New-York tribune., 1922-05-07
Britains "Pol;tical' Prisoners
Women Alert in Kansas
West Virginia S Trouble"
Admiral Staunton on the Paramount Right of Self
Protection When State Agencies Fail
TO the Editor of The Tribune.

TO the Editor of The Tribune.
Sir: have read with surprise and
displeasure your editorial in to- days
issue under the title "West Virginia's
Trouble"
do not find in The Tribune's re
port Of the proceedings at Charles
town on the 2sth anything which JUST
fes your statement that Governor
Morgan made the admission" that a
private government exists in the
state. As reported in THE Washing
ton Post of the 29th Governor Morgan
SAID that the state had no National
Guard, that is department Of public
safety, the state police. was inadequate
and that it would be useless for him to
reconvene the Legislature. as the
unions had requested. as it was certain
il would refuse to abolish the private
guard system, TO which the Republican
Legislature was admittedly pledged,
until the state was prepared to guard
lives and property by some other
means. This probably states the situa-
ton fairly and as the people of West
Virginia sec it.
The ght Of self-preservation, Of
protection of life and property is para
mount and is never treason as The
! I.
is Indjsputablc that it is far prefer
able that all protection of life and
property, the arrest and punishment of
AL violators of law should be in the
hands Of regularly chosen and state
paid public employees. But if this can
not be done or is not done. the right Of
self protection remains. 1t is funda-
mental right which is yielded when
state agencies supervene and is prop
trly resumed when state agencies fail.
The man living in a remote place
with no con table at hand mas. if his
person or property be threatened with
violence, the right to arm himself and
repel the intruding criminal. He has
the right to arm his employee for the
same purpose. Ii mining coal and still
lacking projections he has the right to
employ guards and arm them That
this condition, especially if on large
scale. may lead to abuses, is evident;
hut these abuses at their worst are
probably less injurious to the moral
and economic future Of the state than
those which the mine guards are or
ganized to prevent.
The intent to invade the non union
districts and compel the formation Of
unions by force is nothing new in West
Virginia Two years or more ago the
unions assembled several thousand
armed men at or near Charlestown, the
capital, with the avowed intention of
marching into the non-union counties
and compelling the miners there to
organize Governor Cornwell a reso-
luee and fearless man, told them that
Il they did not dispersc within stated
time he would telegraph for United
States troops. They dispersed.
These men were not working in the
ron-union counties. They were living
and working in other counties, mainly
in Kanawha and Fayctte, at some dis
tance from Logan and Mingo. They
were not attacked or menaced in any
way by the armed Gu 4rds in Logan and
Mingo They organized to attack the
lives, property and liberties protected
by these guards and this movement
was formulated and declared long be-
fore Governor Morgan was elected, and
has been hanging over the state for
several years. 1t did not await Cover
nor Morgan's decision not to reconvenC
the Legislature.
The Tribune calls self protection
"treason' and the armed body OF
miners whose assault on life and prop
erty renders this protection necessary
posse comtatus, that is, body OF
citizens enforcing the law The atest
testimony at Charlestown is to the
effect that the definite objective of {
certain group of the union miners wa.
to kill Don Chadn, the sheriff of Logar
County. Propably The Tribune vii
admit that the sheriff of county is Z
duly elected responsible public agent
and that j.; is at least irregular for ;
posse comjtatus' to make one of it.
principal objectives the Staying of al
\ official of the government whose au
thority alone can give 1t power to lie
gally act.
The situation in which West Viz
einia finds herself of being unabl
with state agencies to protect life, lib
erty and property is one which in tn