Durango semi-weekly herald., 1904-06-09
THE SUPREME oouRr DECISION

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The decision of the supreme court.
upholding the governor. was fore
gone conclusion unless the state was
to be turned over to law-breakers.
The governor is the supreme officer
and head of the state. He is a servant
of the people elected by the people
and If his acts are not in accord with
right It is an easy matter for ma
jority OF the voters to say so and put
in some one who viii let the politi-
clans run him. There are some points
wherein The Herald does not agree
with Gov. Peabody's actions, at the
same time he has had the nerve to
stand for what he believed to be
right, and any mistake made was only
error In iudgment-not Of the heart
Had preceding governors. Orman and
Thomas, given more attention to the
affairs OF state and loss 10 political
ambition, Gov Peabody would not
have been compelled 10 stand the
blunt OF battle. Orman permitted a
state of affairs to exist that could not
help but come to head under a gov
ernment OF decency, whereas had or
man enforced the laws halfway the
conditions OF the past year would not
have been brought about Law and
order must first be enforced and pre-
served before the Industrial condi-
tions in this or any other state become
stable. and the sooner this principle
is recognized the better Il will be for
the laborng interests and especially
the union side. There is no question
but the outrage at the Independence
depot Monday morning was for the
purpose of deterring miners continuing
work in the Cripple Creek district
The Herald does not charge the union
with the outrage, or thar any consld-
cradle number of union men endorse
the crime, at the same time no one
will question but that 1t is the result
of agitation and dissolute talk OF some
of the leaders, Mother Jones" for in
stance, who in some of her harraugues
has openly advised just about such
action. There never was an excuse
for the union miners of the Cripple
Creek district stopping work, and they
would be working tremendously to-
day had IL not been for such men as
Meyer, Haywood and a few others,
who desired to show their authority
and ordered the men to quit work
without giving them a voice in the
matter. and they were compelled to
obey or be in danger. The eight hour
day was in vogue in every mine in
the district, with a satisfactory wage.
Thus las we go back, we find the en-
tire strife of the past year due to the
action OF few agitators, men paid
from the hard earnings OF the miners,
and every life and every dollars
worth of property destroyed is the di-
rect result of few men. These men
are smart and shrewd enough not to
commit any overt act themselves, but
they fire hotheads and men who need
but little encouragement to action,
and thus We have the entire union.
embracing hundreds. yes, thousands,
of innocent and honest men, blamed.
And this brings us back to the real
point of this article, l. e., that 1t re
quires a man with an iron hand and
mind that cannot be sweryed by fawn-
ing politicians to cope with "A state
and a district that harbors men who
will commit the terrible crime of last
Monday morning. and 1t is gratifying
news to the law and order element,
composed of at least nine-tenths OF the
people. to know that the supreme
court sustains him