The Socialist and labor star. [volume] (Huntington, W. Va.) 1911-1915, 1914-05-01
OUR WORST WAR.

and races.
The war in Colorado is entire
ly American. The territory is
in our own country. The men
are Americans. The women
rand children are Americans, of
our own flesh and blood.
We have wept and shuddered
over the possible fate of adven-
,urers and soldiers of fortune in
Mexico and heaved groaEs Of re-
ief when they were found Saic
and never been in danger at all.
Their rumored danger was
just to intensity our anger
against the bandits and out
laws" in Mexico.
We were told and believe that
eight in every ten men in MeNi-
co are brigands and bandits by
profession.
We fused and screamed when
We read about how 4 few men
we're shot as spies or traitors in
Mexico, and our blood boiled
when we read that some of the
commanders ordered their pris-
)ners shot.
But there is not a bandit chief
lor bloodthirsty commander in
Mexico who ever penned up
cores of women and children in
title dog tents and burned them
alive. Not one.
Mexico never sent out a story
Of a woman of 81 years being
thrown into prison for going
rom one part of a state to anO-
Their, because some puppet Of a
lentist-general said she should
mt. Mexico never had a fiend
II uniform who penned up a wO-
IAN Of 81 in an underground
ell in q jail that had to it's credit
he lives Of strong men, in the
lope that she would die before
Ter release could be secured.
Mexico in fact. has sent out
lone of the tales of horror that
ave come from Colorado. Not
even West Virginia had such
stories.
Finally, when every avenue
If the law had been choked up
~ repression, when the machin-
ny Of the law had been turned
rom its legitimate use and had
become an instrument of tyran-'
ny, when the very law itself had
become lawless, the victims sci
led guns and fought back. The
worm turned.
The result is more war in Co.
orado, right at home, than in
Mexico.
More men have been killed;
more have been wounded. The
fighting has been fercer. The,
hatred is higher in Colorado be-
,ween forces Of American coal
miners on one side and Ameli-
an workingmen in uniform on
he other, than between the
Mexican rebels and federals, and
he "Gringoes'' in Vera Cruz
and Tampico.
Worst of all there is in Mcxi-
20 no making war upon women
md children. No Mexican CONT
mander has ever penned up scor-
e1 of women and children in
..ent colony, raked the tents with
machine guns, and then set fire
% them, creamating alike the
lead and the living.
This sort Of warfare was re-
served for civilized, enlightened
America. The men who did this
are not bandits-they are free,
Christian American citizens,
men who in time Of peace we call
the backbone Of our republic,
and prominent in our various
communities.
If we can find in the brigan-
dage Of Mexico cause for going
to war, what night we not find
in Colorado-if we looked?
The same indictment that
stands against the Rockefeller
millions and the Morgan millions
in Mexico have a higher indict-
ment-Worse crimes put them
in Colorado.
The same Standard Oil mil
lions that form the. larger part
of the warfare and bloodshed in
Mexico, form ALL of it in Colo
RADIO. The same money that
aquips an army in Mexico eduips
and buys and controls an army
two armies, in fact-in Colo
RADIO. The only difference is
that the armies in Colorado are
Americans and do worse deeds
than the worst brigands Of Mex
leo.
In Mexico at the worst the
fighting has always been against
men-never women and child
rem.
The destruction Of six mines,
the capture Of a railroad, and
the holding Of a large section Of
the state by coal miners in rebel
:.Il.aaAa- IL IL NIL