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Hellraisers Journal – Saturday December 20, 1913
Denver, Colorado – News from Special Convention of State Federation of Labor
Thursday December 18, 1913-Denver, Colorado
– News from Special Convention of the Colorado Federation of Labor
Flag of Ludlow
Louis Tikas was released by the military three days ago from the cold, unheated cell with the broken window through which blew the bitter winter wind and snow. Yesterday, the Trinidad Free Press printed this letter from Louie to the paper’s editor:
Dear Sir,
In regards to calling you up by phone I have changed my mind, so I will write you a few lines of information. I arrived at Ludlow about 3 P.M. The most people of the tent colony were waiting for me, and after visiting the colony tent by tent and shaking hands with most the people, I find out that all was glad to see me back…
I am leaving tonight for Denver to attend the state Federation of Labor convention and believe that I will be called to state before the delegates of the convention anything that I know concerning the militia in the southern field. While I stay a few days at Denver I will return to Ludlow again.
LOUIS TIKAS
Ludlow, Colorado[Emphasis added.]
The special convention of the Colorado Federation of Labor was called by President McLennan and Secretary W. T. Hickey:
The strike of the miners has grown to a real war in which every craft and department of organized labor is threatened with annihilation unless they take a positive and decided stand for their rights. The uniform of the state is being disgraced and turned into an emblem of anarchy as it was in the days of Peabody. In the southern fields, military courts, illegal and tyrannical, are being held for the purpose of tyrannizing the workers. Leaders of labor are being seized and arrested and held without bail. The homes of union miners have been broken into by members of the National Guard and property stolen. In order, that members of organized labor in every part of the state, whether affiliated or not, may become familiar with conditions in this struggle, a convention is hereby called to meet in Denver Tuesday December 16, 1913, at 10 o’clock. The purpose of the convention is the protection of the rights of every worker in this state and the protection of the public from the unbridled greed and outrages of the coal operators.
[Emphasis added]
More than 500 delegates answered the call and assembled at the Eagle’s Hall on Tuesday December 16th. They included national officers from United Mine Workers, President White, Vice-President Hayes and Secretary Green. John Lawson and Louie Tikas arrived from the strike zone in the southern field. There was outrage as the Convention learned of the disaster at the Vulcan mine. This is the same mine which the union had called a death trap just months before. Many delegates made it plain that they are in favor of a statewide general strike should one be called by union leaders. The Convention demands that Governor Ammons remove General Chase from command and immediately transfer all military prisoners to the civil courts.
Mother Jones made her way to the convention in spite of military orders that she stay out of the state. It is said that sympathetic trainmen assisted her in slipping into Denver. She made her opinion of Governor Ammons clear by calling for him to be hanged.
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Friday December 19, 1913, Denver, Colorado
More News from Special Convention of Colorado Federation of Labor
The morning of December 18th, Mother Jones led a march of 2,000 delegates through the snowy streets of Denver to the state capitol. Marching right beside her was Louie Tikas, carrying the banner of Ludlow. The delegates demanded a meeting with Governor Ammons, and the Governor agreed to meet with some of the delegates in the State House of Representatives.
The delegates in the march demanded a meeting with Governor Ammons, and the Governor agreed to meet with them. The chamber of the State House of Representatives was chosen as a room which would seat 500, with only actual delegates to the convention to be allowed inside. A huge crowd waited outside the meeting room.
The meeting was presided over by Eli M. Gross, [a] vice president of the Colorado Federation of Labor, who told the delegates, “Governor Ammons will answer any questions. I will rule that the questions be written.”
The Governor answered questions and then made this statement: “I do not believe many of the charges that have been made against the National Guard, but I would be glad to have a committee of the federation investigate and submit any proof.”
The final resolutions passed by the convention demanded the release of all military prisoners and adamantly called for the removal of General Chase and Judge Advocate Boughton, described as “mere tools and lickspittles for the mine owners.” The resolutions concluded with this declaration:
This convention declares now and gives fair warning, in the name of millions of American workingmen, that these things will no longer be tolerated. No surer or more certain course can be followed if it is desired to turn workingmen into anarchists. We call upon the great body of Americans not to drive workingmen into the ranks of the anarchists. The law was not made simply for the rich. There is not a man who will read this declaration but knows that if Osgood, Brown and Rockefeller, who are fighting the strikers with a malignity hitherto unknown in American history, were arrested, they would not be held incommunicado or denied counsel. Can any fair-minded man blame us for bitterness when the laborer is thus, by the officers of the law, denied the rights granted to the rich? We have no quarrel with the rich man, and we seek to prejudice no one against him. We do, however, demand for the laborer every privilege before the law which the rich man has. We frankly avow intention to get these rights for laboring men. We intend to get them lawfully if we can. Again we say, if this be treason, let the coal operators make the most of it.
[Emphasis added.]
The Governor was given five days to comply with the Convention’s demands or face a recall petition. The executive board was granted the authority to call for a state-wide strike should they deem one to be necessary.
A committee was named by the C. F. of L. to probe the Colorado National Guard as the Governor, himself, had suggested. Chosen for that committee were John Lawson, Eli Gross, Frank Miner, James Kirwan, and Prof. James H. Brewster of the University of Colorado School of Law, with John Lawson appointed chairman. The Governor provided the committee with this letter of authority, addressed to General Chase:
You will please give this committee every assistance within your power to the end that they may secure what information they desire. Please have them furnished with any information you may have or direct that any one who has information shall give it to them. I will appreciate it if you could, if they so desire, send some one with them wherever they want to go.
[Emphasis added.]
Before leaving Denver, John Lawson made this statement:
The convention was undoubtedly the greatest in the history of the Colorado labor movement. It conclusively demonstrated several things. First, that organized labor is going to demand that the liberties of the people be protected. They are not willing to permit any military despot to arrogate to himself privileges that have been denied the czar of Russia. They are going to stand first, last and always for trial by jury. They will not permit Major Boughton, General Chase, the governor or anyone else to abrogate this right. It might be well to call the attention of the Democratic Party and the state administration to the fact that the appointment of such tyrants as General Chase and Sherman Bell during the Peabody regime brought a great political revolution and changed the entire aspect of state politics. And it would be well for the present administration to remember that it was the united forces of labor that brought about this revolution. If the present administration insists on serving the corporations instead of the people, the labor forces will bring about another change.
[Emphasis added.]
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SOURCES
Quote John Lawson 1913, after October 17th Death Special attack
on Forbes Tent Colony, Beshoar p74
https://archive.org/details/outofdepths0000unse/page/74/mode/1up?q=bandanna
Buried Unsung
Louis Tikas and the Ludlow Massacre
-by Zeese Papanikolas
U of Nebraska Press, 1991
https://archive.org/details/buriedunsungloui0000papa/mode/1up?view=theater
-Tikas Released from jail, attends CO FofL Convetion in Denver
https://archive.org/details/buriedunsungloui0000papa/page/139/mode/1up?view=theater&q=tikas
https://archive.org/details/buriedunsungloui0000papa/page/140/mode/1up?view=theater&q=tikas
https://archive.org/details/buriedunsungloui0000papa/page/141/mode/1up?view=theater&q=tikas
https://archive.org/details/buriedunsungloui0000papa/page/143/mode/1up?view=theater&q=tikas
Out of the Depths
The Story of John R. Lawson, A Labor Leader
-Barron B. Beshoar
Colorado Labor Historical Committee
of the Denver Area Labor Federation, 1942
https://archive.org/details/outofdepths0000unse
-re Special CO FoL Convention, Denver
https://archive.org/details/outofdepths0000unse/page/115/mode/1up?q=convention
https://archive.org/details/outofdepths0000unse/page/116/mode/1up?q=convention
https://archive.org/details/outofdepths0000unse/page/117/mode/1up?q=convention
https://archive.org/details/outofdepths0000unse/page/118/mode/1up?q=convention
IMAGES
Louie Tikas w Flag of Ludlow, RMN p3, Dec 19, 1913
https://www.genealogybank.com/doc/newspapers/image/v2:12C601A5C4B97518@GB3NEWS-147952D6CE243570@2420121-1477649DC4571D50@2
Mother Jones Stampedes CO FoL Conv, DP p1, Dec 17, 1913
https://www.genealogybank.com/doc/newspapers/image/v2:12C7581AC4BD0728@GB3NEWS-136C5AED43181D40@2420119-136C18691342F438@15-136C18691342F438
March of CO FoL Delegate, Denver, Dec 18, 1913
http://digital.library.upenn.edu/women/jones/autobiography/autobiography.html#XIII
See also:
Hellraisers Journal – Wednesday December 17, 1913
Denver, Colorado – Convention of State Federation of Labor Begins
Industrial Relations
Final Report and Testimony, Vol. 8
United States. Commission on Industrial Relations
U.S. Government Printing Office, 1916
(search: “doyle exhibit no 3”)
-p7344: Resolutions Passed by Special CO FoL Conv. on Dec 16, 1913
https://books.google.com/books?id=0-keAQAAMAAJ
Tag: Colorado Coalfield Strike of 1913-1914
https://weneverforget.org/tag/colorado-coalfield-strike-of-1913-1914/
More on the special convention of the Colorado State Federation of Labor:
The convention took up the question of calling for a state-wide sympathy strike on behalf of the United Mine Workers of America. That sympathy strike was not called. The following from the Typographical Journal indicates objections that some of the delegates had with that resolution: “inviolability of existing contracts.”
REPRESENTATIVE PULVER.
To the Officers and Members of the International Typographical Union:
Ladies and Gentlemen-I herewith submit my report for the fiscal year ending May 31, 1914:
…December 16, under instructions from President Duncan, I attended the special convention of the Colorado State Federation of Labor in Denver, called to take such action as was considered advisable in reference to the strike of the United Mine Workers in this state and the unwarranted and illegal action of the state military authorities in connection with the strike. Several of the typographical unions of Colorado were represented. Among other things, a state-wide strike was proposed, in an effort to assist the miners. All printers present insisted on the inviolability of existing contracts with employing printers and publishers…..
SOURCE
Typographical Journal, Volume 45
International Typographical Union, 1914
(search: “colorado state federation of labor in denver”)
p127
https://books.google.com/books?id=tZwuAQAAIAAJ
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