The Washington bee., 1909-07-03

Gangs Hiding Behind Name Of Old
Association Which Caused the
ABoHshment OF the Turnpike Com
Panies.
Louisville. Ky.-There has not
Deen, It is said. a crime of mob VIC
Ience committed Ga this State, in
Tennessee, ~, In fact, In any Of the
Southern States or iu any Of the
Middle Western States ia the past
several years. with the exception of
the occasional Iynchlng OF a negro
BY a mob. that has not been should
cred on the Night Riders.
The Might Riders were an organ
szed body back IN 1900, when the
State Legislature passed g law do
ing away with private ownership OF
State roads. For months the turn
pike corporations refused to obey
the State laws They appealed to
the State Supreme Ccurt, then to
the Court Of Appeals. and lastly to
the United States Supreme Court,
and on each appeal they would get
q stay. which made it possible for
them 10 continue running their toll
gates and charging two cents q nile
fer every horse or vehicle that passed
ever their property.
Because of the laws delay the
condition Of the roads became im-
passibIe. The owners Of the turn
for improvements as long as there
was question OF their losing their
property by q final court decision.
but they did not cease 20 mulct trav-
sIlors. All this while they refused
to accept the fair price offered By
the State for Cheir roads.
Il was then that the Night Riders
we're organized. The organization
spread from Shelby County to every
part Of the State. and one night In
the late fall men rode from their
homes and began burning toll gates.
There IS no record of q toll gate
Keeper being injured unless he show
ed resistance. Then he was taken
from the house. and II he continued
20 be defiant he was dOSged. In
ninety-uine cases cut Of a hundred
the toIe gate keeper vas glad - give
up his Job and ler TIE safe barn.
Night Riders undoubtedly brought
tbe turnpike corporations to terms,
There was not toll gate left stand
ing in the State of Kentucky by the
following spring Had the taxpZy-
Is and farmers been c0ntauted to
& S.9w the law to take its never end
course the chances are that toll
n would still be holding up tra-
veIN@ on the State roads to-day,
and IA. the roads would have been
worse 4, w than they we're when the
Night RfFa-z became organized.
The Kentucky roads now ere
amoug the best I'm Che United States.
There are not millions Of dollars Of
watereE stock OBJ which to pay int
crest. and the State TAX has improv-
ed them and even made it possible
for almost aIf OF them to be aprlE-
kIad with oil Gar5-E the summer
season, thus laying tile dust.
The success Of the Night Riders F..
in the way against toll Gates led TO .
an organization ar q similar char /
actar when the fight was vaEe5 F..
against the American Tobacco Com F
3auT. But out Of tHis last orraalza- /
zion there grew e. body OF violent .
men. who live on excitement and +
thrive on lavIaseuaas. Then sarans /
up. too. Iawless bodies of men IN .
many of the Southern and Middle F.
Western States. who chose to cali f.
themselves Might Riders. though .la F.
probabilities are that a2 per cent. OF F
the men didn't own SO much as a I
horse to ride.
If O list Of the original body OF F..
Night Riders could he had the .
chances are that rte names of many F.
men who fguref ia the operations /
of the old Eu-Ef-E gang would be /
Sound. and if ,hi= list were s.fted .
down 1t wou-5 show that many prop !
eTty-owners an5 men OF prominence /
had resortel 20 violence because OF /
their belief that action was their +
only safeguard against ruin. and
that q defiance OF law had to be met
by q Ike defiance.