The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1894-10-20
NORTHWESTERN ARMY
Two Causes For the Movement of
Troops in the Department of
Dakota.
GENERAL MERRITT'S REPORT
But For Soldiers the Northern Pacifi,
Would Have Been at Least Par
TALLY Effaced.

WASHINGTON, Oct. 2O.-In his annual
report, just published, Brigadier Gen.
eral Merritt, commanding the depart
ment Of Dakota, says that the move
ment Of troops in his department dur
ing the last summer wa occasioned by
two remarkable outbreaks, which it has
been necessary to control by the United
States army. In the first place. the
organization and movement Of the So
called commonweal army or Coxeyites,
the other the strike commenced in June
on the Northern Pacific, precipitated in
sympathy with the Pullman strike.
The first of these developed to the
greatest extent in the farther North
west, notably the state Of Montana.
The causes are large floating, mining,
and at times unemployed population,
which, being more or less free from the
restraint OF law, is always ready to join
any movement in which idleness,
viciousness and lawlessness are found.
One Way of Getting Votes.
Another cause is an affected sympa-
thy extended to the lawless by both
high and low in office who depend on
the suffrage of the less law-abiding for
their positions. This principle of de-
pendence is apparent among all classes
OF the community. The merchant, the
grocer, the tradesman and all who live
by the patronage of others are con-
strained to openly express sympathy
with the violent and in many cases
with the lawless, because of the princi-
pie of boyootting which has been re-
duced to science in this new and mea-
gerly populated state. While many in
these communities of the classes of
which speak, privately condemn law
lessness, fear that the means of procur-
ing livelihood would be taken from
them by the boycott, places them, SO
far as their PUBLIC expressions of opin.
ion go, among the worst element.
1tisnot wonderful, under these circum-
stances that lawlessness was in the as
cendant in Montana during both of the
abnormal outbreaks referred to. It is,
perhaps, only necessary to add that all
the resistance was made to civil author
tiles. In no instance did the people in
cluded IN this outbreak resist the mill
tary when itappeared on the scene of the
disturbance. The troops were used
with complete discretion by the officers
in command and the law was enforced
without violence.
As Bad as Could BE.
In treating of the great strike which
stopped every wheel ON the Northern
Pacific railroad, which inflicted great
loss and untold inconvenience upon the
public, General Merritt says:
''It is difficult to conceive a worse
state of affairs than existed ON this
road. There was no mail communica-
ton with any point west of Fargo. The
posts situated on this road could hold
no communication with department
headquarters save by telegraph. If the
blockade had been continued, commun.
tiles living and troops stationed at diff |
Eerent points ON the road were in dan.
ger OF starvation resulting from the |
stoppage of supply trains
Would Have Destroyed the Road.
General Merritt tells in detail how he
his forces to meet the emer-
sency and open up communication and
'ays: II have no doubt that if ample
measures had not been taken to prevent
{, that a great destruction of railroad
even to the effacement of the
Dad for considerable length of time,
would have been wrought by the law
ess element whose character has been
linted at in the foregoing. =