The Elk Mountain pilot., 1922-09-21
,LAMtsA GETS A TASTE
OF RANGER RULE

= n f.
OF RANGER RULE
The Alamosa Journal recites a story
of ranger outrage which sounds as
tho the incidents might have hap
pened in Walsenburg.
Two young men named Martin and
Eakin were playfully showing each
other on the street and happened to
run into couple of Shoup's pets.
The rangers placed them under ar
rest, both submitting, but onesof the
men took the liberty of arguing the
case, whereupon one of the lords of
creation struck him in the face
knocking him down and bruising him
severely. The other man attempted
to reason with them over such con-
duct and he was felled like an OK.
The two men were taken to Jail, and
there one of them demonstrated
against being locked up, saying he
could furnish bond, and he was then
struck over the head by a ranger
and dragged into Jail. 1t is said
neither man resisted arrest.
When the two men were arraigned,
they were freed from the charge of
resisting an officer.
The men have filed charges against
the two big bullies and they are to
be tried in district court for assault
and battery. The rangers are said
to have been Frank Aultman Of Pu-
eblo and Pack Welsh of Boulder.
The Journal says:
The Journal believes in the en-
forcement of the law and had de-
cided previously when the tactics OF
the rangers were being condemned
and criticized for their bulldozing
uncalled for acts that it would re-
frain from open discussion until they
had been removed from town and
the strike tension was abated, but
patience ceases to be virtue and a
halt needs to be called on their high
handed methods. The rangers here
seem to have the idea that they must
stir up trouble, precipitate riot and
do all in their power to get the state
militia sent here. With one excep-
tion, as far as we can learn every
arrested person has been "slugged'
and some have been beaten up who
were not arrested. No bodily re-
sistence has been offered in a single
case but the ranger "slugged" be-
cause the prisoners talked back. The
law does not permit man to strike
another because of any language
used and it is only the lowest brutish
instincts that cause a ranger intoxi-
Gated with an exaggerated authority
to beat down defenseless pr soner
Col Hammock has interpreted the
anti-picketing law to mean every
thing under the sun to which q
ranger may take notion. When he
wants to put person in Jail he has
used force, threats, and other means
of intimidation to prevent certain
persons from engaging in lawful oc-
cupation." The kind of ranger we
have met has an idea he is divine and
his word is law and who crosses him
does so at his peril, no. matter how
trifiing the act Some one is re-
sponsible for imbuing him with the
idea that his word is the Law and
his power supreme.
Along this line. our contemporary,
the Steamboat Pilot, says, "Alone
with many citizens, The Pilot believes
in law and order, yet it believes that
the arbitrary and high handed actions
OF the state rangers, subversive of all
rights guaranteed to citizens, is do
ing more to breed Bolshevism and
anarchy than all other forces put to-
gether."
The striking shopmen before or
after the rangers came have not COM
mitted single act of violence and
the above statements will not inflame
single townsman. The wrongs are
talked over freely by our citizens and
1t is only fair to Alamosa that the
state at large be informed of the
trouble the rangers are melting. The
town does not object to the presence
OF the rangers. If there are isolated
instances of disturbances, their pres
ence would curb them. But exceed
ing their authority and exhibiting
british instincts, they are a travesty
upon the majesty of our state in its
"law and order program.