Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1897-08-13

in the way of the success of the strike,
and these are the marchers whose leaders
were enioined by the courts from march.
ing, who were enjoined from holding
public meetings in the vicinity of the
working miners. AS we have said, they
did march, though the leaders were ar
rested, they did persist in their peaceful
efforts to bring out the De Armitt miners,
though the sheriff of Allegheny county
ordered them to disperse when assembled
for peaceful public meeting, and they
have gone into camp in the nelghborhood
of the De Armitt mines, resolved to re-
| main there until their effort is crowned
with success, until the De Armitt men
are shamed by the presence Of the men
whom they are condemnng to the slav-
cry of poverty by continuing to work, to
join them in the strike. Thus we have
5000 miners or so camping around the
De Armitt mines, transgressing no law.
trespassing on no mans property, for
they 60 on no private property save with
the permission Of the owner, resorting to
no act of violence, but soberly, earnestly
pleading with the De Armitt miners to
quit work, pleading more by their pres
ence than their words. And at this
writing 1t seems they have plead with
success.
The sheriff, who has treated the strik-
ing miners so harshly and would no
doubt have gone forward as the ally of
De Armitt to the extent of breaking up
the camps of the strikers if public opin-
ion had not imperatively called halt,
defends his action on the ground that the
De Armitt miners are restrained from
working not by the arguments of the
camping miners, not out Of sympathy
for them, but by the menacing attitude
assumed by the strikers. If this were so
there would be an excuse for the sheriff 8
course, for if the De Arm:tt miners want
to work when they know that their
working means the breaking of the strike
and untold privatlons for the striking
miners that surround them, it is the
sheriffs duty to protect them from in
suit and danger of personal violence on
their way to and from their work. But
the great mass of evidence goes to prove
that the strikers have not assumed an
attitude of menace, that they exhibit no
purpose to resort to violence. Indeed
they exhibit a determined purpose TO
avoid violence, they exercise police duties
among themselves, keep watch to re-
strain one another when temper gets the
better of judgment and self-control have
even gone so far as to protect the miners
determined to continue at work. OF
this we have had many evidences, a
striking case being that of a De Armltt
miner on his way to work attacked by an
infuriated Hungarian amazon. He was
released from her clutches by six striking
miners coming to his assistance, who
saw him safely into the mine.
In Short the impressive self-restraint
and control of the strikers, as determined
and earnest lot of men as ever struck
for living wages and an amelioration Of
inequitable and extortionate conditions Of
employment, a self-restraint that wins
the appreciation of the public. should be
encouraged by the courts and the officers
Of the law. 1t is previously wrong for
officious officers of the law to assault the
miners who exhibit such marked patti
ence and self-contro) on the ground that
they threaten violence. To do so is to
drive the strikers to violence. Let US
encourage them to keep the peace rather
law and acts Of violence.