The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1904-09-24
The Redemption OF Colorado.

in it's details. Cowardly murders. brutal
assaults, arson and the destruction OF
life and property by the use of dynamite
appear again and again in the records.
Arrests for these crimes have seldom
been made, and only in rare instances
have conviction and punishment fol-
lowed.
The miners war at Cripple Creek in
1894 was followed by the Leadville
. troubles of 1885, la March, 1899, strik-
/ ing miners raided the State armory at
Lake City and robbed it of its arms and
ammunition. The Telluride strike came
in 1901, and the local miners union
ordered and received from Denver $50
! rifles and $4,000 rounds Of ammunition.
These figured prominently among the
arguments of the unions. The disorder
whose echoes have not yet died away
began on Aug. 10, 1903. For ten years
| Colorado has been an ever seething vol
cano, with occasional violent eruptions,
In itself, strike is not an insurrec-
ton. Yet, in many cases, strikes have
developed conditions which converted
them into active sedition, and even into
a state of instruction. Such was held
to be the case in Colorado last year. That
this was not mere partisan and inter-
ested opinion is clearly shown by the
official report submitted by Major-Gen.
JOHN c. BATES, L. S. A., a man whose
absolute honesty and soundness of judg-
ment are alike beyond question. Gen.
BATES said in his report: Il find that the
disturbances at Cripple Creek and Tellu-
ride amounted to instruction against
the State of Colorado, in that mining,
milling and other business was sus-
pended there by reason OF intimidation,
threats OF violence, and that the civil
officers were not able to or did not main
tain order" This may be accepted as
competent testimony and an unbiased
statement Of facts.
Such was the situation faced by Gov
ernor JAMES H. PEABODY during the
year 1903. With the rights and the wrongs
of miners or mine owners he was not
directly concerned. The punishment of
those who had offended was not among
his immediate functions. That belonged
to the courts, to the judiciary and not to
the Executive. But, in the event that
local authority and local courts do not
or cannot maintain law and order, or
do not afford due protection to life and
property, the Intervention of the State
Executive becomes not only necessary
but obligatory. 1t is fortunate for the
State of Colorado that she had in Gov
ernor PEABODY a man who dared to do
his duty.
Writer'S on this special incident have
concerned themselves largely with de-
tails, or have essayed to show the moral
issues of the primary contention. The
American Federdtionist denounces Mr..
PEABODY as "Colorados NERO" and
charges him with "usurpation and
tyranny" Its issue of June, 1904, says
that "the State of Colorado is a despotism
with self seeking, mischievous, danger
GUS autocrat at it's head In view of the
sequel to the acts of aBloody-bridles"
WAITE, in 1894, Colorado is to be con-
graduated on the fact that in 1908 she
had Governor who did not believe that
TduIlccIldhO Coulu 10 iCudCiCo
nocuous by tickling it's chin. An insur-
rection belongs to the rattlesnake family,
and the only successful treatment is
prompt suppression and determination.
This is emphasized rather than modi-
fed by the fact that both parties to the
controversy had placed themselves in
the wrong. The same is to be said Of the
local courts, the Legislature of the State
and the public at large. All this only
aggravated the situation, which was
daily becoming more serious. The local
courts had shown utter inadequacy and
ineff1ciency The Sheriff of the county
was a prominent member of the miners
union. The county and town offices Of
the entire district were almost entirely
held or controlled by the unions. Law
was dsregarded or overridden. There
existed state Of insurrection bordering
on anarchy. Productive industry was
suspended, and life and property were
alike unsafe. State honor and State au-
thority were alike imperilled.
The laws of the State make due pro-
vision for such a situation. All that was
needed was their enforcement by man
who dared to enforce them, and JAMES
H. PEABODY was a man of that kind. He
usurped no judicial function; essayed
no determination OF the rights or wrongs
of either party. He faced the fact of
a lawlessness which local authority could
not or did not control, and, supported by
a specific provision in the State Consti-
tuition, called to his aid the military
forces Of the State, Of which the Con-
stitution made him ommander-in-ch chief,
and utilized them in the capacity OF a
State police for the suppression of dis
order and for the reestablishment Of
civil law
That drastic and even high handed
methods were at times employed by
the military authorities is generally
admitted. Individual rights may at
times have been trampled on. There
may even have been abuses in the
name Of military law. But Gen.
BELL and his troops had not been
ordered to preside over pink tea,
and in times OF instruction social and
avan larol picatiao O IN m pt IN not m Uttlo