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Show HIE TROUBLES IN COLQRADQ USEHEB Mines and Mining Subcom mittee of House Presents Voluminous Report on Strike Probe. ADJUTANT GENERAL SEVERELY BLAMED Investigators Declare His Attitude Was "Overbear- r mg," Attack on Tent Colony Described. WASHINGTON' March 2 A scath ing arraignment of the Colorado mill tla for its treatment of striking mm era and the r families is contained in a volnminous report submitted to the house today by the mines and mining subcommittee which investigated con ditions m the Colorado coal fields un der a resolution adopted a year ago in January "While scoring conditions generally in the coal fields and cr ticis ing many acts of the mine operators including alleged violation of state law the comrmtteee reports that no evidence v-as found of a conspiracy in restraint of trade to limit the output of the mines nor conclusive proof of the existence of peonage. The strike was settled long before the committee completed its report so no specifio recommendations are made The committee appeals however for arbitration m such situations. It de clares that tho e d sturbances are na tiou wide in their importance, that the federal government is the only power competent to deal with them and, after referring to the testimony of John D Koekefeller Jr who disclaimed re sponsibility for Colorado conditions adds Absentee owners or directors by the r absence from the scene of such disturbances cannot escape their normal responsib lity for cond tions n an! about properties in which they are interested 'liberal Extracts Taken Liberal extracts from the '000 pages of testimony taken by the committee are embodied in the report with this comment Considerable testimony on both s des of the controversy we believe unrel able and no confidence should be placed m it Colorado had good mining laws and such as ought to afford protection to the miner if they are enforced jet in this tate the percentage of fatalities is larger than in any other show ing there is undoubtedly something wrong in reference to the manage men of its coal companies It is contended by the miners as one of their grievances that the opera tors do not obey the law and how ever good the laws may be if not observed they are no protection The testimony of James Da rs mplo state mine inspector calls attent on to the many violations of the law by the operators and the miners claim th s as one of the causes leading up to the etrike The report of Mr TJalrymp e also says that he found In some cases the operators had put In operation new de vices and Bystema of an advantage to the m ners Militia Blamed The report continues It seemed that the militia was on the s de of the operators during this controversy and the evidence seems cone us els to prove such to 1 ave been the case The sooner men .armed in the service of the state leartr that the men with wlom they may deal mav be poor and Ignorant and even v o ators of the law but are st 11 human the better It will be for all concerned The recruiting of mine guards as n embers of he II a n our Judg ment as a n stake s nee 1 ense anlmos as ex ste 1 fo some t e bet vee t e m tie 8 ards nd the n Ine h end it as d fftc t o evo imposs e for the n ine s to feel hat t ese n en vere i eutral conservators of the peace Some of the m 1 1 a e seised the oppo t n tj wh e clothe 1 1th the authority of t e state to engage In various lawless aet In ot er Instances tl e acts were of an 1 mo -al kind and of such a a ture aB to be unfit for publ cat on In th s repo t T ere ere acts of rutal tet fled to before tl e con nlttea whl h ght le e merated n en on slight provo at on were t ro,n into Ja 1 and kept there with out the opportun ty of provl g the r Wnocence There were nay good men In the ml t a both officers and prl ate and the str kers test f5 Ing said tfiat certa n companies were composed of kind men and If the r houses were to be searched the asked tl at ne nbers of these compa n es ght be sent but if others were . sent to do the search ng they wou d be subjected to Indlgtilt es and would "probably be robbed of whatever thej might have that t o m 1 tla wa ted Adjutant Scored The con n ttee denoun es John M. Chase adju ant general of the militia of the Btate for his refusal to testify except upon condlt on that he v.oud not be q estloned by representatives of t e miners and declares that le was o er bearing to all vho came In contact with him Re lewing the testimony of many wit nesses t e report sajs from the t me the strike was called unt 1 the federal troops were sent Into the fie d by tl e president of t e Lnlted States there was a series of battles which seemed to be fierce while they as ed and a number of peop e were k 1 ed and wo nded on both s des It condemns as Inexcusable both the attack on Berwlnd camp by men alleged to have been strikers as wel as the assau t upon Forbes tent co ony by armed guards us ng a mach ne gun. private guard sjstem maj be thought necessar the comm ttee here comments, but wherever it exists soon er or later trouble will occur and proper officers of the lav s ould be substituted who will be Impart al in ma nta n Dg peace and order Testimony of present and forn r county officials Is quoted to show efforts of mine operators to control e ec ons In Las Animas and Huerfano count es and tha committee remarks that the manner of se ectlng juries In those counties where accord ng to wit esses in one ca e at least seven out of twelve Jurors were deputv sheriffs appears to be against the provisions of the law Guards Weie Professionals Some of the men brought into Colorado by detective agenc es emp oyed to guard the mines the committee finds had been in the same kind of service In West Vlrg n a and they brought with then the same n achlne gun which had been used In an armored car against strikers in that state Concerning the charge that the oper ato s were guil y of peonage the com mittee reports We did not find It clarly proven that a cond on of peonage ex sted n the coal fie ds of Colorado but we found that dur ng the strike me wre brought in from other states by the car and tra nload and were de i er,ed to the mining camps under guard of the militia many of them being for elgnerB and unacq a n ed with the work of m nlng coal. Vv e do not be 1 e e it was proven that the operators forcibly kept men in can p until their debts were paid, hut that they rather endeavored to hold those wl o already were in camp before the etrike and to prevent those who had been taken in as strike breakers from going out side. Declaring that the mine troubles are nation wide in scope the committee reaches this conclusion It shou d foe the duty of the gov ernment to a s 6t any state in set t ng a dispute that Is nation wide In its scope and if any federal law can be enacted that wal help not only Co orado but any other state that mav be slmllarlj situated It Is the duty of congress to speedily put upon the statute books tl e necessarv laws so that such industrial d sturbances maj forever cease. |