The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-05-05
A TYPICAL CASE.

The feeling in some quarters against members of the State militia or National Guard who do their duty in upholding law and order in cases of strikes. is prominently exhibited in the case of Ser geant wadsworsh, whose case is thus briefly summed up by The Rochester Democrat:
 Arthur Wadswo-th is Sergeant in 18th Regiment, Pennsylvania National Guard. He was recently on duty, as a private, with his regiment at Shenandoah, upholding the authority of the State against rioters. He fired on and killed a rioter in exact obedience to specific or ders from the executive head of the State of Pennsylvania, transmitted to him through his immediate military superior. The coroner and District Attorney of Schuylkill County, probably because they hold elective offices and the shot rioter had friends and sympathizers possessed of votes, took the outrageously absurd position that Wadsworth had violated the laws of Pennsylvania by obeying the laws of Pennsylvania; that one of the minor civil divisions of the State of Pennsyl- vania could indict and try for murder the State of Pennsylvania in the person of it's agent; that Private Wadsworth ought to be arrested, imprisoned and hanged for obeying the lawful orders of the Governor of Pennsylvania.
 The case went to the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania and hat tribunal very properly decided that Wadsworth only did his duty and that he cannot be held re- sponsible for killing the man. This Is d just and common sense decision, as all right-thinking men must admit but the finding of the highest court in the State that he Is not guilty of any crime, and cannot be indicted and tried does not end the matter, so far as the Sergeant is con- cerned. Finding 1t difficult to get en- ployment on acco mt of the feeling against him he secured a position as a waiter in Pittsburg. Even this humble occupation is not safe for him. .as a cor respondent of The Philadelphia North American has found out, and thus writes to his paper:
 Wadsworth fears that his present en- ployer will learn the facts in the case and discharge him. He says that since the shooting of last October he has been un- able to hold a position any length of time, his employers, as soon as they find out he is the" Wadsworth, discharging him.
 We agree with Hartford contempo- rary that If all private employers in Pennsylvania are as cowardly as this dis patch indicates the State itself should give Wadsworth employment As a mem Der of the State troops he would have subjected himself to punishment if he had refused to go on duty when the troops were called out, and as a soldier he would also have been liable to pun ishment if he had failed to obey the pos itive orders of his commanding officer. But for doing his duty as a man, a sol dier and a citizen. he is ostracised and boycotted, and has no assurance that he will be allowed to hold the humble po- sition of waiter in hotel or restaurant, because the intolerant feeling of trades unionism is bitterly against any man who tries to uphold law and order against strikers. The case furnishes a striking evidence of the tendency to- wards anarchy and lawlessness which is spreading in some portions of the coun- try.