Birmingham age-herald., 1894-07-27
GOVERNOR JONES Left Yesterday for a Visit to
 Montgomery.
THE SITUATION MEASURING G
Defends Jefferson County Against Those Who Are As-
 sailing Her Good Name.

Governor Jones left for Montgomery yes terday afternoon. The governor evidently regards the situation here as reassuring. Hearing that be was to leave on the south- bound train an AGE HERALD reporter called on him and invited his attention to the exaggerated reports sent abroad, and the evident outside impression that reign Of terror exists in Birmingham aud Jeffer- son county.
 "What is your opinion of the situation here, governor?o
 "There is no reign of terror in Jefferson county, nor anything approaching it. Bus iness is going on as usual, the people come and go along all the highways, manufac- tories are running, three furnaces have blown in within few days, and all the mining com mpanies are getting along com paratively we'll with their labor except the two largest ones. The railroad strike is a thing of the past, and the only matter that now concerns the men is how to get their places back. There are still several thou sand miners out, and the efforts of the com panies to replace them is liable at any time 10 result in a collision. To prevent these violent outbreaks and protect the men at work, deem the presence of troops to back up the deputies as an essential pre- caution. The long continued strike of the miners, followed by the railroad strike, has resulted in the presence in this county of a large number of idle men. Some oi these are bad mon, who are ready to stir up mischief and commit crime.'
 'What about the troops?''
 'The troops are not kept here as watch men around property. The civil authori- ties and special guards can do that work, II that were all. With the number of idle men, the passions which have been excited ny two strikes and the incendiary counsels which are constantly preached it is almost certain, If troops were now removed, at least for the immediate present, that form- idable bodies of strikers would suddenly assemble and attack Workmen, and then disperse before posse could be raised and get to the scene. The troops on the grounds are kept here for the present because the situation is one, in the language of the statute, where the ordinary posse comita- tus or civil power of the county would be unable promptly to suppress or prevent the threatened lawlessness. AD organized and disciplined force has to be kept constantly near Ensley City for this purpose. It must be remembered, too, that the troops sta tioned in this county are not kept here to deal with the situation in Jefferson alone. fsyhen new men go to work in Bibb there is a certainty of trouble unless troops are conveniently disposed to prevent 1t, and there are other contingencies which may likely arise for the present where serious LTOuDie WOulu spring up II Ill tTOOpS were at once removed, while their presence will effectually prevent these things.''
 t'You don't take any stock in these filings the outeide newspapers are making at Jeff ferson, do you, governor?o
 ''Jefferson county. furnishes nearly one- eighth of the stale troops. These men are splendid soldiers and have been almost constantly on duty and were really worn down before the sheriff called for outside aid. The railroad strike, which threat ened so much evil, concerned the com merce of nearly the whole state; and when state troops were concentrated here to keep it within the limits of law they dealt not with local trouble in any just sense, but with lawlessness which concentrated itself here from different parts of the state and selected Birmingham as the theater of its operations. There is another thing also which ought not to be lost sight of. l be- lieve the Pratt mines massacre furnishes the first instance in the United States where q mob of 200 or more men engaged in murder, at H place several miles distant from city, near night, and over half of them were captured and placed in jail within less than forty eight hours alter the mob did it's work and dispersed.
 ''In a few days hope the situation will admit of removing all the troops, and that affairs will settle down into purely normal conditions. The number of men engaged in the strikes, the excitement and passions wrought into them by similar strikes and great laylessness in many other states at the same time, and the expanse of terri tory over which the strike extended made it Impossible for the civil authorities to handle it without the aid of the state. There were not enough arms available to equip posse of the requisite number, and the arms of the state had to be called in until requisite preparations could be ger fected. The citizens are now doing their part, public sentiment has been aroused, and Jefferson will soon be able to take care of jtselt tj