St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-07-06

toned in Chicago alone three regiments
of Infantry, one battery and one troop
of cavalry. and 10 better soldiers can
be found. They have been ready every
moment to go on duty and have been
and are now eager to go into service.
But they have not been ordered out be-
cause nobody in Cook county, whether
official or private citizen, asked to have
their assistance, or even intimated i'll
any way that their assistance was de-
sired or necessary.
So far as l fiave been advised, the
local officials have been able to handle
the situation. But if any assistance
were needed, the
STATE STOOD READY
to furnish 100 men for every one man
required, and stood ready to do so at
moments notice. Notwithstanding
these facts, the federal government has
been applied to by men who had pollti-
cal and selfish motives for wanting to
ignore the state government. We have
just gone through q long coal strike,
more extensive here than in any other
state, because our soft coal field is
larger than that of any other state.
We have now had ten days of the rail-
road strike, and we have promptly fur
niShed military aid wherever the local
officials needed it.
In two Instances the United States
marshal for the Southern district of
Illinois applied for assistance to enable
him to enforce the processes of the
United States court, and troops were
promptly furnished him, and he was
ccicf Ind if,a hu IL sirAA
law has been thoroughly executed, and
every man guilty of violating it during
the strike has been brought to justice.
If the marshal for the Northern district
of Illinois, or the authorities of Cook
county, needed military assistance, they
had but 10 ask for them In order TO get
it from the state. At present some of
our railroads are paralyZed uOt by
reason of distractions but because
they cannot get men TO operate their
trains. For some reason they are anX-
GUS TO keep this fact from the public
and for this purpose are making all ou.-
cry about obstructiOns in order
TO DIVERT ATTENTION.
Now l Will cite 10 you two examples
which illustrates the Situation: Some
days ago was advised that the buSi-
ness of one OF our railroads was OBJ
structed at two railroad centerS-that
there was condition bordering on
anarchy there, and | was asked TO fur
niSh protection so as to enable the en-
ployes of the road to operate the
trains. Troops were promptly
ordered to both points. Then it trans
pired that the company had not sutfi-
cient men Oh its line to operate one
train. All the old hands were orderly,
but refused to 90. The company haa
large shops in which worked number
of men who did not belong to the Amer
lean Railway union, and vino could run
an engine. They were appealed to run
the train, but fatty refused. We were
obliged TO hunt up soldiers who could
run an engine and operate train.
Again two days ago appeals, which
were almost frantic, came from Off
clals of another road, stating that at an
important point on their lines trains
were forciDly 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 few hours
time, when the officer in command tele-
graphed me that there was no trouble
and had been none at that point. but
that the road seemed to have no men to
run trains, and the sheriff teiegrlphed
he did not need troops. but woald him
IL
would only
FURNISH AN ENGINEER.
The result was that the troops were
there over twelve hours before single
train was moved, although there was no
attempt at interference by any body. 1t
is true that III several Instances a road
made efforts to work few green men,
and q crowd staining around insulted
them and tried 10 drive them away. and
i'll a few other cases they cut off Pullman
SieeperS from trains, but ali the troubles
were local in character and could easily
be handled by the state authorities.
Illinois has more railroad men THAN any
other state in the union, but as rule
they are orderly AMI well behaved.
This is shown by ,le fact that so very
little actual violence has been commit
ted. Only very small per cent of
these men have been guilty of any in
fractions of the law. The newspapers
accounts have in many cases been pure
fabricationS. and i'll others wild exag-
geratiOnS.
have gone through this in detail to
show you that it is not soldiers that the
railroads need so much as it is men to
operate the trains, and that the cOndi-
tions do not exist here which bring the
cause within the federal statutes,
as statute that was passed
in 1881, aud was in reality Il
war measure. This statute author
lied the use of federal troops in a state
whenever it shall be impracticable to
enforce the laws OF the United States
within such states by The ordinary
judicial proceedings. Such condition
does not exist In Illinois. There have
been a few -
LOCAL DISTURBANCES.
IN hst lue inf
with the administration of justice, or
that could not be easily controlled by
the local or state authorities, for the
federal troops can do nothing that the
state troops cannot do. l repeat that
you have been imposed upon in this
matter, but even if by a forced construc-
ton, 1t were held that the conditions
here came within the letter of the
| statute, then L Submit that local self
| government is a fundamental principle
| OF our constitution. Each community
| shall govern itself so long as it can, and
! is ready ana able to enforce the law,
and it is in harmony with this funda-
/ mental principal that the statute author
| iZing the president to send troops into
| the states must be construed, especially
| Is this so in matters relating to the
| exercise of the police power, and the
preservation of law and order.
| 10 absolutely ignore local govern
ment in matters of this kind when the
local government is ready to furnish
! assistance needed, and is amply able to
enforce the law, not only insults the
people of this state by imputing to them
an inability to govern themselves or all
unwillinguess to enforce the law, put is
in violation of basic principle of our
institutions. The question Of federal
supremacy is in no way involved. No
| one disputes it for moment, but under
| our constitution federal supremacy aud
| local self-government must go hand in
hand, and to ignore the latter is to do
violence to the constitution.
AS governor of the tate sof Illinois l
protest against this and ask the i'm.
mediate withdrawal OF the federal
troops from active duty in this state.
Should the situation at any time get so
| serious that we cannot control 1t with
| thn state fnrPnS wp will Drnnntlu opd