Oct. 26 -- On this day in Montana history in 1903 the
Amalgamated Copper Company, which had followed through on its threat made a few
days earlier to lay off thousands of butte miners, brow beat the Montana
Legislature into a special session to pass a new change of venue law to allow
them to eventually win a lawsuit that they claimed would have forced them out
of business.” If they crush me today they will crush you tomorrow,” an
amalgamated owner told miners. The affair gave enormous power to Amalgamated and
spelled the end of an era of cooperation between mine owners and their workers
setting the stage for decades of bitter relations between them.
Augustus Heinze, who gave the Standard Oil Coffins speech ("crush me today...") wasn't much of an Amalgamated owner.. he was the primary thorn in the side of the Amalgamated, and the primary contender against them in the law suit that ultimately led to the special session, which I don't think the Governor called until early December 1903. Amalgamated opened the mines immediately after the special session was called, confident in their control over the legislature.
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