representatives of the operators, a part of which he (Wilson) attended. I have no doubt Mr. King's plan would be effective in cases of frequent disputes between the employed and employer, or where there was a general recognition of union labor without the "check off" and exclusive rights of the members of the union that are a part of the policy of the United Mine Workers of America. It seems to me, however, that the adoption at this time by the Colorado operators of such a plan as Mr. King suggests would weaken us with our men; would tend to strengthen the organization with our employees not now members of it; and would, in the minds of the public, be an admission on our part that a weakness, the existence of which we had previously denied, was being corrected. The strike of our coal miners was literally forced upon them against their wishes by people from the outside. I imagine that some people, more or less intimately connected with labor conditions in other parts of the United States, but uninformed as to our affairs, would accept this statement with a good deal of allowance, but I contend that it is absolutely correct as made, and that, being true, no arbitration or conciliation board operating between workmen and employers could have prevented the calling of this strike. I am interested in what you say about the results of Mr. King's labors in Canada in connection with strikes, and hope to some time have the opportunity of discussing work of this character with him. It seems to be unnecessary, however, for him to come to Colorado at this time, for my opinion, as indicated above, is that it would be inadvisable to undertake a plan such as Mr. King suggests while the coal strike is in an unsettled state. We know there is no demand on the part of our men-at any rate, none of moment-for a board to arbitrate or handle possible differences between them and the mine officers. Whatever demand there may be of that character comes from the uninformed public and is an opinion, rather than a demand, based on misinformation as to conditions surrounding the Colorado strike. I think that the views expressed by those from whom I have received letters inspired by the bulletins are somewhat significant, and practically all of these have, while commending the coal mine committee for setting the facts before the public, approved the general policy that the operators have pursued. Mr. Bowers, Mr. Weitzel, manager of our fuel department, and I have considered the advisability of at some time inaugurating a plan to be represented by the proper committee, by which our men could, when they considered it necessary, reach the higher officers of the company on matters in which they were concerned. We were prompted to the consideration of this because of the charge frequently made during the past few months-which as to the C. F. & I. Co. is false-that the workmen could not reach the officers of the company on any matter without fear of discharge by the superintendent, and by the fact that this charge seemed to make an impression on some of those who were naturally favorably disposed toward our side of the controversy and toward our general policy. We have thought that whatever we do in this direction should be done after the strike is over and as a natural forward step from or development of our past liberal policy toward our men. Above all, it seems to me that we should avoid a course that would, in the minds of the public, justify the charge that we had been forced by the United Mine Workers of America into giving our employees something radically different and better than they had previously enjoyed. Mr. Lee is now working on some bulletins of an introductory nature, to be posted at our mines, from which we can work into a broader scheme of cooperation, as seems advisable. In normal times we have considered that our interests were best served, generally speaking, by pursuing a course independent of the other operators. During the strike, however, there has been very satisfactory cooperation among all of the operators, except the few who signed up with the miners' organization; yet I do not feel that that cooperation should be extended to cover our plans, as herein outlined, to which many of them might object, and in the operation of which I fear good faith would not always be shown. I have delayed answering your letter for the reason that I wanted to take time to consider the question presented in all of its phases. In expressing my views I have attempted to be as unprejudiced as circumstances would permit, and have tried to be governed by feelings that could not be considered arbitrary. Yours, very truly, Mr. JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER, New York, N. Y. THE EYRIE, Seal Harbor, Me., August 28, 1914. DEAR MR. WELBORN: Your full and interesting letter of August 20 is received. We have never qestioned the relations existing between the officers of the fuel company and the employees, both from statements made by the executive officers and the various official reports which have been issued. We have always believed that the fuel company stood out as conspicuous, because of the great care given this very question. I am sure you will understand, therefore, that no thought of criticism led to the suggestions made you in my earlier letter. I fully understand your point of view and quite agree with your conclusion that however desirable some such plan as suggested by Mr. King may be for future consideration, in order to give additional assurance that any just cause of complaint by an employee can be brought to the attention of the officers, it is not desirable to take the subject up at this time. Mr. Greene, who has taken Mr. Gates's place in our office and who has no personal knowledge of the fuel company's properties, has for many months been desirous of going to Colorado to familiarize himself with the mills and mines simply for his own information. Mr. Murphy has also wanted to make this trip. Thus far we have felt that for any representative from our office to be known as visiting Colorado might be misconstrued by the public and used to our disadvantage or the disadvantage of the company. Do you think that would still be true at this time, or do you believe that Mr. Greene could go to Colorado quietly within the next month or two without prejudicing the situation? Please write me quite frankly your opinion. It is not at all vital that he should go, the sole value of the trip would be to give him a better knowledge of the properties owned by the company, so that he could take more helpful part in our councils. Very sincerely, Mr. J. F. WELBORN. JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER, Jr. [The Colorado Fuel & Iron Co., Denver, Colo. J. F. Welborn, president.] SEPTEMBER 1, 1914. MY DEAR MR. ROCKEFELLER: I have your good letter of August 28 and am very much pleased that you agree with the views expressed in my letter of August 20 concerning the plan of cooperation between ourselves and our employees presented by Mr. King. It never occurred to me that the suggestions in your former letter on this subject implied any criticism whatever of any of us on the ground, and I hope my letter of August 20 did not indicate such a feeling. I am sure that this question is large enough to justify consideration by all of us, and whether we agree or not I shall always value your suggestions. Referring to the latter part of your letter regarding a proposed trip of Mr. Greene to Colorado for the purpose of familiarizing himself with our operations, I am sure that if certain of our Denver papers learned of Mr. Greene's presence in Colorado and at the same time knew that he was one of our directors from 26 Broadway, they would, for the purpose of encouraging the strikers, make it appear that Mr. Greene was very probably here to negotiate an adjustment of the strike. It is my opinion, however, that Mr. Greene could come to Denver and make a trip to our properties in the near future without his presence here or his connection with your affairs becoming generally known. Mr. Lee spent three weeks here without any comment being made about him through the press. It is hardly necessary to say that I should like very much to see Mr. Greene in Colorado, and whenever he comes we will all take pleasure in assisting him to acquire the greatest possible information concerning our operations. Yours, very truly, Mr. JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER, Jr., The Eyrie, Seal Harbor, Me. Mr. WELBORN. Another letter of August 19, dated at Seal Harbor, Me., addressed to J. F. Welborn, signed John D. Rockefeller, jr. Reply dated August 25, addressed to John D. Rockefeller, jr., signed J. F. Welborn. (Said correspondence is as follows:) THE EYRIE, Seal Harbor, Me., August 19, 1914. DEAR MR. WELBORN: Please send me two or three additional copies of the coal operators' brief, also of the mine union's brief, if obtainable. I have just read the former with much interest. It is comprehensive, direct, and clear. I am wondering whether the brief would not have been just as forceful and perhaps more dignified if certain sarcastic expressions had been omitted, which seem to me do not add strength and might irritate; such clauses as on page 19, line 8, "that very estimable organization"; page 28, causes of the strike," latter part of second paragraph; page 46, line 13, large type, "The dear people," etc. 66 I presume you have given Mr. Lee copies of both of these briefs. He should have them. Very truly, Mr. J. F. WELBORN, JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER, Jr. Denver, Colo. [The Colorado Fuel & Iron Co., Denver, Colo. J. F. Welborn, president.] AUGUST 25, 1914. MY DEAR MR. ROCKEFELLER: I have yours of the 19th instant and am forwarding to you, under separate cover, five copies of the coal operators' brief. I am unable at the moment to secure any copies of the mine union's brief, but have taken steps to secure two or three copies of this, which I think I will have within a few days and will forward as soon as received. Mr. Lee has a copy of our brief, but so far we have been unable to obtain one of the others for him, though he says he can secure a copy in Washington; and it may be that I can obtain copies for you only through his efforts. I think your criticism of certain passages in the coal operators' brief is fully justified, and I suppose the operators themselves might well be charged with responsibility for their appearance in the document. I took occasion to carefully read the first draft of the brief as soon as it was prepared, suggesting changes, and a few days later three members of the operators' committee and all of the attorneys interested went over it section by section. As a result of this a number of changes were made, more in language than in material points. Judge Northcutt, the real author of the brief, had devoted a number of days, including a substantial part of the nights, to the preparation of the brief, and I know there was some delicacy in suggesting corrections in language, although, as indicated before, we did it in a number of cases. We should all have been sober-minded enough to have prevented anything that would savor of a lack of dignity finding its way into the brief, but so many things have happened during the strike to "upset" us or throw us "off from our feet," that I fear some of us may have become less dignified in our daily work than heretofore. Yours, very truly, Mr. JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER, Jr., The Eyrie, Seal Harbor, Me. FOOTNOTE (LATER).-I have just secured and am forwarding one copy of the original brief of the striking miners and two copies of their reply brief. Mr. WELBORN. A letter of August 6, 1914, from 26 Broadway, New York, addressed to J. F. Welborn, signed John D. Rockefeller, jr. Reply dated August 10, addressed to Mr. John D. Rockefeller, jr., signed J. F. Welborn. (Said correspondence is as follows:) 26 BROADWAY, New York, August 6, 1914. DEAR MR. WELBORN: In a recent letter from Mr. Greene, he speaks of the Rev. A. A. Berle, whom Mr. Charles Loughridge had met in Denver and had conversed with regarding the strike situation. In view of what you have recently written me about Mr. Berle, I think you will be interested in the following comment which Mr. Greene makes regarding him: "Rev. A. A. Berle, to whom Mr. Loughridge refers, is a Boston minister, a Universalist, I think, of decidedly socialistic and cranky proclivities. He is not a man that I should want to have much to do with personally, but if he has reached conclusions of the sort intimated by Mr. Loughridge, it will be a good stroke for the operators, for his natural prejudices would be against us." Evidently Mr. Greene has known of Mr. Berle in Boston. This is only for your information. Very truly, Mr. J. F. WELBORN, JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER, Jr. President Colorado Fuel & Iron Co., Denver, Colo. [The Colorado Fuel & Iron Co., Denver, Colo. J. F. Welborn, president.] AUGUST 10, 1914. MY DEAR MR. ROCKEFELLER: I have yours of the 6th instant regarding the Rev. A. A. Berle, and note Mr. Greene's comments and reference to him. We have met with so many disappointments in connection with the attitude of people of influence concerning the strike that I have ceased to be very optimistic as to anyone, yet if Mr. Berle expresses himself, through any of the eastern publications with wide circulation, in accordance with the opinions freely expressed to Mr. Loughridge and others while in Denver, we will have a right to feel well satisfied with his trip to Colorado. Yours, very truly, Mr. JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER, Jr., New York, N. Y. Mr. WELBORN. This file starts with letter dated August 7, addressed to J. F. Welborn, Denver, Colo., signed the Labor News of Colorado Springs. Letter of August 18, 1914, addressed to C. J. Haase, manager Labor News, Colorado Springs, signed by J. F. Welborn. Letter of August 7, from 26 Broadway, addressed to J. F. Welborn, signed John D. Rockefeller, jr. Reply dated August 18, to Mr. Rockefeller, signed by J. F. Welborn. (Said correspondence is as follows:) 26 BROADWAY, New York, August 7, 1914. DEAR MR. WELBORN: I inclose herewith a letter from C. J. Haase, written on behalf of the Labor News of Colorado Springs. Why the Labor News should make this request of the Rockefeller Foundation, we are at a loss to know. Perhaps you can give us some light on the situation, together with your advice as to what, if any, reply should be made to the letter and the blank which is attached. Very truly, JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER, Jr. Mr. J. F. WELBORN, President Colorado Fuel & Iron Co., Denver, Colo. [The Labor News. Official organ Federated Trades Council, State Federation of Labor, and affiliated organizations.] Mr. J. F. WELBORN, Boston Building, Denver. COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo., August 7, 1914. DEAR SIR: We have been receiving your bulletins and have noted much of interest in them. We are as anxious as you to have the truth known to our readers, but we haven't the cash to spread it as we would like to. Will you donate, say, $200 to aid us in publishing these bulletins or extracts from them, that our readers all over the Pikes Peak region, hundreds of them, may know the truth? Very truly, yours, THE LABOR NEWS, [The Colorado Fuel & Iron Co., Denver, Colo. J. F. Welborn, president.] AUGUST 18, 1914. MY DEAR MR. ROCKEFELLER: I have delayed answering your letter of the 7th instant, with which you forwarded a letter from the Labor News of Colorado Springs, and which I return herewith, until I could secure some information about the standing of the paper in the community which it seems to serve. My investigation shows that the paper has a very limited circulation, even in Colorado Springs, where it is published, and practically no influence there or elsewhere with the labor element. It is looked upon by some people in Colorado Springs as a paper which, for a small consideration, frequently reproduces portraits and publishes articles of political candidates or others seeking popularity. It does not seem probable that the paper has sufficient circulation or influence to justify us in paying it anything to publish our bulletins, and acting on that assumption I have declined a request similar to the one sent to you. Yours, very truly, Mr. JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER, Jr., New York, N. Y. [The Colorado Fuel & Iron Co., Denver, Colo. J. F. Welborn, president.] Mr. C. J. HAASE, Manager the Labor News, Colorado Springs, Colo. AUGUST 18, 1914. DEAR SIR: In reply to yours of recent date, answer to which has been delayed because of a large accumulation of correspondence on my desk, I would state that while we appreciate your disposition to publish the facts concerning the Colorado coal strike and to use our bulletins as a basis, we can not see our way clear to pay anything for that service. All publication of this matter so far made by newspapers or periodicals has been gratis. Yours, very truly, Mr. WELBORN. Letter of July 21, from John D. Rockefeller, jr., written at Seal Harbor, addressed to J. F. Welborn. Reply dated July 27, addressed to Mr. Rockefeller, signed by J. F. Welborn. (Said correspondence is as follows:) THE EYRIE, Seal Harbor, Me., July 21, 1914. DEAR Mr. WELBORN: The inclosed article from the New York Times of Sunday leads me to ask what, if any, progress is being made looking toward the termination of the strike. As I understand it, the congressional committee, of which Dr. Foster was chairman, has not yet made its report. Is it expected soon, now that the briefs of both sides have been submitted? What was accomplished by the visit of Messrs. Fairley and Davies? Is anything further expected as a result of that investigation? Is the committee of the Colorado State Legislature appointed to look into the strike doing anything? Do you expect any definite results from their labors? Are there any other forces at work which you have reason to believe would be helpful in settling the strike? Do you see any prospects of its dying a natural death? I hope you are keeping well and holding your own against the severe and prolonged strain which you have been under these many months. You are frequently in our thoughts and always with warm and high regards. Very sincerely, Mr. J. F. WELBORN. JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER, Jr. [The Colorado Fuel & Iron Co., Denver, Colo. J. F. Welborn, president.] JULY 27, 1914. DEAR MR. ROCKEFELLER: I am in receipt of yours of the 21st instant inclosing an article from the New York Times of Sunday the 19th, which quotes from the |