The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1886-04-13
THE EAST ST. LOUIS TRAG.
EDY.


is certainly to be regretted, not only
by the Knights of Labor, but by
those who glory in law and order.
Both know, however, in the sober
afterthought of reason that the result
was due alone to the bad element of
the former, and the encouragement
which they have given to mobs.
The Kansas City Times untruthfully
says that there was ''no mob before
the shooting; and that there was a
mob afterward," for everything goes
to show that had there been no mob
there would have been no necessity
for deputies, hence the shooting would
not have taken place. As for the
"poor woman" In the case, in accord
ance with the popular belief, the
place for woman is not in the midst
of a gang of men, with her mouth
filled with vituperatives of the vilest
sort; neither should such women be
considered as women in anything else
than the mere accident Of sex. As is
well known, the loudest mouthed vi
RACES, are always to be found in mobs,
and during the red revolution in
France, also the commune, these crea-
lures, by their language and their
unwomanly conduct, constituted the
most obnoxious element with which
the authorities had to contend. 1t
seems dreadful thing to raise hand
against woman, but when a woman
unsexes herself and decends to the
unqualified abuse, interlarded with
egg and stone throwing, which usually
characterize the creatures who help
to form a mob, they should be dealt
with in exactly the same fashion as
men. Again, it is easy enough for
sympathizers with the strikers to say
that the man who fired the first shot
in East st. Louis was controlled by
a cowardly impulse but as
Charles Reade has it, ''put
yourself in his place" As has been
proven in Sedalia, it is not an easy
thing for man of spirit even although
he has sworn to do his duty, to bear
with calmness and patience the vile
abuse and slurs which have so far con-
stituted the stock In trade of
the strikers and that the
inherent spirit Of retaliation
was aroused, while not entirely
justifable perhaps, was not matter
for wonder. The mere swearing of
man into service as guard does not
cause him to forget his manhood and
that the deputies in the heat of pas
sion fired on these, who, from Whist
they supposed was safe vantage
ground, wantonly and openly insulted
them is no more than might have been
expected. Certainly the Fort Worth
atrocity where men planned and delib-
erately hid themselves in ambush for
the purpose of shooting men down
who were attempting to uphold the
laws of the land, is much more to be
condemned than the East St. Louis
affair, which was merely the result Of
nrovocation almost beyond precedent.
But while, as has has been said, the
Knights of Labor were in the main re-
sponsible for the terrible affair, vet
Governor Oglesby should be made to
understand that he has utterly and
intrievably failed in his duty to the
law abiding citizens of his state.
East St. Louis was under mob law
two weeks ago and the Governor was
repeatedly told that the authorities
were unable to cope with the spirit of
lawlessness among the striking ele- |
ment, but still the Governor delayed |
sending assistance and with threats of
what he would do unless the people
behaved themselves" sat back in
Springfield and viewed the situation
at long range. Doubtless his excel |
lency thought that day would come
when he would want the Knight off
Labor vote and it did not matter if a
few people were killed SO that this was