The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-07-06
Whose Process Could Not Otherwise BE
Served, and Also at the Request
of the Postoffice Department.
WHITE HOUSE CONFERENCES
The President and Cabinet Con-
slider the Strike Situation.
General Miles Given Authority TO REIN
force His Force at Chicago by Bring
ing Troops from the West.

WASHINGTON. July 5.-Governor Alt
geld, of Illinois. to-day sent a long tele.
gram to President Cleveland demanding
the removal of federal troops from Illi-
nois. Following is the Presidents reply:
"Hon. John Z. Altgeld, Governor of Illi-
nois, Springfield, ILL.,:
Federal troops were sent to Chicago
in strict accordance with the Constitution
and laws of the United States upon the
demand of the Postoffice Department that
obstruction of the mails should be re-
moved, and under the representations or
the judicial officials of the United States
that process of the federal courts could
not be executed through the ordinary
means. and upon abundant proof tnat con-
spiracies existed against commerce be
tween the States. To meet these condl-
tons, which are clearly within the province
of federal authority, the presence OF fed
deemed not only proper, but necessary, and
there has been no intention of thereby
interfering with the plain duty OF the local
authorities to preserve the peace OF the
city. GROVER GLEN ELAND.
The following is Governor Altgeld's tele-
gram, which is dated Executive Office,
State of Illinois. July g."
Hon. Grover Cleveland President CT the
United States, Washington, d. c:
Dear Sir-I am advised that you have
in 1ut' the state of illinois. Surely the state
of facts have not been correctly presented,
or YOU would not have taken this step. Tor
il is entirely unnecessary, and, as IL seems
10 me. unjustiiable Waving all questions
of courtesy, | will say that the state OF
Illinois is not only able TO take care OF
itself but it stands ready to-day 10 1uf-
nish the federal government any assistance
II may need elsewhere. our mlhtary Iorce
is ample and consists of as good SOLDIERS
as can be found in the country; They nave
been ordered out promptly whenever ana
wherever they were needed. we nave sla-
toned in Chicago alone three regiments OF
Infantry one battery and one troop OF
cavalry and no better soldiers can De
found. They have been ready every mo,
ment to go or duty; ana orliice nave BYt thew
have not BEEN ordered out, because NOBODY
i'm Cook county, whether official or private
Citizen asked to have their assistance, OF
even intimated in any way tnat lhelr dS-
sistance was desired or necessary
so far as / have been advised the locaI
Officials , nave Deen en aesistance ASST We're needed
the State stood ready TO furnlsh one nun nun
dred men for every one ne III man . moment's
notice Notwithstanding these iacts the
federal government has been applied 10 oy
for wanting TO ignore the State govern
ment We have just gone through Ions
coal strike, more extensive me mere oft tltan coal
field is larger than that OF any other STATE;
we have now had ten days or the ralirpfadd irfd
strike and we have promptly Iurnisned
military aid wherever the local onlclais
needed it. e...o ,-
shal for the. Southern district OF Illinois
applied for assistance TO enable him TO en-
force the processes of the United states
bGm and he was assisted in every way
he desired The law has been thoroughly
executed and every na man str{e EsitS has been
brought to justice. If the marshal for the
Northern district of Illinois or the au-
thorities of Cook county needed military
Assistance they had but to ask in order
to get it from the State. -,,-s- ...
'At present some of our rallroads are
naralvzed. not by reason of obstructions.
but because they cannot get men TO operate
their trains For some reason fhey are
anxious to keep this fact from the puohc,
and for this purpose are making an outcry
about distractions in order TO divert atten-
tion. Now, l will cite you Two @ exaihples 1os.s
ago L was advised that the business OF one
of our railroads was obstructed at two
railroad centers-that there was SoIIoiaoE ,.ros
asked TO furnish protection so as 10 enaDle
the employees of the road TO opetate tne
trains. Troops were promptly ordered 10
both points Then it transpired that the
company had not sufficient men on It's lines
to operate one train. The old hands were
had large shops in which worked a num-
ber of men who did not belong TO the rail-
They were appealed TO 10 run the train.
but fatty refused we were obliged 10 hunt
up soldiers who could run an engine ana
operate a train Again, two DAYS
ago. appeals which were almost
frantic. came from officials Of another road
stating that at an important point on thelr
lines trains were forcibly obstructed, and
that there was reign of anarchy at that
place and they asked for protection so that
they could move their trains troops were
put on the ground in a few hours time
when the officer in command telegraphed
me that there was no trouble and had been
none at that point, but the road seemed to
telegraphed that he did not need troops,
but would himself move every train II the
company would only furnish an engineer.
The result was that the troops were there
over tweve hours before a single train was
moved, although there was no attempt at
interference by anybody. III Is true tnat IN
several instances a road made efforts to
work a few green men, and a crowd stand
ing around insulted them and tried 10 drive
them away and in a few other cases they cut
off Pullman sleeperS from trains. But all
these troubles were local in character and
could easily be handled by the State au-
'Illinois has more railroad men than any
other State in the Union, but as a rule
they are orderly and well-behaved. This is
shown by the fact that so very little ac-
tual violence has been committed. only a
very small per cent. OF these men has been
guilty of any infractions of the law. The
newspaper accounts have in many cases
been pure fabrications, and In others wild
eXaggerations-
II have gone thus far into details 10
show that IL is not soldiers that the rail-
roads need 50 much as II is men TO oper-
ate trains, and that the conditions do not
exist here which bring the cause within
the federal statute, a statute that was
passed in 1861, and was in reality a war
measure This statute authorized the use
OF federal troops in a State whenever il
shall be impracticable to enforce the ANS
OF the United States within such States by
the ordinary judicial proceedings. Such a
condition does not exist In Illinois. There
have been few local disturbances. but
nothing that seriously interfered with the
administration of justice or thar could not
be easily controlled by the local or state
authorities. for the federal troops can DO
nothing that the State troops cannot do
/ repeat that you have been imposed upon
in this matter; but even If by "A forced con-
struction IL were held that the conditions
here came within the letter OF the statute