Show conditions IN COLORADO the new york engineering and mining journal in commenting on conditions at cripple creek colorado says on another page we publish a letter from mr lawrence which undoubtedly expresses the views of a large number of our i readers in colorado it is an earnest protest against our own recent lack of enthusiasm for the methods adopted at cripple creek in the efforts of the mine operators to put an end to the iniquitous tyranny of the western federation of miners mr lawrence asks why we in common with the more thoughtful of our eastern contemporaries por aries fail to give active support to governor peabody the militia and the mine owners owna in their deportation of the miners and ther alier acts considered necessary in the fight with the federation well we will give our reasons frankly the th e deportation of members of the western federation of miners under cover of martial law may seem to be at the necessary measure in the eyes of those apon upon the spot to the observer at a little Ri distance stance it seems to be a proceeding altogether to much like that of the russian police sy system stem to be necessary or even tolerable in this country for those who are guilty of the crime perpetrated at independence on june 6 deportation is an utterly insufficient punishment for those who are innocent forcible ejectment into an adjoining state is an unwarrantable outrage moreover and here is the danger of the precedent it is possible that the supporters of the miners union might some day be in a in majority in colorado or in some other state in that case what would prevent I 1 the duly constituted authorities from forcibly e re removing ni oving under cover of martial law the mine k owners or others who might be opposed to the policy then prevailing it is playing with edged tools mr L lawrence awrence refers in his letter to the expulsion of the mormons cormons from missouri some fifty years ago by the governor of the state as a precedent but that cannot be taken in any sense as a precedent in law fa for it was done frankly and avowedly as mob law and without any proper process of the courts it passed in that time and community but we do not think it would ile be possible today it is not the custom of this journal to discuss political topics but our correspondent arid and his bis friends of the mine operators association dip into politics in a way which seems to us not only inexpedient but dangerous mr lawrence refers in the first place to the fact that the object of the miners union is to control the government of the state further on he makes reference to senator patterson patterson and to the danger threatened threaten bd should the democrats obtain control at the coming election now as a matter of law fact and the theory of our government the miner has just as much tight as the wing mine owner or anybody else to work and vote for the control of the state by his party or faction all that the law requires is that he shall work for this end in a peaceable and orderly manner we may think that he is mistaken in his objects and that the attainment of his purpose would not be for the best interests of the commonwealth the fact remains that he has just as much right in the case as warring corporations have to fight for the control of the state of montana or a transportation company for the control of the city of new york to carry the comparison a little further the recent republican convention in chicago adopted a platform which states in effect that the continuance of the republican party in power at washington is necessary to the welfare of the community generally and to its continued prosperity most people look at this declaration with equanimity whether they believe it or not considering si it merely as a bit of pyrotechnics but why if we accept the views of our correspondent and adopt colorado methods should not the rel republican alican party being in control of the government and its forces proceed to deport all per persistent sistena democrats era s on the ground that their activity constituted a danger to the public welfare of course this is reducing the matter to an absurdity but it is simply an extension of our correspondents argument to its logical conclusion if the power is in your hands kick hick out your opponent it is very simple I 1 it t I 1 is also the russian way only in russia they send those in the minority to siberia instead dumping of them at the kansas kangas line we do not mean to approve the action of the western federation of miners or its members and we do insist that every lawful means should be employed to indict and duly punish those who use violence to compass their end or endeavor to terrorize a community into the adoption of their views but there is still law in the land and there I 1 are methods by which illegal violence can be punished and its recurrence prevented thirty five years ago there existed in the anthracite region in pennsylvania a condition of lawlessness and terrorism worse than any which has prevailed at leadville at telluride or at cripple creek the late franklin B gowen then general counsel of the philadelphia reading company was invited to join in organizing a corps of vigilantes who were to take the law into their hands and break up these conditions which had been brought about by the miners society generally known as the molly maguires he refused to do this stating that as an attorney he had taken taken oath to support the laws and constitution of his state but on the other hand he vowed that he be would leave no effort untried to bring the perpetrators of the outrages to account by lawful means 1 he ae began the work almost single handed handed for most of the anthracite th operators were adrai 0 to help him and even some of the managers of his own company were doubtful of the results with the aid 0 of f detectives and his associates mr gowen obtained evidence against the members of the association had them arrested tried convicted and a number of them hanged after a series of trials which were long remembered throughout the community and he gave to the anthracite country a peace which lasted for more than twenty years all this was brought by and through the law and in communities where it was apparently apparent jy impossible in to obtain juries which did not include merr men who sympathized with the methods of the miners union or who feared its representatives mr gowen left an example for the mine owners in colorado he showed what could be accomplished by the courage and persistency of a single man who believed that in this country the law should be supreme in all things the platitudinous of peabody the frothy vehemence of sherman bell and the unrestrained vindictiveness of the mine owners are not likely to impress people anywhere with the righteousness of the cause which they represent all this only alienates public support and it is to such support based upon a respect for law and order that our friends in colorado must appeal if they are to bring about a permanent cure of existing conditions |