The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1923-04-20
-. 9 McRae of ~

uV' e. directly CIAe+A 2 e +l,o |
kansas Is in the lawless power Oh ,lobnJ oilJ
ofescilg y FIoommittee' which lyncineqt iI1t
CITIZENS or COl-' striking shOpman' last
E. C. 6TesJJ'ib 6ssJ has been terrorizzIIn!g the
January anu 'tt. Tho line of the Missouri
dstrITs, T,rt5 4I0D7A Arkansas Railroad "a ever ever
and N1,I communication S!i SenI " 1ia7. Ila"V
since u br . the American ClViI Llrer-
ties nun H.. do public officials ard
~. W. men. even law-entorclllg{ 81, o.
bushes, :,stify INV what was done at bar
fcars' l3i,a' ti,a time of the disturbances
ris9n 2. ,-, -,' hut they endorse the same
in Jsno@l' J;...la- IF terror there ever since
condllro3nii r3,-i Liberties communication
the OiT ibranding the attitude to the
states. ton ion bv the Legislative Com
inyes.lso'aaes+ Startling. ut is startling
mite q +bere is displayed generally
0a'a-s1 0n or tacit approval OF the law
ia.s 1 conduct Of the CITIZENS =, Coliillie ; MI
ess ~ CO.. t5e assumption that theirs was
zee y ,;o5t II wav to handle an intoleraDle
W ..-,a+ior" the Union maintains.
sI'ls-ylg lli-;ng # "vnching is to be public
a1S5o+sSed as9l-s in Arkansas as a satlstac-
5LTOetbd -,otbod of settling industrial
3la o:fo" w the Civil Liberties Unions
s.Lrg, s.Ls,,,nication maintains that "the
Cy-'-r,,,l ;l:- Doonle will voice in due time, po-
E.i.orIr Eaa and industrially, their resent
IN. I'M s+ tbe dictatorship of mobs led
men' a. n .erciole and commercial
Tho letter to Governor McRae,
-;,nsd lIS bv Roger n. Baldwin, director
y Tho American Civil Liberties Union
i'If after the lynching of E. C. Gregor
a. Harrison on January 18th, we in
to,asted ourselves actively in the con-
5tion which was responsible for such
q iawloss act of violence, entering into
eorespondence Immediately with our
friends and representatives in Arkans-
as and we wired you. AS interested
citizens. we were concerned, first, that
ne state of terror and lawlessness
which the lynching revealed should be
,tOpped and second, that those re-
sDOnsible for the crime should be
brought to justice.
aOn Feb. 18th, we addressed COM
municatiOn to you making inquiry re-
garding the delay in investigation and
correcting the conditions along the
line Of the Missouri and North Arkan-
sas Railroad. That inquiry was based
upon specific information which had
come to US tending to show that the
legislative investigation was being
sde-tacked by powerful industrial
and political influences. You replied
to US that none Of the charges made
to US was true so far as you were in
formed.
"We have since been following the
course Of the investigation by the
legislative Committee. What ha;
been revealed both in the press re.
ports of the investigation and in the
statements which we have received
IRON our representatives is more
startling than any of the charges we
transmitted to YOU 1t is startingl be
cause there is displayed general!
either open or tacit approval of tht
laWlesS conduct of the Citizens Com
mttee' on the assumption that their
was the right way to handle an intol
cradle situation. The lynching o
GregOr is referred to publicly befor
the committee as "a regrettable Incl
dent. The Citizens Committee /
glonhed as a patriotic body taking tn
law INTO its own hands to protect tn
community from the depredations 0
strikers. Not only do public official
ana BUSINESS men, even laW-enfOrcin
O!lcefS, Justify what was done in Han
nSon at the time of the disturbance
II January, but they endorse the sam
condition Of terror there since, whic
70 uns day denies to strikers and reL
5le.sentatlyes Of organized labor in thu
i.icV uS.IlcV the elementary civil rights t
"Alcn all citizens are entitled. TIL
present condition of terrorism alon
Ie R me Of the Missouri and Mort
arkansas Railroad has been mac
psII1ee3uy clear by the recent fogging
~ az neoer Springs, deportations and i
OIler similar Incidents.
by the character of vour previOl
lepIy to us and ycur failure to act
gle'ent the continuance of this Law
o Oss condition, we are forced to Il
n. g'.'iuSlon that you too acquiesce
~ laWiess power of the Citizen
Mn SOIlllnllJtee.' We cannot understar
S5ly the chief executive of the sta
y :" ,:lI l4I dlspatcE representatives ar
E ~ WIN authority TO assure protectic
o.r;- 9 continuous and carefully O
SSollIed mob violence which usi,r,n,
caS-. saS functions Of local government Y
%ay %".i.Oy understand, why after a Ivnc
Ste,s s which shocked the whole countr
yoI+ ~ s, were not taken at least to or
Of 49, UtIner violence even if detecti,
nossH5 Gtg lyncners was practically Il
of fs''le' We speak as Representative
cora. national organization We q
leans lg with this matter as Ame
to wb.sna snaflng a common citizensI
ert, v'.on u all outrages against civil i
aw%oi common challenge.
spac;oi nave refrained from sendino
We la aJ, investigator into Arkansas
that 1Jb.lSea tba you We would, in orc
have 'iie tSa constituted SI5 authorities mis-
cred ine Is fullest opportunity unban
their ~ outside criticism, to ms
when -tibnoesugation tbo and findings. F
mo ;r,e we very condition which is
the perioS piSSSSigSted Is continued duri
conpeTeSq BSIl0q . Of investigation, we '
solemn u,.to 70 enter our emphatic !
publicly protest. Is lyching to
satisfy. endorsed in Arkanssss Aks - ..
trial et'sy method of ia4t9,S setfIing ind S
The plain Nc, we are confident t
Of that vipS ipeOple OF your state are
in dne' view, and that thew will y;