Kansas agitator. [volume] (Garnett, Kan.) 1890-1905, 1897-10-08

were simply enforcing judicial order
which met with the full approval of
the monopolistic daily papers.
The newspaper accounts agree that
the men who suffered death and injury
had no firearms or weapons whatever.
They were all, with one exception, shot
in the back, which shows they were in
full retreat when the volley was pour
ed into their ranks. There is already
a wild chorus of praise for the firm
ness" of the sheriff in standing up for
law and order; but the chorus proceeds
wholly from the friends of the official
implicated, says the Twentieth Cen
fury. 1t is not taken up by the news
papers, with the exception OF rev
whose point of view does not impress
the average mind favorably, like the
New York Sun, for instance. Honor,
1t exclaims, ito the sheriff of Luzerne
country" 1t is not easy to see what
honor is to be gained by shooting down
strikers even if they are engaged In the
most riotous violation of law, any
more than honor is to be gained by
hanging a. murderer. The murderer
may richly deserve hanging, but we do
not particularly honor the sheriff for
hanging him. He might hang a hun
bred odious murderers in a day, but
what honor Is that? 1t is the same
way: with the shooting down o. the
strikers in Pennsylvania. However, it
is noteworthy that the horror of the
carnage has driven all thought of hon
oring the killer out of the minds OF
the people. Only the New York Sun
is singing his praises.
The most serious side Of this masSa-
ere is the effect 1t will have upon the
masses. All minds will be inhamed
and in the general outburst of bitter
hatred the ethics and lessons Of the
occurrence will be misunderstood. AS
has been intimated already, it will be a
waste of time to heap abuse upon the
sheriff and other creatures Of capital
ism who have been the instruments
through which this deed was done. We
must get not at the agents, but the
principles. The capitalists and the ex-
ploiters are responsible for it all. and
while the sheriff and his deputies are
being arrested and suspended and
served with writs, the capitalists and
the exploiters are safe and comfortable
at home. keeping out of the mess and
acting as if they had nothing TO do
with it.
The New York World (Plute) says:
Impartial and thorough Investigation
by the World Of the conflict between
deputy sheriffs and striking miners at
Lattimer, Pa, on Friday night, proves
that Sheriff Martin lost his head when
he ordered his 102 deputies to fire upon
the strikers. Butchery is not too strong
a term TO apply to the shooting down
of flfty-nine miners and the killing out
right of twenty-one, not one Of whom
carried a firearm. World staff corre-
spondents personally examined the
bodies Of eleven of the dead miners and
found that ten died from wounds re-
ceived obviously while they were try
ing to escape from the sheriff's deadly
rifles"
The following from the Coming Ma
ton fairly shows the sentiment of the
reform press: again has plutocracy
shown the mailed hand-has given an
object lesson to the people which plain
ly shows their intention to hold their
privileges at the lannon's mouth Last
Friday twelve toilers were shot down
in cold blood at Hazleton. Pa, and
forty more were injured, Of whom
about twenty will die. These men had
done nothing except refuse to work for
less than a living. For weeks the cap
italists have been trying to incite them
to riot and thus furnish an excuse for
killing them, but the strikers, though
famished from want of food. though
hopeless in the gloom of their miser-
able condition, were orderly and quiet.
At last forbearance ceased to be vir-
tue on the mine owners part and ac-
cordingly capitalistic murder has again
b, 4 done. Widows tears may flow
ana children may wonder at the grief,
but the adamant heart of capitalism
must have lives to sustain itself. Large
mass meetings. addressed by men in
evsry walk of life, including ministers,
have been held in Hazleton to denounce
The wanton destruction of human life.
We 60 to press before more than the
first report is in.
The Southern Mercury says: These
stricken miners, through their friends,
caused affidavits to be filed against
.hese murderers, upon which writs of
,apias were issued for their arrest. The
ocal constabulary were told by mill
AIRY authority that no arrests would
ae permitted. There will never be a
rial. never an indictment. The MUIR
Ter of these dead miners will never be
.venged; their widows and orphans
will be accounted outcasts of the law;
heir gaping wounds and bloody wind
ng sheets WILL for all time, confront
md haunt the consciences of their in
lefensible murderers. We are resting
mon a volcano. Mptterings deep and
n:ense are escaping compressed lips,