Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1894-08-02

tect) burned by the torch, while other
honest men wanting to work were
ruthlessly stoned, beaten. driven away
or killed by these insurrectionists. and
yet you coolly say '.there was never
any interference with either the mails
| or Interstate commerce."
only, "a quarrel between the
employees of the railway companies
and the managers" ~ Innocent doves!
Only having a little fourth of July
amusement! Only setting off few
fire-crackers, and the country was fool
ed and frightened into supposing some
thing had happened! Ho. no! what a
jolly little innocent incident it was!!
Silly of Uncle Samuel to have noticed
it ALL! And poor innocent Debs and
the others who caused it all, all he did
was to concoct, to counsel, to agree, to
advise, to order the others to strike and
quit. to"block every road, ITO ''stop ev-
cry train" to telegraph to his dupes in
every quarter of the country..to do this
terrible work, to "save your money
and Guy you a gun, ITO stop the mails,
stop travel, stop commerce. ruin bust
ness men and railroads, start sedition
and riots, and inaugurate the reign OF
chaos, disorder and blood! And yet
innocent as lambs, not guilty Of con-
spiracy! Oh, no! all the blame is on
the other fellows,-the railroads! Yet
you, and Debs, and Sovereign, and
Altgeld, and Waite, and others say,
''there never was any interference
x only a little quarrel
between the employees of the railroad
companies and their managers!'
And the inference l think it fair to
draw from your article, and the much
talk of Debs, Altgeld and the others is
that the railroads are all to blame.
These strikers and rioters had no
complaints against the railroad COM
panies whatever as to wages or treat
ment. Yet the roads were attacked,
stopped and wrecked over half a con-
tinent. Why? Because at the dicta-
ton and command of Autocrat Debs,
they would not leave off a part of their
regular trains-certain cars made and
owned in part by Pullman.
With the same reason they could
boycott cars made by the St. Louis Car
Company or cars built at the De Soto
car shops.
You say the United States had no
right to interfere. They should have
told the railways to "carry the mails, !"
and forced them to run ..mail cars"
anyway. The United States had no
right to make any such demand. The
railways contracted to carry the mails
on their regular trains. Their regular
trains are made up of Pullman cars
as much a part of their regular equip
ment as passenger coach, or a bag
gage or express car. Every one
knows that railroads could not do busi-
ness now without sleepers. They ran
across the continent, night as we'll as
day, and they must run sleepers.
Their contracts were made with the
government, with reference to this
right, this duty.
Every passenger train carries in
ter-state passengers, interstate ex-
press, Interstate baggage, interstate
mail, and money, soldiers, and prop
erty for the United States and it is SO
clearly the duty of the general govern
ment to protect all this. and enforce
the law, and see to it that these great
avenues and lines of travel are protect
ed in operating their lines in an ammo
Tested and unObstructed way, that it
seems to me the most marvellous thing
in modern thought that any Intelligent
and thinking man or woman can be
found to disapprove of the timely and
vigorous interposition of the President
in simply giving aid to, (for he did not
displace or supercede.) the local au-
thorities in restoring law and order,
and enabling the railways to do their
duty in carrying on the commerce of
the country.
While Railways are bound to carry
the mails, the government is equally
bound to protect them in doing it in
the ordinary and usual way, and on
the ordinary and usual trains the COM
panies used when the contracts were
made.
For my part thank God reverently
that we have President with "brains
and a backbone" who had the courage
to act promptly and efficiently. This
country may never know how much
such timely action saved it. Insur-
rection was rife and would no doubt
have spread, and infinite injury result
ed to life and property.
We must preserve liberty, but there
can be no liberty without law, and or
der. With law and order. all griev-
ances can be righted peacefully. But
when chaos reigns, all is lost. includ-
ing liberty.
l have never voted any other than