Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1907-08-02
ON. TaE IRON
TRANCE.

TRANCE.
Ther,'s trouble on the Iron Range.
Some years ago there was an in
tensely exciting campaign in the
nation. Everybody got worked "
over the issues, and manv good folks
thought nstioual honor and prosperity
wuuld be wrecked if q certsin party
won. Nowhere was the contest more
intense than IN what was the. thu
Sixth Minnesota congressional dis
trict, which included the Iron Range.
The contest over governor and
CONGRESSMAN was as fierce as over the
national ticket.
A certain party won. The steel
trust was on the side of that party,
and the several thousand miners on
tho range voted as the steel trust
desired. That's matter OF history,
as we'll as the methods used to in
timldate and coe.ce the miners, and
the system by which tickets of a
certain color presented at the Pill.
showed the election judges that the
bearer thereof should have the great
privilege Of voting as his employer
wished. And 81 thankful we're the
winning party over this vot>, that in
their pro :sslons celebrating the result
Of the most corrupt election ever held
in America, banners were borne with
the inscription-"God bless the
Range.
The vote of the unlettered miners
elected a governor and congressman.
And all was we'll,
But now dangerous men have
appeared. They urge the miners to
get together for purposes OF mutual
benefit; they point to good results
elsewhere from cooperation; they are
absurd enough to say that it the
great may combine, so may the little ;
they have peculiar Ideas as to
economics which they inculcate,
IDEAS which we may not agree With,
even despise, but which are the
privilege of everyone who uses the
brains the Lord gave him, and
ished order q little. will become
DANGEROUS only az attempt is made to
sit too hard on the safety valve:
Therefore, there Is 'trouble, on
the range, and familiar talk Of
anarchists. The starry banner is the
best and most beautiful of flags, thank
God, beautiful for what it means
as we'll a. in it's red, white and blue,
but it Is not much worse for some
miner 20 wave dirty piece OF red
cloth than it is for q commercial
pirate like Hartman and Morgan, and
some of the eminent gentlemen in the
steel trust. to wave the American dag
80 that people will forget what they are
trying to do to the land which is
symbol,zed by thu flag. The miner
must be taught that to aaunt red
cloth ia unnecessary. foolish. wrong
and absurd as q remedy for ills he
thinks exists, that education and CO.
operation and INTEL gent use Of the
privilege of suffrage. is the best
means toward improvement, economic
and civil, and that the star spauRlsd
banner means protection to him as
we'll as to the monopolist.
Some dangerous men have been
members of the Western Federati IN
Of Miners. Very likely. And We all
know that some very dar gerou5 men
are interested in the great steel trust.
Co.operation on that account is no
worse for one body than the other.
In the West the Fed ration has forced
Chill labor laws, better sanitation
In mines and shorter work hours.
Nothing very bad about that. But
"business' wants things quiet; prefers
q benevolent de,potism,' forget
ting that men prefer freedom to favor
from despots. benevolent or otherwise
wants vested rights protected. and
while shouting for law and order,
threatens to tar and feather ':agita'
tOrs.' said aQitatOrS cling individuals
d Gs1 rssS e to- the p bowers that be-
There should be common sense on
and no hysteria.