The Washington socialist. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1914-1915, 1915-04-24
LUDLOW
(By James Morganl

Ludlow and April 2Oth-What fear
full memories 1t recalls, the day on
which the blacklist page in American
industrial history was written.
The name brings wildly to mind
the screams of dying women, of little
children burned and smothered, of
men murdered in cold blood while
prisoners of the state militia. And
we wonder If after all it was not
hideous nightmare for it seems in
credible that such things could have
'taken piaccs,n q country which boasts
of its freedom; country that says to
the oppressed and downtrodden of all
nations: Come, here you will find
freedom and equality, the chance to
live and labor, for here in this great
republic, founded by those who re-
VOTED against tyranny and oppression
every person is guaranteed certain in
alienable rights and among these are
life, liberty and the pursuit OF hap
piness Gathered in the little tented
city of Ludlow were representatives
of many nationalities, who had listen
ed to the cry of the new world and
answered the call, with visions of their
new home where man was free, the
awakening came and they found no
freedom under conditions that existed
in hn mil, IN mr. ind IF
Colorado and the same desire for free
dom and a better and happier life for
themselves and their loved ones,
which caused them to leave their
native lands, also caused them to re-
volt against the conditions of life and
labor which obtained in that field and
as the people in the early days of our
country organized to secure rights to
themselves that were God given, so
these children of many lands organic
ed to protect themselves and obtain
the same rights and treatment &C
corded to their fellows in organized
industry, and the power of govern
ment instead of protecting and guaran-
teeing these rights, rights that are
fundamental if the Declaration of In
dependence means anything, used or
permitted the strong arm of the satte
to be used against them, and the
bloody history of Ludlow was written
by men wearing the uniform of great
state.
Causes Have Not Been Removed
Deplorable and terrible as was the
loss of life, there were vital principles
at stake, principles for which rivers of
blood had been shed and thousands
of men had laid down their lives to
establish and defend and while the
slaughter of women and children stir
red the country from one end to the
other, it remains to be seen whether
proper significance has been attached
to what occurred iii Colorado, If it
has, then the people will take steps
that will prevent the growth OF con-
ditions that make a Lodlow possible.
However, what has transpired since
that memorable day does not fill one
with the hope that this phase of the
matter has received much attention
from the public at large. The horror
of the Lodlow massacre is less in the
public mind and the causes that led up
to it have not been rectified. The
great Lincoln said: mo nation could
long exist half slave and half free,
and no republic can exist and be a
government of the people, that fails
to not only rectify the abuses which
lead to such scenes as were enacted IN
Colorado or that refuses or fails to re-
move the causes which lie behind in
dustrial disturbances and industrial
unrest. On this, the first anniversary
of the death of the LodlOw martyrs,
while we grieve with those who lost
their loved ones, let us hope their
deaths have not been in vain.