Birmingham age-herald., 1894-07-11

 erty not heavily guarded. Does any one suppose that the spirit of rapine and plum der thus aroused and made fiercer by the lack of restraint would have stopped at the railroad property? If he does he has read history and human nature in vain. The situation was certainly one of peril and required the promptest measures to avert it. The troops were or dered here after consultation with many good citizens, but the responsibility is mine, and have no excuses to make for it and no regard for the opinions of men who criticise the precautions which harm no law abiding citizens, aud which must surely result in good.
 Yes, some more troops came in today The amount of guard duty which the troopF may have to perform is great. There Is possibility of disorder at other points, ar force enough has been concentrated here! ( deal with such lawless ness as may arise not only here, but elsewhere. The author ities have promised the fullest protection to all citizens in the exercise of their rights, and will spare no endeavor to be prepared to make that promise good.
 NO MARTIAL LAW HERE.
 The talk about martial law is absurb. The people who say so do not understand the meaning of the term. Marital law IS the government of a people according to the arbitrary will of a mi military rycommander, who is q law unto himself and allows the
 
 When martial law prevails all other laws are overthrown or modified as suits the commander. Where martial law prevails men may be arrested and punished without jury trial, or, for that matter, without ln- vestigation. Business can be made to stop, property be confscated, and the law of force relgns supreme. It deties courts and legislatures and is the essence of despotlsm and tyranny. Is this our situation here?
 The civil authorities are supreme in Je = hnlr authority is respected, and in them every citizen has redress for any wrong. The writ of habeas corpus has not been sus- pended and cannot be. Indeed, am here as the highest civil officer of Alabama, in the discharge of my constitutional duty, to see that the civil authorities and the civil law are respected.
 But because the civil law is supreme 1t does not follow that steps may not be taken to preserve order in strict accordance with the law which vary from the rules in force when more peaceable conditions ob- tain.
 The state has the same control over it's highways that man has over bis prem ises. It may regulate them to suit any ex . igency. It may prevent the doing of any thing which conduce9 to disorder. For ln- stance, the prevention of assemblages on streets and highways, or at other places where they are likely to be source of dis order, is one of the oldest exercises of po- lice power.
 In most large cities of the union, in times of the profoundest peace, no procession Of any sort is allowed unless permit Is first obtained from the authorities. Numerous cities have their "pass on' ordinances, which prevent crowds of people from stop ping or lettering on the streets. Our civil laws, the execution of which is committed to me as the highest civil officer, expressly provide I6Sr. the broadest and most stringent regulation of streets ahu' highways, in the discretion of civil and military ofiftnerS to meet any exigency at such times as these.
 In dispersing crowds and regulating the passage and occupancy of streets the troops here are simply executing plain and well defined statutory powers, which were cited in my late proclamation. It is fun damental law that all of our rights must be 80 exercised as not to injure our neigh Dor, and hence no citizen has an absolute right to use the highway as he pleases, or to use them ia times of commotion and disturb ance as he has been accustomed to do in calmer times. It is difficult to understand why any good and law-abiding citizen would object to these regulations, or have so little Knowledge of our institutions as to claim that they infringed upon his rights as an American citizen.
 Certainly the assem blaze about the troops and in places where collisions are likely to occur involves the people who do so in great risk. The Hawes riot should be
 
 theory of 'innocent spectators. .'
 There are other matters besides the pas sage and occupancy of the streets which can be regulated whenever the state troops are ordered out. This, however, is in pur- suance of plain, statutory provision, which places where guns, ammunition or explo- sives are stored. The propriety Of so do- ing, in times of great excitement, is recog- nized everywhere, and the law making power affirms it's wisdom by the stringent statutes which 1t has passed on the subject.
 Nothing has been done here except to regulate the passage and occupancy of streets and to forbid the sale of liquor, ammunition, etc. All this las been done in the strictest subordination to the laws of Alabama, and there is nothing in any of these things which bears the slightest semblance to martial law.
 The authoritee, under the powers vested in them, can prevent any assemblage on the streets, or persons passing on them after a given hour, or passing beyond given boundaries, and do many other things, under the law, which have not been done as yet.
 There has been an earnest desire to pre- vent all possible inconvenience consistent with the public good, and the men who object to these things are simply objecting to the execution of the law of the land. The statutes of this state give ample power to do all needfu things to preserve the peace, and it is very foolish, when they are exercised, to be talking about martial law.
 So far from desiring to be harsh, have from ordering the arrest of many persons who have unconsciously subjected themselves to the pains and penalties of felony for refusing to disperse when they had been ordered to do so.
 DID NOT INVADE STATES
 RIGHTS AT CHICAGO.
 "Governor, querien the reporter, "you have seen criticisms upon the president's any request from Governor Altgeld, and them in preserving the peace ( re% hot x,inl of ta,o inh fa