777 .C L 3 4- H 13 I* \Jtxm Resolutions Adopted by ul The Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry at Denver, Colorado Monday, May 18th, 1914 WHEREAS: During the past several months, there has existed in the coal mining districts of our State, a con- dition of insurrection against the lawful authority of our State Government, wherein several thousand misguided, and largely unnaturalized men, speaking more than twenty different languages, unacquainted with the true principles of constitutional government, consisting in part of vet- eran soldiers of the recent foreign wars, armed with high-power rifles; incited, led-on and financially sustained by agitators and professional trouble makers, mostly non- residents of our State, possessing no property or other interests in our Commonwealth ; have bid open defiance to and made organized war against the lawfully constituted authority of our State, murdered many men and created a reign of terror in the said mining districts and have de- stroyed hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of prop- erty, and WHEREAS: The regularly organized National Guard of Colorado, under orders from our Governor, its commander-in-chief, and under direct command of Gen- eral John Chase, did, without bloodshed by the said National Guard of Colorado (except the reported cases of two men) suppress the said insurrection and maintain an armed peace in the said coal mining districts, until it was deemed necessary on account of lack of appropriated funds to pay and maintain the National Guard of Colorado in the field, and the oft repeated and unjustifiable refusal of our prejudiced State Auditor to audit bills and issue warrants for such payment and maintenance, the greater part of the said National Guard of Colorado was with- drawn from said districts, and WHEREAS: Thereafter, in addition to other out- rages and acts of offensive warfare committed by the said insurrectionists, there occurred the attack by them on the forces of the National Guard of Colorado stationed at Ludlow, at which place the camp of the insurrectionists was situated between the intrenchments of the fighting f insurrectionists and the position occupied by the National Guard of Colorado remaining in the district, during which attack one boy was accidentally killed by a bullet coming from the direction of the insurrectionists and two women and eleven children, who had crowded together in a hole under a tent were smothered without fault of the said National Guard of Colorado, and also during which at- tack the National Guard of Colorado, while under fire from the insurrectionists, heroically rescued a number of women and children from similar holes, and WHEREAS: There never was any such occurrence as the so-called "Ludlow Massacre," and the National Guard of Colorado never did, at any time or place, kill any women or children but, on the contrary, the members of the National Guard of Colorado have heroically and patriotically attempted to perform their bounden duties while serving without pay and in the most trying cir- cumstances, facing an armed force of insurrectionists of many times their number, who were encouraged and abetted by a number of noisy, maligning traitors, some of whom were and are now holding high official positions, and WHEREAS: Concerning the aforesaid matters and things, many false, libelous and maliciously misleading statements and articles have been published and circu- lated throughout the State and the country at large, to the great injury of our loyal people, and WHEREAS : All the foregoing is based upon the best obtainable evidence, which evidence we sincerely believe to be true; NOW THEREFORE: Be It Resolved by the several Bodies of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Free- masonry, S. M. J., U. S. A., in the State of Colorado, that we, with all other good men and good women, with- out respect to political affiliation or sectarian belief, are loyally bound by principle and precept to support and maintain constitutional government and the just enforce- ment of the laws by the duly constituted authorities in the State and Nation. That while we welcome to our State, intelligent, peaceable immigrants, who come seeking to become citi- zens and are willing to support American constitutional government; we denounce and condemn, as dangerous to free American institutions, the importation and congre- gation in this country of large numbers of unassimilable immigrants of such characters and modes of life as to be unfitted to ever become good citizens. That if there be differences between employers and employees and if then- bo infractions of law or neglect of compliance with law by either employers or employees in regard to matters of employment, these things should be remedied by mutual contracts, by legislation or in the courts; but armed rebellion against the constituted author- ities CANNOT be countenanced by good people and in all cases MUST be suppressed. That the forcible taking, carrying away or burning of property of others, without lawful authority; the killing of men acting in defence of their property, and the killing of officers of law, acting in the line of their duty, are no less larceny, arson and murder because perpetrated by large bodies of men, attempting by force to right or avenge real or fancied wrongs, or to acquire real or imaginary rights. That the only lawful authority in this State is vested in the citizens of this State or, in proper cases, in the citizens of the United States, acting through and by their lawfully chosen representatives and any and all com- binations of people, making armed insurrection or war against such lawful authority, are guilty of treason, and all those aiding or abetting such insurrection or war, are also guilty of treason and they should be condemned and punished accordingly. That as to combinations of men in this State and other States seeking to foment trouble and insurrection in this State and to dictate to our people and to our State authorities, we refer to the words of the immortal Washington, uttered under somewhat similar circum- stances; "Self-appointed societies, usurping the right to control the constituted authorities and to dictate to public opinion, * * * * are incompatible with all gov- ernment and must either sink into general disesteem or finally overturn the established order of things," and to prevent the latter, all good citizens should pledge their united influence, their property and their lives. That we deplore, denounce and condemn the publi- cation and circulation throughout the State and Nation, to the great injury of our loyal people, of the many false, libelous and maliciously misleading statements and ar- ticles regarding the said coal mining insurrection and regarding the acts of our Governor and of the National Guard of Colorado in connection therewith. That while we recognize that in this insurrection, as in all actual warfare, there may have been cases of wrong by individual members of the National Guard of Colorado, we commend and express our grateful apprecia- tion to the officers and men of the National Guard of Colorado, who have valiantly and patriotically sought to do their duty in defence of constitutional government and the enforcement of law and order in our State under the most trying circumstances, without pay, suffering unusual hardships, facing an armed enemy of superior numbers, consisting largely of immigrant veterans of recent foreign wars and while being maligned, slandered and unjustly condemned by traitors and sensationalists in their rear. That the people of Colorado are amply able to govern themselves and to maintain constitutional government among the bona-fide residents of our State, but when organized bodies of men in other States send arms, am- munition, men and money into this State, to create and maintain insurrection and make war against our State authority which, if successful would overturn the govern- ment of this State; it becomes a serious menace to the National government and a matter of national importance. That in memory of those who, in defense of their State and its institutions, were killed on the field of battle or assassinated while pursuing the line of their duty, a grateful people should erect and maintain upon the ground hallowed by their blood, monuments inscribed: "Here died a Martyr to the cause of Constitutional Government and the prevention of the establishment of Anarchy in this State." RALPH E. STEVENS, CHARLES A. STOKES, CLARENCE M. KELLOGG, DAVID PLESSNER, Committee. HENRY B. TELLER, Acting Master, Delta Lodge of Perfection No. 1. WALTER D. SALTER, Wise Master, Mackey Chapter of Rose Croix No. 1. RALPH E. STEVENS, Commander, Denver Council of Kadosh No. 1. GEO. L. HODGES, Master of Kadosh, Colorado, Consistory No. 1. A. A. S. R. Attest: CHARLES H. JACOBSON, Secretary.