The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1917-08-09
RESPONSIBILITY FOR LYNCHiNG
OF LITTLE AT BUTTE.

state and city, had performed theii
duty, Frank H. Little would not have
been hung. He would however, have
been placed behind prison bars where
he would have been harmless SO fal
as his reasonable talk Is concerned
But the United States district attor-
ney said there was no law to fit his
case, which, of course, encouraged the
state and city authorities to accept
the same view. so Little continued te
insult the flag, denounce the govern
ment, boast that he and his /. w. w
outlaws would make so much trouble
at home that soldiers could not be
spared to go to France, that they
would force the mines to close down
and bring starvation upon the coun-
try by destroying the crops. He and
his organization were not only threat
ening these things, but they were and
are actually attempting to carry them
out. Peaceable citizens of Butte who
desired to work in the mines and sup
port their families We're assaulted by
these |. w. w. ruffians, their wives in
suited and terrorized, encouraged by
Little and others of his kind who
were permitted to openly advocate
lawlessness and rebellion against the
government.
1t Is easy to condemn the action of a
mob that takes the law into it's own
hands and wreaks speedy vengeance
upoq its victim, but at times there are
extenuating circumstances which
should receive consideration. In the
case of Little. high official and a
leader of the |, w. W., the trusted
representative of the notorious Hay
wood, his open advocacy of lawless-
ness and attacks upon the govern
ment his insults to the soldiers of our
country and its flag, were permitted
by the authorities who in their weak
ness claimed there was no law under
which they could act Confronted
with this condition, their homes, their
lives and their country threatened, is
1t surprising that the righteous wrath
of some citizens led them to take the
law into their own hands in order to
secure the protection which the off,
GERS refused to give? The best an
alysis of the Little affair was made
by prominent business man Of
Butte, and 1t goes to the very bottom
of the question. 1t gives the view of
the peace-loving, patriotic citizen, the
class who represent the real strength
of the nation. When asked for an
expression of the Little lynching he
said:
Il have a son in the army. He re-
sponded to his country's call the ma
tons call for its best young men to
defend the flag and human rights. To
that call he offered his life. At home
are tolerated traitors, men who seek
to destroy the things and ideals he
win fight and suffer for. They preach
the destruction of the means that are
necessary to his support and reason
able safety. They destroy the wheat
fields, the product of which is needed
for his sustenance, and the sustenanee
of millions Of other young men who
are giving their lives that the world
may be free and habitable for these
same destroyers. They take from the
women and little children the necessi-
ties of life. They advocate the de-
struction Of the fruits of industry and
carry fear and terror into every home, |
They preach disloyalty to our country
md contempt for the flag for which
my boy is sacrificing his life. They
have been known to revile and pollute
he sacred emblem of the country
hat has harbored Them shielded them
rom oppression, rescued them from
slavery, and we are calmly told by
curtis and our administrators of law
md justice that there is no law that
an stop, no wording of statutes that
vii prevent my boy from being stab
ed In the back by these assassins at
ome.
"A few days ago miner, an old {
citizen, satisfied with the ,
pportunity to work and earn an hon
IT livelihood; satisfied with the Of
srs and concessions that have been a
lade by the mining companies. re- o
armed to work at the mines. He was n
aylaid by several thugs and beaten. !,
nd was warned that worse would be
wen him II he didn't remain away y
ON the mines. His wife Is an in U
aid, and his children are hungry. Ia