The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1928-01-07
The Colorado State Industrial Commission WeabOm

be guilty of misdemeanor, and if con-
victed shall be punished by fine Of
not more than $1,000 or prison term
Of 6 months or both"
The Present Strike.
The present strike was called after
the conference at Aguilar on Sep
TENDER 2. This conference was at
tended by 1913 delegates, notice was
served on Industrial Commission and
few days later letters sent to the
companies. Due to the lateness in
sending notices to the companies, the
strike was not called until Oct. Is,
instead of Oct. 2.
The strike was declared illegal by
the Industrial Commission, an out
law strike led by an outlaw organi
cation, The l. W. w. The technical
grounds for the above decision were
based on an opinion that the con-
ference of Oct. 2 was mot represen-
tative of the employees"
The Law and Company Towns.
Most of the camps are company
towns" with the Post Office on the
center of the property and the min
ers' houses all around. Union or
ganizers when known, are chased off
and the right to assemble, free
speech and press in these camps are
the same as in Russia under the car.
The commission knows that the con-
ditions in company towns make it
impossible to live up to the letter
of the law. In fact all concerned
know this. The I. w. w. did all in
their power to hold meetings in these
camps to take vote and most places
were not successful. They even Of
fered to hold joint meetings with the
operators, each giving their side to
the miners and then letting the min
ers vote for strike or against.
Picketing Illegal.
In Colorado as in many other
places picketing is illegal.
1852. Picketing Unlawful, Sec. 10:
That it shall be unlawful for any per-
son or persons to loiter about or pa
troll the street, alley, roads, high
ways, trails, or place of business of
any person, firm or corporation en-
gagged in any lawful business for the
purpose of influencing or inducing
others not to trade with, buy from,
sell to, work for or have business
dealings with such person, firm or
corporation, or to ticket the workers,
mine, building or place of business or
corporation for the purpose of OBJ
structing or interfering with, or in
juring any lawful business, work or
enterprise; provided, that nothing
herein shall prevent any person from
soliciting to trade, custom or bust
ness for competitive business"
Chairman Lauds Murders.
In the present strike first the To-
cal county authorities threw scores in
Jail, then the state police became ac-
tive and finally the military authori-
ties, with no authority to arrest, did
the same thing. The combined force
arrested and imprisoned hundreds,
holding many incommunicado and de-
priving them of their liberty with
out due process of law"
At the Columbine massacre, where
six miners lost their lives and scores
were wounded by state police, it
happened" that Thomas Annear,
chairman of the Industrial Commits
sion was present at daybreak to see
the massacre. He said many things
in praise of the murderers but the
following sentence is sufficient to
show what kind of a chairman the
Industrial Commission has: "Scherf
ought to have medal for acting the
way he did. II was the hrayest deed
l have ever seen." Scherf is in charge
of state police.
Fake Conferences.
The press of Colorado, many times
curing the last weeks of the strike,
had articles telling of conferences of
the Industrial Commission with many
groups for the settlement of the
strike.
First with the strike committee,
then with the I. w. W. leaders, bust
ness men and whatnot, but the truth
Of the matter is that most of this
was Just paper talk and the commits
sion was busy seeing what could be
done to help defeat the strike as its
scope was already hevnnd AZ -