Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1889-02-01
A COmmendable Letter.
ATTORNEY-GENERAL J. b. METCALFE RE-
CEIvES wELL-DESERyED cOMMEMDA-
TION FOR HIS WISE COURSE.

CEIvES wELL-DESERyED coMMEMDA-
TIoN FOR HIS WISE COURSE.
Governor Semple has complimented
tAttorney- General Metcalfe in the fol
towing letter, dispatched by special
messenger, for the wise course taken
by Mr.. Metcalfe in going to Newcastle
week ago and explaining the law to
the miners. The circumstances under
which Mr.. Metcaltc went to Newcastle
are we'll known. He had been advised
to communicate with the Governor 10y
wire with reference TO the late riot
but instead OF doing that he elected to
go first and accertain the exact situa
ton. When there he used the concil-
iatory method of addressing the men
in a meeting, the result being that
there was no more violation of law
and the men expressed a willingness
to settle their differences in friendly
discussion rather than by the use OF
weapons. The letter from the Cover
nor is as follows;
SEATTLE w. T., Jan. IA, 1889.
Hon. J. B. METcALFE: Sir-From
the short report of the remarks you
made to the miners at Newcastle on
the 9Th of this month, which l have
seen in newspaper, they appear to
me to have been proper in the premi-
ses.
The principle that all men in this
Republic should understand is that We
make our own laws and enjoy our own
agents to enforce them, and therefore
there is a greater obligation on our
part to obey them than if they had
been formulated by some ruler who
claimed divine right. The people
are the sovereigns, and they enjoin
their executive officers to enforce the
regulations made by their Legislative
officers. For that purpose they have
agreed to support them with all their
might, so that as you said, the whole
power of the republic may eventually
be used to enforce the order of a justice
of the peace. The efforts of any mar
or set of men to defy this power must
obviously, always prove futile, and
every attempt to do SO must, therefore
be ill-advised.
l consider such events as the recent
disturbance st Newcastle as very un
fortunate, for the reason that they
create prejudice against the working
men and materially increase theil
difficulties. That the workingmen o.
this country have serious grievances
there can be no doubt, but the at
tempts to obtain redress by violenct
only add to the embarrassment o.
themselves and their friends. Much
good has been done by aggitation and
education On this subject, and within
q reasonable time. in my opinion, by
those means, the whole mass of the
people. will be informed on the subject
Of the relative rights of labor and cap.
ital. Both will then be forced to abate
their pretensions in some degree, and
an equitable basis of cooperation will
be established. The tide has been set
ting in the direction of this reform fol-
many years, and it would increase
in compound ratio but for the checks
it receives from the .unwise acts oi
violence ostensibly in its behalf.
Instead Of defying the laws of this
country the true policy of all work
ingmen is to uphold them and defend
them and be known as their uphOl-
ders and defenders in time of peace,
as they always are in time OF war.
,, am aware of the fact that it is diff
ficult to prevent workingmen from fol-
lowing the example of their employers,
who upon three occasions within the
past three months, have confronted
each other with armed bodies Of retain
ers upon the streets of Seattle, en-
deavoring to settle by force, questions
that the law relegates to the courts |;
but while we have no means of reach
ing the men that needlessly risk the
peace Of the country upon a question
OF property rights, we can hope to
influence the workingmen through
their sentiment Of patriotism and
their love for this free country.
Yours truly,
EUGENE SEMPLE.