Denver labor bulletin., 1917-06-30
by G. GUS CRAWFORD.

LEADVILLE, Colo, June 27.-For
several weeks, at varying intervals, the
Denver papers have been printing
with great gusto the more or less
salacious details of "plot to tie up
the Leadville mines and smelters."
The journal with the cart and the
coal" has especially played up in car
mine ink the awe-inspiring story OF
how the Austrian population of this
great mining camp "conspired, plot
ted, gathered together with malice
pretense and aforethought," etc, ad
libitum and ad nauseum, to blow up,
burn, destroy and forever wipe off the
mundane sphere the mines, smelters,
and other works in, around and about
the Cloud City. The stories pictured
the people of this peaceful city as liv
ing in great terror lest these terrible
foreigners, with vengeance burning in
their veins, should inaugurate reign
of terror beside which the happenings
during the awful days Of the French
commune would be mild indeed.
The fact of the whole matter is that
few Gust forty-eight, to be exact)
Bulgarians, Dalmatians and natives of
other Balkan states. feeling that they
would be called upon to do battle
against their own people in the con-
fines of the Austrian empire, refused
to register in obedience to the fed
eral law. Not understanding that
they, as aliens, would be exempt from
service, they took the course which
to them, in their conception Of free
dom, seemed the proper one to take.
They were promptly arrested, at the
order of United States District Attor-
ney Tedrow and, several days since,
were taken under guard to Salida,
there to be arraigned before the Unit
ed States commissioner for this dis
trict. There was very little excite
ment, even among the foreign popula-
ton, and the entire proceeding savored
only of a routine matter.
True Story of Conspiracy"
Here / wish to say something re-
garding the said foreign population of
Leadville, usually spoken of as aus
trians." There are probably 900, all
told, people here, who came originally
from Austria or states which owe al
legiance to that empire. They are, in
the main, peaceful and law-abiding
people who follow the various trades
connected with mining and smelter
work, are industrious to degree and
well thought of in this district. A
perusal of the registration list will
show the names of very large num-
ber of the young men of these differ
ent nationalities, who responded with
out question and without hesitation to
the call of their adopted or native
country (many of them were born in
the United States.) There are also
many Mexicans employed about the
smelter and the mills, all of whom
were of proper age having registered
promptly.
The above, then, is the absolutely
true story Of the conspiracy" and
am sending it to you in the hope that
there is at least one paper of general
circulation in the capital city which
will print the truth Of the matter.
Miners May Call Strike.
OF much more Importance to the
camp and the public at large is the
situation just now in reference to the
demand of Cloud City Miners Union
for an increased wage, which has been
hanging fire for some time and which
will probably come to head this
week before The Bulletin is printed,
as the date set for show down is
Thursday of this week. Following is
the news item printed in the Herald
Democrat of Monday, which l give to
you for what it is worth, as giving
the story "as twas told to me:"
"Miners Union Asks Wage In
crease.-Since the state industrial
commissions report and recommenda-
tions May 20, after holding hearing
in Leadville, members Of the Cloud