SOCIAL DISORDERS IN AMERICA.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2404, 20 January 1909, Page 6

SOCIAL DISORDERS IN AMERICA.

MURDERS BY MIGHT RIDERS A Mew York correspondent, writing in early November,' has the' following remarks to make about the serious disorder which has been prevailing of late in various part© oi the United States: — • " One of the gravest problems of the next Administration will be to discover some means within constitutional limits of disciplining States that permit disorder to riot unchecked within their borders. Bess than a year ago the President did in fact send Federal troops into u mining State, but the Governor, elected by the striking miners, loudly protested; and since ail the lawyers said that the President had exceeded bis authority the troops were reluctantly withdrawn,, and the mineownors settled the strike upon the best terms obtainable. That was, however, a case of merely sporadic disorder, but in two tobacco-growing -Siate© a war of planters against the Tobacco Trust lias lasted three years, has cost scores of lives and millions of dollars, and grows worse instead better. To force the Trust to'buy tobacco at what is deemed a “fair price,” all growers have been required to hold back their ere*■*© from the market, and when this failed to bring redress, since the small growers sold supplies clandestinely, all tobacco growing was prohibited. To enforce these decrees, bands ol “Night -riders,” masked and armed to the teeth, and sometimes 200 strong, have visited offenders and whipped, or shot or hanged them, according to the needs of the particular case. Several trust warehouses have been burned—one of them worth more than 100,000 dollars. Hundreds of the poorer fanners have sold their land for what it would bring, and have migrated to other States. It is only fair to the Kentucky Governor to add that he has done all in his power to quell this disorder and punish the offenders; but the State militia is unequal to the task, and the’people would never forgive him if he appealed to the Federal authorities for aid. In three other southern States, during the last few months, a similar secret organisation has restricted the output of cotton, also enforcing its edicts by night-riders, outrages; hut as there is no cotton trust (except for cotton-seed oil) the aim of these riders is simply to force the world’s markets, in viewed a lessoned supply, to make higher bids. . ~ And that this kind of trouble is contagious, and may end, unless speedily checked, in general confusion, was vividly brought into view a week ago. An earthquake a few years ago turned what had been a small Tennessee pond into a large lake, and fish soon swarmed the it. and some hundreds of professional'hunters and “guides” got a living by the services to city sportsmeu and selling fish and game. But the owners of the submerged land still held the title to it, and some shrewd sportsmen bought up these titles at a very low rate, formed a club, and declared the lake -“reserved” property. The hunters -and guides—whom someone had aptly “our American gipsies”—paid no attention to the notices posted up until a great lawver and surveyor came to the local hotel, and- then a hundred or more masked men took them out in the woods, hanged the surveyor, and while they were debating what to do with Judge Taylor—whose cousin had serveved as Governor of the.State—judge sprang into the laks, swam lo a marsh, and hid behind a log. Hundreds of bullets rained about him, but i none hit him, and when dawn came he > made liis: way as best he could—an | old war veteran 60 odd years old— | through the woods to a safer-country. g Every road was guarded, but after \ thirty hours’ march without food or > water he at last reached friends. In [ this case the authorities have taken prompt action, and, on the confession of one of the riders, have arrested So culprits. But even if convictions arc obtained, the region will be unhealthy for agents and guests of the new land company for years to come ; and, as a wise man once said. “You can’t indict an entire community.” The arm of the law is only strong when a favoring public opinion stands firmly behind it; nor,' even if martial law were declared, would it help matters beyond the immediate present. It is the sad fact, too. that all these night riders a re native Americans—most oi them of many generations. A' few days ago the last\of the great Indian reservations was thrown open to settlers—B2B,ooo acres, in 160-acre homesteads —and in the usual way, bv a lottery drawing for all applicants who .had personally registered at the local, land office. Of such names there were 114,069, and everyone in 23 drew a prize, the average value of the farms being 3500 dollars. As the names were called out these lucky ones dashed across the line to select the plot which they had coveted, and great was the hubbub, and many the squabbles, and loud appeals to the guards before anyone settled clown for a first night’s rest upon the soil. At one time, instead of a lottery, there was in such cases simply a race, free for all, from a dead line at the signal of a cannon shot; but that led to much disorder and not a few murders; and Congress, in its. wisdom, refusing to sell the land to the highest bidders, because that might end in one of the multi-millionaires buying up the entire tract, no better alternative .than this of the lottery could be devised. Of course 20,000,000 dollars which might have been turned into the public Treasury has thus been sacrificed, but this great holding has been distributed among 5000 families, and will never again be welded together. Even where plutocrats have succeeding in buying up a large estate the county' authorities oppress them with extortionate taxes" and cut roads through their properties “for the good of the public,” and assessing them for these very “improvements” • they - would gladly pay not to have. One amusing recent example of the g'eneral disposition to show rich men no favor has had Mr. Pierpont Morgan as a victim. His favorite country place is on the famous highlands of the Hudson River, and has cost a million or two of dollars ; but. while absent in Europe this year the State authorities bought 500 acres only a mile or two away for a new State, prison. Nearby property-holders 'all protested, and Mr. Morgan offered to the State to buy back these 500 acres <at the price paid for them, and, in addition, to give to the State free a tract of equal size and value a .little higher up the river. But the authorities declined the offer, and Air. Morgan is .now

ouking for another home, but with tfcle expectation of getting both land lid neighbors to suit him. As is .. ell known; lie has stored in London averal million dollars’ worth of both' fid and modern masters,, and he wishs to give most of them to the New. York Museum, of which. Sir Pardon Ularke, formerly of South Kensington, is now the greatly-valued superintendent. But the law will not permit him to -bring’ them into the ..'■'iiintry without paying out a million A two in duties, and this he has uitherto stoutly refused to do, It is not much to be.wondered at that men of this class more and more incline to acccjit the hospitable shelter of a European habitat—a Ski bo Castle, or mmethiug of that sort —during what-

wer time they can spend for holidays. Mven the. former boss of this great •by, Richard Croker, in order to enjoy his “acquisitions 75 in peace,, had to take refuge abroad.