OCR Text |
Show The Vagabond Host THE uprising, as in a night, of an army like the Kelley army in California, is a serious thing, for it carries with it a direct menace to free institutions. There must be a cause for it, perhaps several causes. We wonder how many of the sinister company are native Americans. If they are mostly foreign born, then the chief cause is traceable in large measure to the want they suffered in other lands which killed their patriotism pat-riotism and self respect before those germs In their souls had a chance to begin to expand. If they are mostly native born, then It is clear that there are wrongs in our country which must be swiftly cured or the truth will soon be made apparent that there is a mighty percentage of the human family who are not yet fit to be free. If such hideous presentations can spring up in California, what will it be when California Is as densely populated as Massachusetts now is? But after all it is futile to trace out the cause of such an uprising except to try to devise a cures H for the wrong. M The first things to look to aro the homes of the H country. Are not thousands of the homes but nur- H series for just such dangerous loafers as make up jH the Kelley army? Is it the rule in the homes to H impress upon the children, the boys especially, H that if they would have anything worth keeping, H they must honestly earn it? Aro the homes and H schools combined so carried on as to fit children, H boys especially, to know something through which H they can earn an honest and honorable livelihood? H Are citizens in the cities and city officers doing H their part to keep track of the unemployed, what H they aro doing and what their needs are? H Again when a vag is convicted by what au- H thority does any city officer send such an one H away to prey upon other places? H Then, when a convict serves his term and H though known to be a desperato and dangerous H man, why does the law release its hold upon him H and permit him to go forth and prey upon Inno- H cent people? A man convicted of a felony by right H has forfeited his claim to liberty. Such men should have a place by themselves; should be sup- H plied work and paid for it, but should be placed where they can no longer bo a menace to inno- H cent people; no longer past-masters to teach H lesser criminals their sinister arts. H The abuse of free speech, the using of it to incite violence is a crime and should be suppressed. H For example it is said that Heywood, formerly of H Denver, is coming here to speak in behalf of the I. W. W.'s; that he looks upon this as a promts- H ing field in which to gain proselytes. Now his record for the past ten years is well known here. It is known that no matter where ho goes, trouble to society follows. H A woman was found in Now York City two or three years ago who was a natural incubator of H typhoid germs which she was throwing off by mil- M lions daily, in the public conveyances, In the M stores and streets.- She was, though an abso- M . lutely Innocent woman, a perpetual disease dis- seminator, and it was necessary to isolate her. This Heywood cannot bo Isolated, but the M disease he throws off comes from his mouth. His H mouth should be quarantined, and should so far- HI as public speaking goes, be Isolated. The man M who with knife and revolver tries to run amuck M is either speedily run in or killed. The man who tries to Invito other men to cease honest work and resort to violence In order to live, should bo silenced. H That much Is due honest people who live by honest work and fear violence. H |