The Co-operative news. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1917-1918, 1917-12-20
FEDERAL COMMISSION REPORT
ON THE BISBEE DEPORTATION
The Presidents Mediation Commission Condemns in Vigorous
Language the Lawless Usurpation of Governments
Powers by Private Business

| prising about two thousand men,
rounded up 1856 men in the War
rem District, put them aboard a
train, and carried them to Columbus,
New Mexico. The authorities at
Columbus refused to permit those
in charge of the deportation to
leave the men there, and the train
carried them back to the desert town
of Hermanas, Mexico, nearby sta
ton. The deportees were wholly
without adequate supply of food
and water and shelter for two days
At Hermanas the deported men were
abandoned by the guards who had
brought them and they were left to
shift for themselves. The situation
was brought to the attention of the
War Department, and on July IA the
deportees were escorted by troops to
Columbus, New Mexico, where they
were maintained by the Government
until the middle of September.
Co According to the army CEN
sus, of the deported men 1919 were
native-born American, 468 were cti-
zens, 472 were registered under the
selective draft law, and 433 were
married Of the foreign-born, over
twenty nationalities were represent
ed, included 141 British, 80 Ser
VANS and 179 Slavs. Germans and
Austro Hungarians (other than
Slavs) were comparatively few.
GU The deportation was carried
out under the Sheriff of Cochise
County. 1t was formally decided
upon at meeting of citizens on the
night of July II, participated in by
the managers and other officials of
the Copper Queen Consolidated Min
ing Company (Phelps-Dodge Corpor-
alton, Copper Queen Division) and
the Calumet and Arizona Mining
Company. Those who planned and
directed the deportation purposely
abstained from consulting about
their plans either with the United
States Attorney in Arizona, or the
law officers of the State or county,
or their own legal advisers.
(8) In order to carry the plans
for the deportation into successful
execution, the leaders in the enter
prise utilized the local offices of the
Bell Telephone Company and exer-
cised or attempted to exercise a CEN
sorship over parts of Interstate con-
nections of both the telephone and
telegraph lines in order to prevent
any knowledge of the deportation
reaching the outside world
(9) The plan for the deportation
and its execution are attributable to
the belief in the minds of those who
engineered it that violence was con-
templated by the strikers and SYM
pathizers with the strikers who had
come into the district from without,
that life and property would be in
secure unless such deportation was
undertaken, and that the State was
without the necessary armed force
to prevent such anticipated violence
and to safeguard life and property
within the district. This belief has
no justification in the evidence in
support Of it presented by the par
ties who harbored it.
(10) Neither such fear on the
part of the leaders of the deportation
as to anticipated violence nor evil
dence justifying such fear was ever
communicated to the Governor of
the State of Arizona with a view
to renewing the request for Federal
troops, based upon changing condi-
tions, nor were the Federal author
tiles in fact ever apprised that a
change of conditions had taken place
in the district from that found by
the investigating army officer to call
for or warrant the interposition of
Federal troops.
(1D The deportation was wholly
illegal and without authority in law
either State or Federal.
(12) Following the deportation of
the 18th, in the language of Gov
ernor Campbell of Arizona, "the
constitutional rights of citizens and
others have been ignored by pro-
cesses not provided by law, viz, by
Deputy Sheriffs who refused persons
admittance into the district and the
tpassing of judgment by a tribunal
without legal jurisdiction resulting
in further deportations.
(13) Immediately after the first
deportation, and until late in Au-
gust, the function of the local Judi
ciary was usurped bp a body which
to all intents and purposes was a
vigilance committee, having no au-
thority whatever in law. 1t caused
the deportation of large numbers of
others. So far as this committee
is concerned its activities were aban-
doned at the request of the Governor
of Arizona late hi August.
(l4 Among those who were de-