The Oklahoma City times. [volume] (Oklahoma City, Okla.) 1908-1984, 1917-08-11
ECONOMIC CAUSE
BEHIND R|oT|NC
States Editors Rise to Defense
of Oklahoma Patriotism,
STERNNESS IS ADVOCATED
Real AgjtatorS and Riot Lead
erS Should Be Punished,

'uNu'Vah " llplN III 'Nldh''Na Jaw
last week and early during the pres
ent week arc attributed by the various
editorial writers Of the state to causes
farther back than the draft, in contra
distinction to the first news reports
sent by correspondents from Hughes,
Pontotoc and Seminole counties the
area principally affected
With few exceptions, they base the
outbreak un economic causes, the ten
ancy problem and the dl'Satliactlon
consequent from long hours OF labor
IN agricultural pursuits aud poor re
turns
All editorial observers dccD the I'm
favorable publicity received by okla
homa because OF tho so-callcd "upri'
ing and many declare that newspaper
accounts OF the trouble have been
grossly exaggerated This complaint
naturally enough, is strongest in the
territory Immediately affected.
Life and Property Safe,
The Ada News .puhl,shed in the
county seat OF Potontoc county ex-
p;fSses the typical opinion of the ter
tfpory in which tho "inprrcctlon" oos
CURED in the statement that
Tho Nows 10 r,ill es firmly Of tho
! opinion as over that Pontolo" county is
! the best place M Garth In which 10 livo,
! Life and property are ns safe herc ns
anywhere clHe In tho nation Thoro arc
too many good people hero for man to
he downcnrt over n few tough Onen who
! bOb up occasionally
The Mangum Mirror, (which be
cause Of its distance from the scene OF
the trouble, can obtain perhaps a bet
ter perspective, points out the fact that
"rebellions" against the law, Of the
nation only make Loyal citizens more
determined to enforce the laws, and
that such uprisingS, because OF the
SwlitncsS with which they are sure to
be put down and their leaders punished,
prove boometangs in that they dis
courage other maloontentS The Mir
| rof accepts the opinion that the trou-
bic was due solely o'the draft law.
Says the Mirror
Scattered resistance over the state 20
the national laws providing for drafting
into the service Of tho United states can
servo no good purpose forciblo pro
teHt. by socialists. w. &. u, tho Jones
Family or any local organirntio can
have but one effect that Of crystalli1ina
public sentiment against tho movement
and tho movers, and In favor of law on
forcement. The tim" Tor protest has
passed. Before tho draft became law
the land and must be obeyed Th1o whc
r.s,st can suffer but ono fate that o
all law violators.'
"Rsaping the Fruits"
The Frederick Semi Weekly Sta
displays somewhat Of the old aniag
onism between the eastern and west
ern sides Of the state in an editoria
styled "Reaping the Fruits
TN that section Of Oklahoma - :
where armed resistance 20 draft service
has been made there has never been
much respect for Inv and order SAYS
the Star The Seminole nation before
atatchood wns filled with grnftors OF
Indians - the citizenship was com
posed of Indians negroes with Indian
citizenship and IA mixture OF the two
races and mostly n white popnhtlo no
better.
"' - Raised UP In this Kind Of an
atmosphere. wher" no regard has ever
hsen given the law and decent citizen
shin. how can II be- reasonably expected
that the lower order of citizenship would
havc respect for law and Legislative en-
actmcnta and especially when II mp
pearcd TO them that they were only
again being exploited. aa they have been
since the settlement Of tho section'
Seminole county Ia simply reapins
the fruits of itH past dlafcgard for de-
ceucy ~ government and contempt Tor
law on The part of those In authority.
"Thp action Of those who resistod
cannot he too strongly condemned, but
In doing 30 let some OF the cenSurs he
meted out to the bunch of grafters
tellIgent citizenship who have debauched
the people Of that section"
Extent Was Exaggerated.
The Chickasha Express takes The
view tha, the uprising IN reality wa
not as large as reported baslng lt'
editorial upon reports made to Cover
nor Williams by personal representa-
tives /, stresses the point that thu
numbers engaged on both sides formed
small percent OF the population, %
the district, and emphasizes the fac
that the "upriSorS" were almost uni
formly ignorant and uncducated
when the mnlcontenW first hrgnr
their uprising and nctuelly did In som'
cases commit violence on unofcndinl
Ineighhurs" says the Express the peo
pie became pnricky md all sorts ~ wll'
Irunrors were current
That the leaders ot tho Workln,
Class Union ana Jones Family REALLY
did contemplate serious opposition 10 IN
draft md tha, tho movement might hav
hpcpnp p,rluus II pTomut measures hRl
not been taken to check II In not doubted
but those engaged In tho revolt agalns
the government never numbereh NOR
than II small percent ~ tho population
Of the diurlcts affected.
90. The deludcd victims NJ the aE
tatorS had no conception Of the nnturc q
the war IN which America Ia engage
and had no understanding of the drnf
law They had been led 10 believe tha
government officers would come will
guns aud drag them from their home.
for army service huch ignorance, o
course, Ia pitlnblc Az for tho leaders
they merit ana no doubt viii receive IN
FUN penalty of the law
The Okiuskec County New, of Oke
nah. notwithstanding reports tha
Governor Williams did not wish 4
order out the uniederalyed units q
the national guard, prints a Vatemen
to- the effect that members OF Troop \
cavalry oi Okemah who assisted il
pursuit oi the alleged draft te,lstet,
were requested TO do SO on orders iror
the states chief executive The New
does not, however, draw from thl
fact the conclusion that Governor vii
liams was more seriously roncerne