Los Angeles herald., 1910-10-03
DISGRACE TO CIVILIZED
WORLD, DECLARES PASTOR
Rev. A. C. Smither Scores Enc
mics of Humanity

At the First Christian church the
pastor, Rev. A. c. Smither, last night
in a prelude before his sermon made
the following remarks concerning the
destruction of the buildings of the Los
Angeles Times:
Los Angeles is today in mourning
and disgrace; in mourning over large
number of her worthy people who have
been slain by the ruthless hands or
assassins skulking in the dark and
seeking the blood of human beings; in
disgrace before civilized world be-
cause our fair city has permitted an
archiStS and bomb-throWerS to remain
in her bounds and commit one of the
most dastardly deeds in modern times
"As a public journal, exercising the
rights of free speech, the Los Angeles
Times has been fearless defender Of
law and order and of industrial free
dom. Its persistent criticism of some
of the methods of labor unions has
aroused a bitter and unrelenting war
4 against it by these industrial organlza-
Ftions. The indications are that some
of the devotees of these movements,
stung to the quick by the attitude of
the Times, have retaliated with bombs
and dynamite, and we stand aghast at
this awful crime.
"It is impossible to believe that the
respectable laboring people of our city
had any part in this atrocious crime
1t is very easy to believe that it was
done by the anarchists and assasslns
who have wrought such shame in san
Francisco and who have declared their
purpose to unionize Los Angeles. They
have committed one of the greatest
crimes of modern civilization. Into
the homes of how many honest: in
dustrious, w-abiding people have
come the shadows of death as result
of their heinous deed? Their folly
apart from their crime, is most evil
dent. Where the Los Angeles Tlmes
has had hundreds of friends hereto
fore, it will have thousands hereafter
Where it has had unsparing critics IN
the past, it will have admiring friends
in the future. The cause of labor
unionism will hereafter be associated
in Los Angeles with thugs, bomb
throWeIs, anarchists and aSsasslns ana
suffer a blow from which 1t cannot
recover in years.
"These organizations of our city
owe it to themselves to denounce to
their utmost this awful crime, to put
forth their greatest efforts to appre-
bend and punish the criminals and 10
use all possible means to wipe away
from our proud record as a city TINS
foul stain.
"They ought to use all their power
to maintain order and allay all pas
sions engendered by this appalling
crime. They owe it to themselves ana
the community to repudiate the lead
ership of men of foul character ana
anarchistic proclivities; for the most
DANGEROUS enemy of life and properly
is the cowardly, skulking anarchist
who fights in the dark with dynamite
"Our fair city should use every pos
sible means and spare no expense 10
bring these enemies of humanity ana
civilization to justice and to see that
they suffer the most extreme punish
ment for their unspeakable crime.
Every lover of free speech, of liberty
of home and fireside should contribute
his powers to the removal from our
city these enemies of our city's life.
1.-THE daily newspaper is one of the
greatest deterrents from evil. The
newspaper ought to be a leader In all
that makes for the betterment of the
community and of the world. When-
ever the public disapproves of the poll
icy of a newspaper it can protect itself
by refusing to subscribe for 1t or to
patronize it's advertising columns. But
to seek the destruction of the real es-
tate and employees of a great metro
politan newspaper by dynamite is an
unspeakable crime No denunciation
nor punishment could be too great for
such enemies of human good Let all
the powers of the law and the ccm-
munity be commanded Cor their arrest
and punishment"