, 1892-03-24
ORGANIZING A BOYCOTT.

OLlOhAILL4ANo
There was a committee of adherents Of
the stock commission appointed yesterday
which exerted itself with extraordinary
diligence. The work of the committee
was to interview the different business
men of thus city with the object Of getting
a letter from zach one pledging himself to
withdraw all of his advertising and other
patronage from THE LEADER in the
event hat this paper failed to recede
from its present attitude with reference to
the stock commission. The energetic
and able committee was there
fore engaged in irving to organ
ize a boycott against this paper
with the object of sapping away the busi-
ness patronage and thus crushing it out OF
existence. 1t was putting into practical
execution the policy outlined with more
force than elegance by Col. Hiram b.
Iiams, secretary of the stock commission
when he said: There is nothing left to
do but to bust the damned institution"
These gentlemen did not call 1t a boy
colt and they would have been highly Of
Tended no doubt had it been so called IN
their presence. They were men of means
who would not indulge 10 such a course,
hut it was nevertheless a conspiracy en-
tered into by these individuals to destroy
an institution of this city by organizing a
boycott against it.
Viewed from a somewhat different
standpoint the case is this: THE LEADER
has seen fit to ~promulgate the idea that
the Stock commission should no longer be
permitted to maintain a course which has
no warrant of law. The adherents of the
stock commission do not pretend to have
authority under the legislative act which
created it to withhold money in the arbi-
trary manner to which it resorts. The
only objection apparently is to have the
fact publicly stated hat such conduct is
purely an assumption of power unwar-
rauted by the law. They have no objec-
tion to confessing this privately, but draw
the line at acknowledging publicly what
is self evident to everyone, whether he
is interested or predjudiced for or against.
Between THE LEADER and the adher-
ents of the stock commission there Is
simply a difference of opinion. Because
The LEADER sees fit to express an opin-
ion which is contrary to the views of the
stock commission and its friends it is to be
boycotted and its business destroyed.
The good old fashioned doctrine of free
speech is to be throttled and everybody
must dance to the music provided for
them or they are debarred from all terpsi-
chorean enjoyment. If we arc proceed
ing along the wrong line, il the position
assumed by this paper Is an incorrect one,
the American way Of doing it would be
to demonstrate that fact through the col
umns OF a newspaper. Nobody is barred
from the columns of thus paper simply be-
cause the editor differs from him in the
views which may be expressed. Even the
gifted members OF the committee which
so actively worked yesterday, even the
lrrepressible and energetic Billy Irvine,
who marshalled the forces from the hdr-
ricane deck of a white horse-none Of these
are barred from stepping forward and
showing wherein and how we arc wrong
This, we say. is the American way OF
doing such things, but 1t does not seem to
be the way of the committee. They do
not argue-they coerce. They shove
their opinions down the threats of the
opposition or they crush the opposition
out Of existence.
Ii the time has come in Wyoming
when a man dare not express an honest
opinion, when he may not honestly differ
from his neighbor on a question of
principle or morality, if each man must
square his actions to the cut aud dried
opinions Of some self constituted clique
of public censors and dare not call his
soul his own, then it is high time for
every decent. self respecting man to get
out OF the state to some section OF the
broad domain of Uncle Sam where he
can be a man AMONG men and where the
true American spirit of tolerance prevails
and thrives.
These gentlemen who have organized
the boycott and those who are being in
weighed into joining it should first give the
matter serious and thoughtful considera,
ton. They must not forget that the
boycott Is a two edged sword that cuts
both ways and tabt the consequences of
the act may extend far and away beyond
the occasion which gave it rise
THE advertisement of Arp & Ham
mond, hardware dealers, was withdrawn