WOODROW WILSON'S INTERVENTION IN THE COAL STRIKE OF 1914.

When violence broke out in the strike-ridden coalfields of Colorado in 1914, President Woodrow Wilson was called upon to send federal troops into the State. Wilson had already made several attempts to bring about a settlement and was now faced with a decision fraught with political implications. The role Wilson played in the strike — the story of his critical decision to use federal troops — is less well known. In the spring of 1914, Wilson had problems enough on the international scene. Tension was mounting in Europe and, more immediately, the incident in Mexico had reached proportions of an inter-American crisis. Then, in April, violence flared up in Colorado, and Wilson ordered federal troops to occupy part of that State. Understanding the decision behind this movement is important in understanding Wilson's attitude toward the presidency. The situation in Colorado had not developed suddenly. The State had earlier been the site of serious labor disturbances in the mineral industry and these disturbances left a legacy that would intensify emotions of Colorado's citizens when the 1913 strike began.