The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1917-03-09


have the legislature appropriate $780,
900 year to be used by the COVER
nor "for the purpose of preventing
violence in connection with the labor
troubles in Minnesota. They want to
let go of their proposition, but can
not until the House Labor Committee
of the legislature has finished an in
vestigation with teeth in it which it
has begun.
The bill proposing this new way of
getting state constabulary to shoot
down workers was introduced in the
Senate and passed that branch of the
legislature. 1t went to the House
which turned the matter over to the
Labor Committee, composed of men
who were determined to get all the
information they could.
The Investigations, which went
4 thoroughly into the recent troubles
in the iron ranges and lumber camps
of northern Minnesota confirmed COM
pletely the report to the Committee
on Industrial Relations made by
George P. West when the Mesaba
strike was at its height. 1t has been
proved by every impartial witness
called by the Labor Committee, as
well as by the testimony of the labor
leaders, that the demand for a con-
stabulary and for special deputies in
Minnesota is wholly for the purpose
of intimidating workers. Their en-
ployers seek by the aid of state
police to keep them in bondage to
conditions of work and wages that
any free man would strike against.
c. M. Atkinson, editor of the Me-
saba Ore, newspaper published at
Hibbing, Minn., said that during the
past twenty years in every instance
when the miners had gone on strike
it was because of the unjust condi-
tions imposed upon them by the min
ing companies. "The miners strike
broke out at the St. James mine"
said Mr.. Atkinson. "The Industrial
Workers of the World had absolutely
nothing to do with the calling of the
strike. The miners weAt out because
of unjust conditions, and the l. w. w.
was called in to help them conduct
the strike"
Mayor Boylan of Virginia, Mimi,
Carl Thiel, a photographer of Hib-
bing, Mimi, Senator Richard Jones
of Duluth and numerous other wit
nesses corroborated this testimony.
1t was corroborated most strongly by
officials of the Steel Trusts mining
{ companies and of the lumber com
panies who displayed the utmost ran
cor against the workers and their
strike leaders.
Chester H. Rogers, superintendent
of the Virginia and Rainy Lake Lum-
ber companies, was asked if he had
heard any l. w. w. man make any
threats in his camp. "No, I didn't"
he replied. "If l had l would have
beaten his block off,"
The companies hatred of men who
aid the workers to organize was
further shown by this statement of
Rogers to the legislative committee:
"You ought to pass a law to run
out foreign agitators the instant they
showed themselves. Let the men who
have a grievance take it to their en-
ployers, to the commercial clubs and
to the business men they deal with.
We never had trouble adjusting differ
ences until guys like these came to
stir up trouble"
State Senator Richard Jones of Du-
luth, in a special report of the in
vestigation made to the Committee on
Industrial Relations, says:
"The Labor Committee of the House
is learning of conditions they never
dreamed of heretofore. Men have
come direct from the woods to tell
the legislators of the filthy and un-
sanitary conditions under which they
are compelled to work in the lumber
camps. 1t is having big impress
sion. A hundred men in many cases
are packed into a bunk house after
working all day in the woods. Their
clothes are wet, socks are hung up in
the bunkhouse to dry. A hundred pair
of wet socks, one man testifid, were
hung up to dry in bunk house where
rs men were sleeping. The legisla-
tors are hearing of cases where men
are promised certain wages when they
start out to work in the fall. When
their checks are handed them, they
find that a deduction of Sl.0O per
month is made for hospital fees; they
must stand for a discount of $1.5O
nor month for the use of toels, and