The San Francisco call., 1904-06-29
THE COLORADO CASE.

disturbances in Colorado. 1t is to be regretted
that it leaves unanswered question, What
was the duty of the State government in Colorado?
The Examiner the situation up by saying 1t Is
government by special interests for special interests
carried to its logical conclusion that is exhibition
The examination of the record will illuminate that
declaration In the mining regions there local gov
In complex system the local government
is the first touch the czen~ 1t is in rst contact
The local government is charged with the protection o
the rights of person and property and the punishment OF
all who violate them. 1t must protect the peace OF all
1t make every in the right OF private
contract the fundamental property right 1t must make
It safe for every his living in lawful vo
cation. 1t make the of streets and highways
safe for the of every citizen his way to work
and to his home 1t enforce the law in these re
spects against all who violate it.
These are the fundamental purposes of local govern
Were they fulfilled in the disturbed districts in
Colorado? Was every safe in the performance OF
his private contract? Were the rights of person and
property respected Were the streets and highways
safe for the of all on lawful errands?
The answer by the record is The Miners Fedora
on disrespected the rights of person and property 1t
made the and highways unsafe 1t denied the
right OF private and enforced its denial by the
death penalty 1t arrested and deported from the dis
rict under circumstances of exceptional inhumanity
hundred citizens numbering several in the pro
cess whose offense consisted in standing upon their
right OF private contract 1t forbade any do any
form OF business in the district except under its dcaton
and under the badge of submission it In enforcing
this policy it killed half hundred men. Mine owners
and superinendents were assassinated. Mine workers
shot down. going from their homes their work
from their work to their homes
There present all of the machinery of local gov
ernment. That government charged with the duty
of enforcing eqGaly of right and equality of safety
But its officers either members of the Miners Fed
Grafton elected by and subservient it. 1t
simply recorded the DEGREES of that federation and gov
erned for it and for none other. The federation
special interest The local government, in the language
of the Examiner government by special inter
and for special interest carried a logical conclu
sion" by holding all rights for that special interest
alone and denying all rights to everybody else.
Now it is pleaded in extenuation of this collapse o
local government that the Legislature failed pass
eght-hour law under the dictate of referendum. The
article of Ray Stannard Baker in McClure's. the
subject has msed the country to the validity of that
provocation The record fact is that in that district
there had been eight-hour day for years, anc
in most of smeters for FIVE years. If heegaturc
had passed an eght-hour law neither the mine
nor the Miners Federation would have been in the eas
affected by it, for they had it already, and had had il
for years Nor any question OF wages in issue. The
only issue was the right of the Miners Federation tc
replace civil government strike down the right of con
tract and destroy the guarantees OF the constitution
and maintain in an American State district divorced
and separated from its system of civil law, where nc
right of civil liberty permitted On the record made
by the federation and the State other issue appears
The list of black crimes committed in the establish
of that form of government is of indelble record
If the State had remained supine, then the mining
gon of Colorado would have been in fact permanently
separated from the State government 1t would have
ceased be governed by the laws OF the State OF
the United States 1t would have been civic mon
strosty place with law but the arbitrary will o1
the secret circle of the Miners Federation.
Again, we ask the critics of Governor Peabody tc
say what he should have done under the circumstances
If they say that he should have done nothing ther
they advocate the overthrow of civil liberty and stand
in denial Of the right Of a State prevent it. The
course Of Governor Peabody is without precedent
When the Mormon community at Nauvoo became law
itself, exactly like the Miners Federation in Colo
RADIO, local government failed. The Governor of Hi
nois using the militia, deported the whole Mormon com
munity them of the State and forbade their
turn 1t is the question that this deportation
furnished instances of crying inhumanity. No one
questioned the right of the Governor the only
remedy in his hands get rid of people who had sepa
rated themselves from the civil State and erected a
theocracy in its place.