Salt Lake Tribune | 1919-11-21 | Page 6 | Communication

. . f Communication -t Editor Tribune: We may not all fully appreciate the benefit to our state of the freedom from social and Industrial disturbances dis-turbances which has prevailed here. Utah has the distinction of being one of the few states which has suffered none of the ill-effects of the race riots or strikes which have so unsettled conditions in other parts of the United States. In the latter part of July race riots broke out in the east. On July 21 a riot broke out In Washington which was so serious aa to require troops to suppress it, Before the "colored district" in Washington Wash-ington had become quiet, a more serious riot broke out In Chicago. It was five davs before the police, with the aid of four companies of soldiers, were able to quell the riots. In this riot, which ended August 1, the officials estimated that thii tv-slx were killed and 13CK) wounded. A few davs later a battle was fought at Elaine. Ark., between well-armed and., disciplined negroes and American troops. In all. there were thirty-nine major race clashes. A general orgy of lynching accompanied ac-companied and followed tlie riots. Between Be-tween the beginning of the outbreak and September 16 more than fifty lyncr.Ings were reported. Since then the lynchings have gone on. but at a slightly slower rate. The most widely condemned case of this type of lawlessness was the attempted at-tempted lynching of Mayor Smith of Omaha because he tried to prevent tie lyni hlng of a negro. Utah is one of the few states which has been undisturbed by strikes. The r.Ke of dock hands lr. New York almost suspended all freight shipments. Chicago was without street railway service for three weeks. The steei strike stopped for a time the nation's greatest industry. I More than 300,000 obeyed the strike call Issued on September 19. The coal strike j i called on October SO) is the grea'.est strike ever called In America. Four hun-! hun-! dred twenty-five thousand men left work. All of the soft coal fields, except the one in Utah, were closed down. And that at n time when the fuel administration estimated esti-mated that there was In the east enough coal to last but ninety days. These are but a few of the larger strikes. The people of this state have indeed been fortunate. The people of no part of the United States have been less disturbed dis-turbed by the race riots and strikes than have the people of Utah. In this state there have been no race riots, no lynchings lynch-ings and no strikes worth the name. We ! are proud of the record of Utah. Especially Espe-cially do we commend the industry and stability of the people of this section. I PAUL MASON. Prove. Utah. November IS. 1S1?.