Montana labor news., 1934-08-09
PEACE OFFICERS
DID THEIR DUTY
Gunman Fires at Officers as They
try to Dispense Crowd; Gun
men Should Have Been Placed
Under Arrest for Threatening
Officers.


Responsibility for Mondays dis
graceful scenes on the downtown
streets of Butte must be placed direct
ly at the door of" the Anaconda Cop.
per Mining Company. 1t was at their
doors that the disgraceful scenes took
place and their reporters were on the
scene to gather all evidence that the
Anaconda Company wanted. The hire
lings Of the Corporation, planted in
the crowd, melted the mob to further
violence after members of the Union
took their men away and begged the
crowd to disband.
The Police Officers of Butte did all
hat was humanity possible to dispense
the crowd. The Chief of Police went
out to the crowd in person and asked
them to leave the scene. 1t appeared
as if the Company did not want the
police to dispense the mob for while
the Chief was asking the crowd to go
a COMPANY GUNMAN FIRED A
SHOT THROUGH THE WIND
SHIELD OF THE POLICE PATROL
JUST MISSING THE DRIVER. If
the Company wanted the police to dis
band the mob, why was a shot fired
at the Police patrol by a COMPANY
GUNMAN? Let those who condem
our peace officers answer that ques-
ton and let brain-truster Dan Kelley
quote the law as to what should be
done to men who shoot at officers at
tempting to do their duty. II will pro-
badly take a better mind than Kelly to
figure this out. How anyone can shoot
at officers in the performance Of their
duty and then critic such officers for
not doing their duty is more than the
simplest mind can grasp. With the ex-
ception of the hired brains of the Ana
conda Company no one has been able
to figure it out. Had it not been for
the officers Of the law, with the CO.
operation OF members of the strike
committee someone would have been
killed last Monday. Knowing that the
burned car would keep a crowd mill
ing about the place every attempt was
made by the plants" to keep the
sheriff and garage man from moving
the car. 1t was only through the eff
forts Of the peace officers of Butte
and the members Of the Strike Com
mittee that the car was moved and the
crowd dispersed. As long as the over
turned car remained on Granite street
an irresponsible crowd would gather
and such a crowd would provide the
gunner with an opportunity Of re-
turning and doing the work for which
they are hired, killing a few innocent
people in order that troops might come
to Butte and force men and women Of
Butte to slavery at the point of a bay
onet.
The Police officers of Butte are to
be complimente6 on the way in which
they held their heads. Had the in
cident taken place in Minneapolis or
San Francisco, the Police would have
returned the fire directed at their pat
rol car and a number Of innocent peo-
pie would have been killed. That is
the only explanation that can be Of
fered for the shot fired through the
police car windshield. Fortunately the
Police Of Butte held their heads and
fire and no one was injured.
If the Montana Standard were an
honest journal of public opinion and
civic welfare instead of the propaganda
sheet for the Anaconda Company they
would be complimenting the peace Of
ficers OF Butte for keeping their heads
instead Of c%ondemning them for not
clubbing and casing women and child
rem, many of whom were shopping in
the district.