstanding which yo'
plead, taken in connection with thu
abhorrent facts which the highes
court in Colorado has now condemned
in public to the world, are convincing
proof that you should abdicate tina
imperial CONTROL as the court ha!
characterized it, and give the workers
who produce your wealth their right
full opportunities of citizenship and o
self-expression."
Mr.. Walsh's reply Letter, in full, il
as follows:
July "a, 1916.
Mr.. John D. Rockefeller, Jr.,
No. 26 Broadway,
New York City.
| My Dear Sir: l have received you
telegram of July 14th, in reply to m!
letter to you of July 18th, your tele
gram being as follows:
"Your letter of July II has just
been forwarded to me here, where
l am spending my summer vaca-
| ton, and is the first word which
has recahed me in regard to the
decision of the Supreme Court of
Colorado, referred to in your let
ter. My office informs me that
as yet they have seen only news
| paper accounts of the decision,
| and at once took steps to ascer-
tain the facts. Pending the re-
ceipt of this information, l can
only say that any offenses, no
matter by whom committed, which
could have been justly charac-
terized in such language as you
have quoted, would be quite as
abhorrent to me as to you, and /
am confident that no such condi-
tions as you describe coudl exist
| in the camps of the Colorado Fuel
& Iron Company under the plan
of representatio which was
adopted by joint action of the
company and it's employees at the
time of my visit to Colorado last
fall"
| In view of your assertion of entire
| lack of knowledge of the decision O.
the Supreme Court of Colorado in the
contested election cases, involvins
the conduct of yourself and associate.
in the political and industrial contro
of Colorado, l am taking the liberty
of enclosing to you, herewith, a COPY
of the opinion and judgment of the
court.
You will note from this opinion
that the appalling arraignment o.
what your organization has accom-
plished in Colorado is taken entirel,
:
from the testimony of the genera
manager of your own company. What
standing, therefore, ought your so
called industrial plan" for the opera
ton of your mines and the control o.
your workers lives have in the esti
nation of the people of our country
Your expression of horror and de
testation at what the Supreme Cour
of Colorado has condemned are, O
course, natural and commendabl,
upon the part of any man. However
this does not alter the fact that Wha
the supreme judges of Colorado hav,
so vigorously condemned are the act.
of the organization which you dom
mate and direct.
Declaring that your company haC
conspired with county officials t,
commit these crimes against citizen
ship and against the law you will not,
that the court says; I'VE find n,
such example of fraud within tn,
books"
/ 1t is declared that, to keep you
control of your workers by controlling
the public forces for law and order
your organization had prostituted tn
ballot and prohibited free public dis
cussion of public questions, had vic
lated the law for registration an
elections, had coerced and intimidate
your employees, and had used you
arbitrary power of discharge over tn