You ought to be out raising hell. This is the fighting age. Put on your fighting clothes.
-Mother Jones
```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
Thursday October 29, 1914
Washington, D. C. - Mother Jones and James Lord Meet With President Wilson
Mother Jones, known in the coalfields of America as the miners' angel, met with President Wilson yesterday. She came to plead the case of the striking miners and their families who are living, still, in tent colonies in the strike zone of Southern Colorado. She was accompanied by James Lord, official of the United Mine Workers of America, and also the head of the mining division of the American Federation of Labor. The suggestion made to the President of the United States was that the mines of Colorado should either be closed down or taken over and run for the benefit of the public by the Federal Government.
Mother Jones, The Miners' Angel
From today's edition of The Washington Times:
Wilson Considers Plans to Close the Colorado Mines
----------
Attorney General, It is Understood, Has Been Asked to Define
Limit of Authority in Dealing With Disorders.
----------
James Lord, at far right
Attorney General Gregory is understood to have been asked by President Wilson as to the latter's authority for closing the coal mines in Colorado.
Such a step has been suggested to the President from time to time as a means of bringing an end to the lawless conditions in Colorado resulting from the coal strike.
"Mother " Jones, who, with James Lord, head of the mining division of the Federation of Labor, saw the President yesterday, suggested either that the mines should be closed down or taken over and operated by the Federal Government.
It is believed the President within the next few days will take some such decisive step, either for the purpose of bringing an end to the disorders or forcing the Rockefellers and other mine-owning interests of the State to accept his proposals for a truce agreement between the strikers and the operators. The strikers have already accepted the proposals. The mine owners have refused to.
IN CONFERENCE OVER AND HOUR.
Attorney General Gregory had more than an hour's conference with the President today. It is understood the Colorado situation was the principal topic of discussion . It is believed that the President asked Mr. Gregory's opinion as to his right to close the mines. Mr. Gregory refused to deny or confirm the report.
According to the argument put up to the President by "Mother" Jones and other friends of the strikers, the President, under the ruling in the famous Debs case decided by the Supreme Court of the United States as a result of the Chicago strike in President Cleveland's term, has the right to exercise supreme powers to protect the United States mails and interstate commerce.
"Mother" Jones told the President that if the Federal troops are withdrawn lawlessness will break out again in Colorado, and the entire State will be plunged into a state of civil war.
Under such circumstances, or in the belief that such a thing would happen, she contends that the President would not only be justified in closing the mines, but in taking them over and operating them under Government control.
From today's edition of The Wichita Beacon:
Colorado Mines May Close If Wilson Has That Right
------
President Wilson
Washington, Oct. 29.-President Wilson is seriously considering whether he has authority to close Colorado mines involved in the strike there if the operators continue to refuse the plan of settlement already accepted by the miners.
Attorney-General Gregory conferred with the President today and it was understood that Mr. Wilson has asked him regarding his right to close the mines, if public necessity, in his opinion required that step. Mr. Gregory refused to discuss his call.
The President has received suggestions that he close the mines. Several of his advisers have gone further and suggested that the government operate them. He is unwilling to keep federal troops in Colorado indefinitely, but has been told by representatives of the miners that if they were withdrawn before a settlement is reached, rioting will result.
----------
Ammons Doesn't Agree.
Governor Ammons
Denver, Col, Oct. 29.-"I see no occasion for closing the Colorado coal mines and imposing an industrial burden upon the state just at a time when the greatest demand for fuel is beginning," was the statement of Governor E. M. Ammons today when told of a Washington dispatch indicating that President Wilson was considering whether he has authority to shut down the properties owned by operators who have refused to accept the Davis-Fairley plan of settling the miners' strike.
I have understood that the president would withdraw the federal troops about November 15. In my judgment he can safely do so, and the state will be prepared at that time to assume responsibility for keeping order in the strike district.
Referring to the visit of "Mother" Jones and James Lord of the mining department of the American Federation of Labor, to the President, Governor Ammons said:
I can not believe that Mr. Wilson will pay any attention to the representations made by such persons, who are not residents of Colorado and are not qualified to speak for the people of the state.
----------
We find it interesting that Governor Ammons, Democrat of Colorado, was not bothered by "such persons" who were not residents of Colorado, and who were heavily armed and imported into the state by the coal operators, and who were then deputized by the Sheriffs of Las Animas and Huerfano counties, and who were subsequently accepted into the Colorado National Guard. It was this gunthug militia, for whose conduct the Governor is ultimately responsible, which committed the Ludlow Massacre.
Mother Jones and James Lord are in Washington as official representatives of the United Mine Workers of America. This is the very organization now supporting thousands of residents of the state Colorado. These Colorado citizens reside in the tent colonies which were set up on land leased by their union after the miners and their families were evicted by the coal operators from the company shacks of the coal baron's company towns.
We would also point out that John D. Rockefeller Jr. is also not a resident of Colorado, yet his rule over the Colorado counties of Las Animas and Huerfano is all but complete.
A Resident of the State of Colorado
SOURCES
The Washington Times
(Washington, D. C.)
Oct 29, 1914
http://www.newspapers.com/...
The Wichita Beacon
(Wichita, Kansas)
Oct 29, 1914
http://www.newspapers.com/...
The Ludlow Massacre
-by Walter H. Fink
Williamson-Haffner,
Denver, Colorado, 1914
https://archive.org/...
See Also:
Report on the Colorado Strike
-by George P. West
Barnard & Miller Print, 1915
(search with "Secretary Wilson" & choose p.93
for more on Davis & Fairley plan)
http://books.google.com/...
IMAGES
Mother Jones, 1914
http://www.loc.gov/...
James Lord
http://www.flickr.com/...
President Wilson
http://en.wikipedia.org/...
Governor Ammons
http://en.wikipedia.org/...
``````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
Ludlow Massacre - Woody Guthrie
You struck a match and in the blaze that started,
You pulled the triggers of your Gatling guns
I made a run for the children but the fire wall stopped me.
Thirteen children died from your guns.
-Woody Guthrie
``````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````