The Kalispell bee. [volume] (Kalispell, Mont.) 1900-192?, 1903-10-06
AN UNWARRANTED ACT.

The Victor Daily Record which ad-
vocated the cause of the strikers in
the Cripple Creek district was seized
by government officers and for the
present at least the Office is closed
and the office force are under arrest
upon the charge of sending seditious
articles through the mails.
The press dispatches give no hint
as to the substance of the alleged
seditious articles and the public is
left in the dark as to the foundation
for the charge, but whether the
charge is true or false the action Of
the United States officials in arbtra-
rily closing the paper smacks too
much of Russian methods to be rel
ished by free born Americans. If
the publishers of the Victor Record
have been guilty of any violation of
law they should be arrested and pun
ished the same as any one else, but
to use such charge as pretext for
closing down the paper and thus de-
priving the employees of their means
of livelihood while robbing those who
own the paper of their property is an
exhibition of anarchy equal to the
blowing up of a mine Or the burning
of MILL
The law prescribes the punish
ment which shall be melted out to
those who publish seditious articles
and the constitution of The United
States guarantees every citizen in
the use and enjoyment of mis- proper
ty The officers were clearly within
their duties in arresting those whom
they had reason to believe mad vio-
lated the law, but those arrested
were entitled to their liberty on fur
nishing bail and their property
should be exempt from confiscation
except through due process of law.
The action taken seems to be in
line, however, with the course pur-
sued by the Colorado authorities in
utfhiluS Will lllc SIIlht olludlloH III
the Cripple Creek district.
Instead of combining the work of the
soldiers to preserving order and
standing impartially between the
mine owners and their striking en-
plOyes, the governor of Colorado and
his military subordinates have used
every endeavor to discredit the strik-
ers, and by harsh and unfair meth
DDS have sought to discourage the
workmen and assist the mine owners.
II is just such action On the part Of
those in authority which breeds sedi-
ton among the wOrkingmen, for
what man can be loyal to a govern
ment which uses it's power to deprive
him of his rights and which endeav-
ors to intimidate him for The benefit
OF his employer!
The laboring man is often criti-
cised for his hostility toward the
government as represented in the
militia, but let the workingman be
convinced that the militia is to be
used in guarding his own rights and
interests as jealousy as it guards the
interests of the capitalist and the
militia will have no warmer friend
than the wage Garner.
There are workingmen who violate
the law, particularly during strikes,
and they should be punished but
their punishment should be no more
swift or sure than that of the mill
ionaire who now appears to be above
the law.
Whether the object sought in clos
ing the Victor newspaper was to de
prive the miners Of its aid or not il
has that appearance. and for this rea
son the act is to be deplored as tend
ing to create bitterness where friend
-sship and good will should prevail