The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, January 6, 1919, Page 4

.___._._..4...__.__..,.“ S LA TSR e 7 M L. Amos, Resident of Ellsworth, ‘ Advised” to Leave by Defense Councfl—. - Five Days Later Finds Notice to Leave or Be Mobbed O said the mob violence commit- ted agdinst the Nonpartisan league was due to the war? The mobbists, of course, and their friends in public office. The war was a good éxcuse for punishing the farmer’s “crime” of organizing, but it “was not the cause. The old gang can not prevent the farmers from organizing legally " so they try to do so illegally. That the war had nothing to do with mob action is well shown by the fact that the old-gang politicians are keeping it up now that the war is over. - Look carefully at the cut on this page.- It shows an exact reproduction of a large card tacked up on the garage door of a man who believes in farmer organization in Ellsworth county, Kan. It was put there because, and only because, he has been giving some of his time to felling the farmers there what the farmers of North Dakota have succeeded in doing by political organization. Notice the date, November 29. The warning was found on Novem- ber 26. The war ended on November 11. Notice " also what appears in the lower left hand corner— the tar and feathers as a suggestion of what will happen if the order is not complied with. Now the old-fashioned person might think that "the first thing for g law-abiding citizen like Mr. Amos to do, would be to tell the sheriff .and’ the county attorney abofit this threat. The sheriff and county attorney would then set the forces of the law in operation to apprehend the criminal or criminals. They would be found quickly in such a small town as-Ellsworth, and convicted in the court. Thus our fundamental law, both state and national, would be maintained. Mr. Amos, however, can get no such protection in 'this modern day in Ellsworth county, Kan. The reason is apparently clear. The crime committed against‘Mr. Amos is con- sidered so grave in our law and the punishment is so severe .that none but fools would think of committing the act with- out the secret assurance from officers of the law that the law would not, be enforced. The fact that no mob leaders in any of the states where’ mob outrages have been committed against labor and the farmers have ever been brought to book is fairly -certain proof of this point. WARNED TO LEAVE BY COUNCIL But there is special proof in this case which any open-minded’ person would probably accept, but which is not legal proof as it stands. Here is 'a news item which the Ellsworth Messenger car- ried in /its issue of No- vember 2i: M. L. Amos of this “city was called be- fore the Ellsworth County Council of Defense Wednesday morning and inform- ed that his presence \ here was no longer desired. In view of the fact that Mr. Amos’ occupation appears to be spreading the literature of the Nonpartisan league and soliciting members for that organ- " ization, the council of defense decided that he was_an undesirable citizen. The Nonpartisan league, which was thor- oughly dnscussed a year ago, is not popular in this comminity. Nearly all the miembers in this county have repudiated it. In other words, five days before the criminal no- tice was put_up the supposed defenders of law left hand corner. a tight -place. and order in Ellsworth county virtually ordered a | peaceable, law-abiding, property-owning citizen. out of town because they did not like his politics. They told Mr. Amos that they dxd not. have any authonty i i‘ organizer’s garage door. bold as to attempt it.- - night political vampires. » The mobbists and old-gang terrorists in public office are keeping up their dirty work. Since the war ended an organizer of the American Federation - - of Labor was tarred and feathered in - Jackson, Mich. A little later a League and labor organizer was mobbed at Kent, Wash. Later still M. L. Amos was ‘“ordered” from Ellsworth coun- " ty, Kan., first by the defense council _ and then by a mob notice as describ- ed in the story on this page. This- shows how little the war had to do with mobbing. Two other facts are also worthy of note—all our mobs are led by the silk-hat gentry'and the’officers of the law have never been able to find any of them. to force him out, but simply “advised,” but how would .any reasonable man interpret such advice coming from such authority except as an order. How did the eouncil know that it would be wise for him to( leave, as another. Ellsworth paper -reported it as saying, if they did not have guilty knowledge of the intention of themselves.or other persons in Ells- worth to violate this citizen’s constitutional rights? Doesn’t it look as if Ellsworth county was rotten upstairs and that citizens there, even though it is geographically’ a part of America, have no rights which old-gang politicians. are bound to respect ? But Mr. Amos is not without local support. A’ special meeting of the Farmers’ union of the county was called to consider the matter, for Mr. Amos has been prominent in Union circles for years and Here is a little note which some sneaking cowards who knew they were doing wrong put on a League Note the suggestion of the punishment to follow” disobedience in the lower If Mr. Amos had committed a crime, the law would take care of him, but being en- tirely innocent of anythmg except orgamzmg fafmers, he is liable to this punishment from the fly-by- The vampires, this time these controlling Ellsworth county, Kan., are in Farmer organization is not a crime in law and yet they have to'“get” those who are so So they have to use such tactics as this. Five days before Mr. Amos was warned by the county council of defense to leave the county for this crime of farmer organization, Now don’t be so hasty as to think that there is any connéction between this fact and the mob threaty The council is made up of nice gentlemen who do all’ their public work in the daytime. - took up.the promotion of the League because he saw the need of co-operation at the polls as well as in buying and selling." Strong resolutions were adopted condemning the lawless act, including the lawless advice or threat of the council of defense, in the following language that leaves no doubt as to . where the farmers stand: “Therefore be it resolyed, that we deman;lfi our: county attorney and sheriff that those guilty of those offenses be prosecuted therefor; that the mat- ter of guilt of different persons be 1nvest1gated forthwith and that those participating in said threats be put under bonds to keep the peace and prosecuted for:the: conspxracy alleged herein; that the said M. L. Amos receive the full protection of . the law, that- we tendet to sald Brother Amos our S e Ay sww;fimfl#u&ua'u-mnéumh SN sympathy and support and honor him for the ene- mies he has made, and hereby serve notice upon the legally constituted authorities of Ellsworth county that we will not permit mob rule to constitute the -law thereof, and call upon them to perform their full and legal duty; that copies of this resolution be furnished to the Ellsworth Messenger and the Ells- worth Reporter, and a copy thereof be also fur- nished to the county attorney of Ellsworth county, the sheriff of said county and the governor of this state, the original 'thereof to be placed on file in the records of this Union, and that all law-abiding citizens of Ellsworth county are hereby ecalled upon to join hands with us for the suppréssion o%mob Jlaw and violence. i “R. J. SMISCHNY, Pres. “J. C. POSPISIL.” The Union farmers probably were not overbur- , dened with faith that the_ sheriff and county attor- ney would do their duty, for they knew that the - county attorney had heard the council of defense “advise” a peaceful citizen to leave town and they knew county politics, but they thought it would do no harm to demand that these officials live up to __their oaths of office. This brings us to a new prin- ciple of law enforcement. The county attorney evidently expects the Farmeré’ union to furnish the evidence and find the crumnals, for he summoned | President Smischny to his office and demanded that he produce it. He kept a full record of the ‘ton- versation and then, as he says, contrary to usual prdctive gave it in full to the local ‘papers. This conversation would have some weight with persons ignorant of the law and of what the duty of a county attomey is. Mr. Smischny, of -eourse, knew only that a crime against a peaceful citizen had been committed and he was wisely cautious in- not making direct-charges against any individuals. He simply demanded enforcement of the law. He knew that the law demands that- officers of the law and not the victim of a crime should find the convicting evidence. = To thinking men, however, it is another link.in the evi-- dence of official oppres- sion ‘in Ellsworth coun- ty. e HIGHLY PRAISED BY FARMERS Let us see who Mr. Amos is., Even if he were ' a desperado it would be unlawful to break the law to get him, as has beéen done in Eug. worth county. He is a native American, with ancestors in each of our -wars from the Revolution on. He himself served in ‘the state militi&@ for four yearsiat the time of the Spanish war. He farmed a ranch -of 880 acres near Ellsworth til his health broke dot He then left the' farm and‘bought a residence in town. - The Union farm- “ers, whose ‘opinion should ‘count with other farmers ‘beyond any other . testi- mony, ‘had: this to say of him in their resolution bea.nng on the outrage: The said M. L. Amos is a member of our . { Union and has been and is well known to us and each of us, and has demonstrated that he is a ~ loyal and patriotic citizen by doing those things . ' which were within his power to support our na- tion in war, having bought' Liberty bonds of the various-issues and being a member of the Red Cross and having contributed to the various war - work funds and having always stood loyally - by our country in the war both in word and deed, ‘and his private life has been that of a peaceful and law-abiding citizen and his public - acts have consisted principally of effofts for-the ‘Farmers' union in aiding in the establishment ; ,of co-operative elevatnrs and stores m in‘other = - Lo Kansas Gangsters Threaten League Man | ]