"as the United States constitution guarantees to every citizen the right to bear arms...."

"Anarchy From Montana."

   Since the scene that happened in Denver, Russia (formerly Colorado) on the 21st when Chas. H. Moyer, president of the Western Federation of Miners was escorted before the supreme court of that place by a military coterie of hirling despicable thugs and members of the citizens alliance, the thought is called to mind about an article that appeared in the Miners Magazine some few months ago, from the pen of Al Sellers of this county.

   The Miners Magazine headed it as above suggested, "Anarchy From Montana." But a brief review will throw a side light that will fully explain that Mr. Sellers was not far from the right proceeding, when the military is to trample over all free American constitutional rights. His import of the article was for the union men to arm themselves with Mausers and about 500 rounds of ammunition, and which act would be absolutely constitutional, as the United States constitution guarantees to every citizen the right to bear arms in his home, except in "Russiado," where union men vote all tickets but the Socialist, scab at the ballot box and starve in the bull pen. He then made plain that the militia usually called out on these occasions was composed of ruffians, cheap clerks, rounders and thugs of all sorts, and who were all cowardly if they were forced up against a proposition that an "equal break" would be experienced. This class of debauched criminals then, knowing that if they forced trouble and persisted in a reign of Peabody anarchy, would get into a fight where no odds would be in their favor, and in place of bayoneting men into the bull pen and shooting down defenseless humanity, their own bodies would be forced to the position of a lead target. To this he contended that every hired militiaman would shrink from duty.

   Does it not look about true when you think of the following told in the associated press dispatch from Denver, Russiado?

   Defying the attachment of cavalry which brought Charles H. Moyer of Telluride to appear before the supreme court, W.D. Haywood secretary treasurer of the federation attempted to hold a conversation with the prisoner while he was being taken from the train at the union depot this morning. Ordered to stand back by Captain Bulkley Wells, commanding the guard, he struck the officer in the face. In a second he was surrounded by a cordon of angry troopers who struck at him with the butts of their carbines and beat him with six shooters. That he was not killed by the excited soldiers is due to the action of Bert Givens, the orderly of Captain Wells, who struck up the muzzle of a gun aimed at Haywood and rescued him from his position between two cars where the guardsmen had him cornered.

   Placed under arrest he was put in the middle of a hollow square of militiamen, and marched to the Oxford hotel near the depot. Here he again showed fight and was beaten into submission. His injuries consist of a deep cut on the left side of the head and one on the right side of nis head which almost severed the lower lobe of his right ear.

   When a demand was made by Police Captain Frank Lee for the release of Haywood on the ground that the militia rule did not extend to Denver, General Sherman Bell replied that he intended to hold Haywood as a military prisoner and would shoot any one who attempted to take him. But, nevertheless, under orders from Gov. Peabody, Haywood was surrendered to Sheriff Armstrong and placed in the county jail this afternoon.

   Mr. Haywood made a mistake, even though the army officer had no absolute right there in Denver under the existing circumstances, he made the mistake of not being ready for the trouble if he expected to precipitate the same. The army officer had no military authority in that county, but when struck by Mr. Haywood, the lickspittles in the soldier garb several in number sprang to the man to beat or possibly kill him. But had he had a few fighters with him on the ground where man to man was an equal break the damnable curs who beat him up with guns would have gone so fast that you could not have seen the cowards for dust behind them.

   Always be right, but once right go ahead, stop for nothing. Had the above trouble occurred in San Miguel county an entirely different aspect would have been cast upon the part of Mr. Haywood. But why continue this kind of a farce fight. Let us drop all this and get down to business. Let us proceed to educate the laboring people, or possibly more properly put, the exploited class, and realize that the present condition must exist until we can capture the government through the ballot box

   President Gompers of the grand annex to Parry's citizens alliance circus, says as follows regarding Gov. Peabody of Russiado:

   The violation of the fundamental principles of our country has made Colorado the laughing stock of the country, as well as the rest of the civilized world. Besides, it robs men of the actual rights and protection guaranteed them by the constitution. It appears that if civil law continues to be overriden as it has in the past the fight will soon develop from a technical legal conflict to a physical one. That would be the most deplorable thing we could have in a state or country with a republican form of government.

   Gov. Peabody is not half as ridiculous as Gompers was when he dined in a scab joint in Boston, and with a man who proclaimed, and reiterated his proclamation a year later that a  "scab is a hero." Gompers is a traitor to organized labor and his criticism of Peabody is entirely out of order. He stands for trades autonomy and solely for a system of organization that will perpetuate the resent anarchistic system, and men like Peabody stand on the rulers side--the side of capital--to fight that kind of an organization on its own dung hill. Let Gompers and other leaders spend their time in educating the laboring men to unite at the ballot box, and soon this anarchistic system that prevails at the present will be wiped out and the cooperative commonwealth established. Peabody is true to the interest of the class he represents, while Gompers is a fakir to the class from which he draws a good salary.

[The Montana News, Lewistown, Montana, Wednesday, April 27, 1904. Vol. II. No. 32. Pg. 4]