The Leavenworth echo. [volume] (Leavenworth, Wash.) 1904-current, 1910-02-11
An UntuthfuI and SIanderOuS Story


story in the issue of Monday on the
strike situation in Leavenworth which
gave offense to the people of this
town. From a reading of the article
one not knowing would come to the
conclusion that state Of lawlessness
existed here and that the peace officers
connived at law-breaking; that men
employed by the railroad company to
take the place of the striking switch
men had been assaulted and the peace
officers failed or refused to interfere
and give them protection, and that be-
cause of a general disposition on the
part of the citizens to aid and abet the
striking switchmen in their contention
with the Great Northern Railroad COM
pany the division would be removed
from Leavenworth.
If the story was true even in part
the printing of it by the World with
such haste and evident satisfaction
must appear unseemly to its fair
minded readers in Wenatchee. II the
story as printed in the World was true
it must make every self-respecting citi-
zen ashamed to admit that he resides
in the same county where such law
less condition exists.
To the nobler impulses that usually
govern the conduct of mankind, such
as truth, fairness, generosity and kim
dred virtues, the editor of the World is
as much a stranger as is the convicted
horse thief to the rights OF property.
This has been abundantly proven in
the past to every reader of the World.
We have only to recall the incident of
his partaking of our poor but we'll
meant hospitality, and then going home
to revile every man, woman and child
in ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS of which
even an untutored savage would not be
guilty.
Too dull to understand what re-
fiected on his kith and kin added moth
ing to his own good repute, he might
vet have endeavored to verify the truth
of his story before printing it. To do
this, tho, would have deprived him of
an opportunity to do Leavenworth an
injury, and he rushed the story into
print before it could be conclusively
proven false. Verify, he loves dark
ness rather than light.
Diligent search has been made for
the person who furnished the World
with the basis for its untruthful story,
over which it put scarehead in box
car letters, but no one has so far been
found who would father the response
bility. When it was called to the at
tention of Mr.. Gerhard, assistant train
master of the Spokane division, by
Mayor Gutherless, that gentleman re-
marked mot a word of truth in it"
To an employe Of this paper the same
gentleman said: There has never
been a strike here" When the writer
interviewed Mr.. Peagues, division chief
of special agents, who has been sta
toned here ever since the strike began,
that gentleman said: I have had no
trouble whatever in protecting the prop
ertv of the company or its employees.
Have only employed three men as
watchmen and they have had practi-
cally nothing to do" Agent Woodrow
said to the writer that the only thing
he knew was that man sent here by
the company had been unable to find
a vacant room in which to sleep, and
that one of the striking switchmen had
"cussed" some Of the strikebreakers
the past week. The man who saw, not
ten men, but any number OF men,
armed with guns, go onto the railroad
company's right of way and intimidate
or attempt to drive away any of its en-
nloves. has not been found. Tho
search has been made for him.
"Cussing' matches between railroad
men. and an occasional knockdOwn,
are not uncommon and excite so little
comment or notice as to be unworthy