Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1908-04-24

merchants are straining every resource
to carry their tobacco growing custom-
ers on their books and the farmers are
cutting expenditures to the lowest pos
sible limit. 1t IL a struggle In which
practically all Of Kentucky has Z vital
Interest. Everywhere one toss he hears
word Of -commendatlon for the Equity;
the only condemnation II for IL *
cesses to which the night riders have
gone.
But there is an excuse for the night
riders. Their mildest action 10, Of
course, illegal, but 1t Ii understand
able. The law Is slow, IN every COM
munity in which there is a great strug-
gle for betterment, with c~onseQusnt de-
~privation and sacrifice, there ara al
ways those whose cupidity prompts
them to take advantage Of the situa-
ton ana reap a personal benefit, even
at the cost Of aiding the common enc:
my. These individuals, though strict.
ly within their legal rights, are nscss-
sarily not popular with their neigh
bors, and to an extent these nAighbors
are excusabie when, persuasion failing,
an appeal Is made to coercion. There
Is the law OF the statute books therA
is also the law Of the community. In
fraction of the one may be punished In
the courts; defiance of the other II
more difficult of correction.
So long as the night riders confined
themselves to the raking OF tobacco
beds there was little criticism. When
valuable warehouses were burned there
was a general expression Of indigna.
ton and condemnation. When murder
vas resorted to thA manhood and de
cency Of Kentucky were reused t 4
height which demanded that all night
riding must cease and hat the crimi.
nails who had zone to such terrible q.
cesses must be discovered and pun.
ished.
1t Is not difficult to account for night
riding In Its incipiency. And from this
basis perhaps 1t is easy tp understand
how irresponsible, daredevil young
men, prompted by a love of rough a
spite, took advantage of conditions to
| commit excuses and outrages.
Accompanying the night riding which
has been such an unfortunate feature
| Of the tobacco producers tight against
the trust there has been mors than one
tragedy, but the one which attracted
the most attention and created the
greatest indignation was the killing Of
Hiram Hedges by some member o1 Z
masked mob.
Hedges was a Woodworking. honest
man for whom 1t has been. q long strug
gle to support his numerous family. He
was a man OF decent morals, was count
ed a good neighbor and was not knows
to have had an enemy. Like al farm:
ers in his part Of the State, he was .
tobacco grower, but in a small way. In
his immediate neighborhod there had
been very little organizing among the
farmers and he was not an Equity man.
One night he was visited by q mob Of
about seveniy-hye men, called to the
door, accused OF planting tobacco, and
In the presence Of his family was rid
died with shot.
The murder OF Hedges was about ~
u~nprovoked and cold-blooded I crime
as could be committed. It vas : result
Of night riding. Nevertheless nsithef
this nor other outrages should DO attrib
uted either to the organized farmers o.
to their officers. They condemn such
criminality heartily and. outside Of the
Immediate sufferers, are the greatest;
losers,