Arizona republican., 1920-11-28
RELIGIOUS EDDY. REPORTS STRIKE
 BREAKERS GIVEN
 RIFLES BY STATE
Church Commission Detail Led To Investigate Den- yer Tram Strike; Blames Guards For Rioting
rRepubIIcan A. p. Leased wireI

DENVER, Nov. 27-Men brought to Denver to break the strike of tramway employees August last were supplied With rifles and ammunition which were the property of the state of Colorado" !" according to a report prepared by in- Nestigators for the commission on the church and social service of the Fed eral Council of the Churches of Christ in America, the department of social activity of the National Catholic Vel fare council and Denver church com mission.
 One instalment of the report was made public tonight. The strike re- suited in seven deaths.
 Nine persons, most of them minis ters, acted as investigators for Denver churches. The National Protestant organization was represented in the field here by Dr. Edward T. Devine, a member of the commission on the cnurch and socia. service, associate editor of The Survey and formerly pro- lessor of social economy in Columbia university.
 The Catholic Welfare council was represented by the two directors of tho department of social activity, Rev John A. Ryan, S. T. D.. professor of moral theology in the Catholic Univer- sity Of America, and Dr. John A. Lapp
 
 Their report is an exhaustive history of the strike and it's attendant fatal riotinE. Dr. Devine, in making public the first instalment today said others would be given out from time to time There Is some verbal discrepancy in the account of the manner in which these arms and ammunition were ob- tained by the strike breakers" the re- port says.
 State and city officials were asked in vain, the report declares, and the investigators finally were referred to General Superintendent West of the tramway company.
 "Mr. West" the report continues. expressed amazement that there should be any question as to the au- thorization for supplying the state rifles and equipment to the strike breakers. Whatever official corre- spondence had passed in order to pro- tect officials. the fact was. so MT. West said. that the. matter had been de- cided at conference at which the governor and the mayor. Mir. Jerome" tleader of the strike brealors) and Mir. West himself were all present with sev- eral others, and it was fully understood that the arms were intended for the men who were protecting the barns and the cars in operation, who could have been none other than Jeromes strike breakers, called by the company in their bulletin new temporary em. employees
 MT West was not prepared to say precisely who handed tho rifles to the strikebreakers. His impression v-as that they were on the floor on a blan- lset and that the strikebreakers helped themselves. But. like other rifles ob- tained by the company from other sources, they were of course needed by the fighting force, none of whom were citizens of the state. so that ther, would be no question of deputizinf them as special police"
 The most serious rioting of tn. strike occurred on the night of Aug at the East Division car barns. wher' strike breakers were quartered 1 crowd gathered outside
 Undoubtedly names were called epithets were hurled at strikebreaker and the guards, and missiles wer thrown by hand" the report says. "A in all other instances where shoot.rl occurred. the tramway company bulletin charges shots were first fire from the crowd. We are convince that this did not occur"
 The strikebreakers, it charges fired from inside the barn and als some reports say, from an auromohll arriving with Jerome himself and re Inducements under his direction"
 Five were killed in this rioting. On was Hugh Miller. father of one victim who with his wife went in the directio of the crowd to find their small soi the report states. One random she struck him. He died in a hospital ths night "On Aug. H." the report con tinues. "a special grand jury wa summoned to investigate tn disorders. This grand jury foun many indictments in connection vii riots and indictments to riot and connection with assaults on the em ployers and property of the tramwa company.
 No indictments were found agains those who were responsible Tor m deaths of the seven persons killed the South Side and East Side barn or for the many injuries resulting froi shnfs fired into the CrOwd.'