The Washington bee., 1909-06-05

LSHIsVille. Ky-Thsre has not
been. ii is Eaid. crime Of mob yio-
lence committed in this State. in
Tennessee. or. In fact. in any Of the
Southern States or in any OF the
Middle Western States in the past
several years. with tie exception Of
the sccaBionAi lynohing OF a negro
by . mob, that has not been should
cred en- the Night Riders.
The Night Riders we're an organ
iEsA koSY back in 1900, when the
State Legislature passed a law DO
iug away with private ownership OF
state reads. For months the turn
ptks corporations refused TO obey
the STATE laws. They appealed TO
the State Supreme Court. then to
Shs Court 81 Appeals, and lastly to
Ehs UEited states Supreme Court.
and Sn each appeal they would get
= star. which made II possible for
them 70 continue running their toll
gates and charging two cents mile
Esr every hSFse or vehicle that passed
SvST their property.
Because - the laws delay the
esadis4sH Of the roads became In
saszSbRe. The owners OF the turn
pixies woHId A0t exPend one cent
Ter Improvement as long rs there
was SasstAoa Of their losing their
pzSRs<ty ~ : aAAI court decision.
kut tAsy ald Hst cease 10 mulct traV-
sslSrS. Al Eh4s while they refused
= accept the fair price effered by
Ehs State for their roads.
II was thea that the Night Riders
1are oTkAaiBsd. The sFganizatisR
szrsad fren Shelby County to every
Bart sf ths state, and enc night in
the late fall men rode from theiF
hsmss EAd began burning toll gates.
TAsTa ts ne record Of a toll gate
kss1Sr being iBjured uRless he shOW-
ed resistance. Then he Was taksA
from the house, and If he continued
e - asRant he was hOgged. In
nfnssy-nine cases cut Of hundred
GAs tois gate keeper vas glad to give
~ his Sob and let the gate burR.
RasAt Riders undoubtedly brought
shs kaTnpIke corporations 70 teFcAS.
Thers wAs aOt toll gAse left sta1A-
ms IN tks state of Kentucky by the
following spring. Had the tExp0y-
era and faFmers been eontsHtsa TO
allow the law to take it's never sad
AA course the chances are that tell
Gates would still be holding up tra-
VslIsrs on the State roads to-day,
aad that the roads would have beeB
worse now than they were when the
Nsght Riders became organized.
The Kentucky roads now are
among the best in the United States.
There are not millions Of dollars ot
watsFsd stock on which to pay iHt-
crest. and the State tax has improy-
Cd them and even made II possible
fer almost all of them to be spT4n-
kIed with of during the summer
season, thus laying the dust.
The success of the Night Riders
IN the war against toll gates led TO
"a Equalization Of 3 similar char
AGS6E HHSH tue H6HL Hao "SSCN
against the American Tobacco Com
pany. Bat out Of this last orgaaiha.
tIon there grew a body Of violent
men, who live on excitement and
thrive on IawIessness. Then spFAng
ap, too, lawless bodies or men IN
many Of the Southern and Middle
Western States. who chose to call
themselves Night Riders. though the
probabilities are that 50 per cent. OF
khe men didn't own 50 much AZ .
Aorss to ride.
II q list ef the original bedy Of
hSSGAt RsaSFs could be had the
sAansas are that the names of many
nsa who figured in the operations
e The old Eu-KluX g9ng would be
4aznd, and II this list were sIftsd
A0vn Il would show that many prop
s<sy-OwneEs and men Of pfomiHeHee
AaA resoFEed to violence because q
shsir belief that action was their
snIy safeguard against ruin, and
that 3 defiance Of law had 10 be met
~ = like defiance.