The Arizona copper camp., 1916-11-25
WHAT REALLY
TOOK PLACE
At CL|FTO|V

CLIFTON, AriZ., Nov 24.-Violation
OF their agreement with the company
and refusal to abide by the decision of
their own grievance committee brought
about the recent strike of Mexican en-
ployes of the Arizona Copper com
pany here, which, for three days, tied
up the mines, concentrators and smell
ter of that company and threatened to
become repetition of the disastrous
strike of last winter The action OF
the strikers was vigorously condemned
by Joseph S. Myers, federal investiga-
tor, through whose efforts the men re-
turned to work last week.
The strike was occasioned by the
laying off Of a Mexican timberman for
two weeks. This man had for three
months been giving trouble to his
bosses, and had been transferred sew
eral times from one stope to another
In the hope that he would do better
work, but without avail He had not
only disobeyed instructions, but left
ms slopes in an extremely dangerous
condition, and had defied his bosses
in the various Slopes Instead of dis
charging him his boss laid him off for
two weeks, thinking that would be suf-
ficient punishment.
The timberman, whose name is
Simon Perez, complained to the griev-
ance committee of the workmen. which.
after investigation with the mine su-
perintendent found the man had not
been dealt with unjustly. Not salts
fled with this, Perez carried the mat
ter to the general manager, who held
fresh investigation, which confirmed
the actions of the shift bosses. The
story that Perez had been laid off for
oelng asleep on duty was investigated
and found to be without foundation.
Perez then gathered together a few
OF his friends and called a. strike of
the miners Having succeeded in or
ganizing a mob of 200 Mexicans. went
to the concentrator of the Arizona.
copper company and shut it down,
and at o'clock in the morning of No
Vember IL, a similar mob went to the
smelter and pulled the men off the
Worke without so much as five min
utes' notice. No protection was af-
forded the men who wanted to work.
by the sheriff's office, and after the
first day of the strike Sheriff Cash
left the district and did not return un-
til the strike was settled. Several
Mexican Workmen were dragged from
their work, badly beaten up and run
out Of town.
Joseph s. Myers, federal investiga-
tor. who arrived from Ell Paso in time
to see the beginning of a second reign
OF terror in the district, called the
leaders Of the movement together, and
when he. had succeeded in convincing
them of the folly and injustice of their
actions, he called public meetings of
the strikers, with the result that they
called the strike off and returned to
work November Is.
1t was currently reported that the
timberman was paid by the company
TO rthe time he had lost, or that Mr..
Myers had paid him the amount he
claimed was due. Both of these re-
ports were entirely untrue, according
to letter received here from Mr.. My
ers, who stated that neither he or the
company would pay the claim. 1t is
said that the local union or members
OF the local union bought off the tim
herman, a transaction with which
neither the company or Myers had
anything to do.
While here Mr.. Myers addressed sew
eral mass meetings of workmen at
Morenci and Clifton, and declared that
this was the second time he had been
called back to the district since the
big strike was settled and each time
had found the companies were living
strictly up to their agreements and
that the men were not. He said he
had been a union man for II years.
but that he could not countenance
such unreasonable actions