Semi-weekly herald., 1914-06-18

sued, = battle was fought between the
handful Of militia remaining upon the
ground and the strikers. Men, wo-
men and children lost their lives. This
was followed by attacks by strikers on
other miners and the killing of more
people, and this unrest, rioting and
bloodshed continued until the govern
ment Of the United States WAS appeal
ed to and sent regular troops to quell
the disorder.
Nor was this ALL OF itself it is
enough to bring the blush of shame
to the faco Of every loyal citizen
Of the state when he realizes that
his state is unable to keep the peace
within her borders but must call on
the national government to afford that
protection to life and property the
state should give to all who live or
have interests in the state. But, as
said, this was not all. For years
the leading newspapers of the state
have sacrificed everything on the altar
Of sensationalism. The good name,
prosperity and welfare of the state,
its municipalities and people have
been trampled in the slime in order to
pander to an imagined thirst of the
public for red head lines and sensa-
tional news. The disaster at Lud-
low furnished more food for these
voracious birds of prey. They sent
correspondents to the scene and those
correspondents evidently were either
too badly scared to tell the truth or
were instructed by those who sent
them to distort the situation. No
runner, however vague or terrible,
was to absurd to be treated by them
as the truth and published to the
world as an actual happening. After
wards when investigation disclosed
that many of those rumors were with
out foundation and others absolutely
untrue those newspapers were either
silent as to the truth of else put the
refutation in some obscure corner of
the paper where no reader was likely
to find it.
There has always been plenty of
demagogues in every land, men who
preyed and lived upon the emotions
passions, prejudice and ignorance of
the people. Our state has been for
years cursed beyond measure by that
class. The disaster at Ludlow fur
nished the great opportunity for the
cheap politician and demagogue of
Colorado. Everything that could be
done was accomplished by that class
in further wrecking the good name
of our state and bringing us more
cause for shame in order that they
might bask for short time in the
warmth of misled public approval as
champions of the people. Open sedi-
tion has been publicly talked in our
state and from the steps of our state
capitol. Men and women have gone
from this to other states to spread
the idea that Colorado was q place
where justice did not reign, where all
our courts were corrupt and our Of
ficers oppressors. Just what base
and sordid motive animated those per-
sons will perhaps never been known.
1t may be that :, they hoped their
actions would make them popular with
the people of the state and that they
might gain some advantage of poll
tical preferment. But whatever
their motive, their acts were detest-
able.
If when this deplorable state of
affairs began the newspapers of our
state had come out squarely in favor
of maintaining peace and protecting
lives and property in the strike zone.
If they had extended to the governor
their support in his efforts to obtain
and preserve order. If those persons
who have been so far free in their
talks Of violence had used their eff
forts in the interest of peace and
order. If, in short, our newspapers
and demagogues had promulgated
patriotism, instead of preaching treas
on, the trouble would now all be set
tied. If those influences had from
the first been exercised in favor of
law and order the battle of Ludlow
would never have been fought. If
those newspapers and would-be poll
ticians had announced right at the
start that no one would be permitted
to resort to armed violence to redress
real or imagined wrongs without cal
ling down upon himself the power and
authority of the state supported by all
its loyal citizens, neither side Of the
controversy would have been armed
A state and its officers owe it to
themselves and to the people of the
whole state, as well as to the ma
tion at large, to protect the lives.
liberties and property of all who dwell
within its borders and every loyal
citizen of the state owes duty to
assist and support the constituted
authorities in their effortc to n,o,,r,,o