The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-04-24
THESE oUrnAaEs MUST CEASE.

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 It was the earnest hope of The Ad- vertiser that the State Federation of Labor, at it's session in this city. would express its opposition to any and all forms of violence. This hope, however, has not been realized, for the Fedora ton. while expressing its sympathy with the strike. which was started against the Traction Company here, was silent as to the outrages against person and property which have fol- lowed from that strike When the shades of night fell on Monday. these men, or some of them for whom sym pathy was expressed. or sympathizers with them. were seeking to blow up cars, not caring what destruction of life or property might follow their cowardly and dastardly action.
 At the outset. declaration was made by the strikers and their leaders that they were opposed to any kind of mob hered to this. there would have been much more sympathy for them than now exists. In spite of the noisy ciamor of few, the great heart of Montgomery is opposed to this lawless effort to throttle a business enterprise and to force men working for an hon. est living to leave their posts and give up to men who voluntarily abandoned their work. They had a right to quit. but the law says they have no right to seek. by brick. pistol and bomb, to carry their point
 Two efforts were made by use of dynamite on Monday night to wreck cars. On one there was quite a num- Der of passengers. Luckily. the de- stroying element on the track was discovered, and one who saw and handled the pieces of dynamite said if there had been an explosion. there would have been force enough in it to tear the car into pieces small enough for tooth picks.
 The people will applaud the senti- ments expressed by the Mayor in his order to the Chief of Police, published elsewhere in this paper. So far tho police force has been conspic- uous only for it's failure to do any, thing, to use no harsher term. Motor- men and conductors can be arrested If there is any apparent slip in the proper discharge of their duties, but a mob of a hundred or more can assault men quietly eating their evening meal and order one to leave town in a few hours, and no ar rest Is made. True, the mob was scat tered after a time, but no man engaged In this violation of law has been held to answer to the law. From now 1t is to be sincerely hoped there can be no unfavorable criticism of the force.
 There is every power to preserve peace and protect life ana property in this city The Mayor can ask the City Council to furnish him sufficient force with which to protect property and life. There is great indignation in this city over these outrages. If they are not committed by men who are strikers. they are the work of men who are in sympathy with them. and if the city and county authoritiesscan- not prevent them, there is a disposition to- call on the Governor and ask that hesuse some of the States power to en- force law and order.
 The card of a number of prominent citizens. published in another place in this paper, and the call of a number of the members of the Commercial Club on the Mayor, in some measure indi- cates the point to which the feeling of indignation Is rising. It is time to stop trifiing. The outrages should cease and the perpetrators should be arrested and punished.s
 The Governor was prompt in his re- sponse to the call of the Mayor and has shown every disposition to aid in main taining law and order.
 It Is not now a question of sympathy for anybody. It is a question of main- tenance of law and order and there should be no hesitation about where to stand.