Denver labor bulletin., 1916-12-02

able, proves that many u the county
courts and some of the more venal and
subservient county and municipal Off
cals in Pennsylvania back up the state
constabulary in its shameful lawlessness
and reckless disregard OF the rights and
lives of the people, especially the work
ing people. This is particularly true in
the portions OF the state which
wholly or largely under the domination
Of the steel trust, the coal barons and
other big corporate interests.
Yet even in those sections there is a
deep-seated, widespread and intense op.
position to this mounted police force
because of its almost total devotion to
the service of the industrial lords, its
mrestrained and understandable crimi-
nality and its excessive unfairness in
its operations.
Creature of U. S. Steel.
This opposition is shown by the
masses of the people generally and by
all of the better class of county and
municipal authorities, large numbers OF
whom have put their views on the sub
iect in the form of letters to members
OF the state legislature and testimony
given to its investigating committees.
The feeling of the people and the rea-
sons for it are set forth in n letter
from Charles McKeever, a member OF
the common council of Newcastle, Pa,
to James II. Maurer a member OF the
state legislature and the president of
the State Federation of Labor. In the
course of his letter Councilman Nc
Keever says:
During the strike in Newcastle
against the open shop policy OF the
American Steel and Tin Plate company,
the coustabulary proved clearly to the
working class and the general public OF
this city that it is a creature OF the
United States Steel Corporation. and is
used solely for the purpose OF breaking
strikes and beating us helpless men,
women and children whom the thugs and
laclleys employed by the trust try to in
cite to violence.
Hire Thugs and Criminals.
"Thc strikers here We're peaceable,
law-abiding, intelligent body OF men, and
after the strike was declared no vio-
lence or disorder was evident anywhere.
Yet, at this very time, the American
Steel and Tin Plate company had agents
out securing the slum districts OF sur
rounding cities, hiring what thugs and
criminals they could to bring into New
castle to start trouble In the mean
time the company was busily engaged in
erecting stables and quarters on its own
property to receive the constabulary.
'After this work was completed 100
thugs and criminals of the lowest type
We're brought together in Cleveland,
Ohio, and shipped here in a drunken, dis
orderly condition and armed with fire
arms and clubs. These men were not
unloaded at the mill, where there is a
ta+ hut 10 hn -
tion in the center of the city. and, upon
leaving the train, We're told to wade
thru blood if necessary. They We're
marched in a body thru the principal
streets of the city and then brought to
the strike district for the express pur
pose of melting the strikers to violence.
The fact that Chief of Police Gilmore,
of our city, was also interested in this
well organized plan to incite the strik-
ers to violence was clearly shown.
Cossacks Are Taken Care of.
"1he strikers naturally approached
these men, asking them to be men and
not take away their Jobs, and, strange
to say, they won many of them over.
They Immediately broke ranks, and
many OF them left town the same even
ing. This gave the trust and the off
cials of Lawrence county, who We're hire
lings of the trust, the opportunity for
which they had anXiouslv waitd Immc-
diatelv the cossacks We're sent for. They
were brought here and quartered on the
property Of the trust. where prepara-
tions had been previously made for
them. I was present one day shortly
after they came, and the strikers were
making preparations to have their pic
| lures taken in the seventh ward, In
front of one OF their tents, where they
were ridden down and beaten over the
heads by the constahulary. One man. by
| the name of Huston, who was not .
striker, but happened to be in this part
of town at the time was badly injured
| from a blow on the head. Some weeks
later, upon recovery from the injury, he
went before an alderman and made in
| formation. The case was thrown tc
court and he was sentenced to three
months in the county Jail for daring &c
raise his voice against this injustice.