Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-12-24
American Anarchy.

At the beginning of the trial of the
Tennessee night riders at Union City. an
old man. charged with being the first
leader Of the gang. was quoted as fol-
lows as to the Reelfoot lake tragedy:
It's like this heah. stranger. God put
them red hills up theah. An He put
some of us pooh folks that He didn't
have no room fob no wheah else up
theah. too. An then He saw that we
couldn't make a livin' farmin. so he or
dered an earthquake an the earthquake
left big hole. Next He filled the hole
with watah an put fish in 1T. Then He
knew we could make a Twin between
farmin and fishin.
But along comes these rich men, who
don't have to make no Twin. an they
tell all that We must not fish in the
lake any mo-. cause they owns the lake
an the fish God put theah for US. 1t
JUS naturally amt right, stranger; il
amt no justice.
This was an appeal for sympathy. we'll
keyed for effect In a backward section.
The rich and graspins. willing to deprive
the poor of even meat and drink. The
poor are deserving. and must and will,
live. The rich were the aggressors. The
poor, in rude fashion. simply Obeyed the
law OF nature. They killed the agent
OF the men who had planned 10 starve
them to death.
But the story OF the night riding organ
iZation, it's real object and it's perform
ances, as told by members and victims
the witness stand, puts another conf
pieXion things. We see plainly a
gang of ruffians bent on every sort of
mischief. and administering every sort
OF punishment. from murder down. A
woman was whipped for refusing To
withdraw an application for divorce.
Poor men were marked for death. and
then released with whipping. Terror
was soon all around. Probably any low
fellow with a grievance could, by joining
the gang. insure the punishment of his
enemy. and prescribe the punishment him.
self 1t was not a warfare at all of the
oppressed poor against the Overbearing
rich. but simple case of bad men work.
ing together in a cowardly fashion against
orderly and deserving society
Will the state be able to make out its
case to the satisfaction of the jury? Let
us not forget that the jury and the state s
witnesses must face the music after the
trials are over. If the accused are con-
victed and punished the men who have
brought the result about will be at the
mercy largely of the undetected members
of the gang remaining at large and potent
Instruments for revenge.
AS for the man Fehringer, who gave
SO circumstantial an account of his in
famous associates, his future, if lie is
10 have one. is marked out. The Reel
foot lake section will be far too warm
for him. Distant fields and pastures new
must be sought, and maybe a new name
adopted. The informer always takes
risks, and when of his grade and
kidney he takes the greatest risks. He
is scarcely safe in the presence Of the
court. How much less so will he be
ster court has adjourned. and the Of
ficers of the law have gone about other
duties?
There are several schools Of anarchy.
Lei us for the time withdraw our atten-
ton from the foreign schools and center
il on this manifestation Of the American
school. Let patroniEe with our refiec-
tons this home industry, and confess
that neither Spain nor Italy has any
thing in the same line superior to show
1t is humiliation. 1t may be in some
quarters surprise. But it is fact
And facts are stubborn things