The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-08-26
THAT LETTER OF GRAHAM
Charge Of Treason Taken Ex-
Ception To by Those
Concerned.
Is NOT A JUDGE. THEY SAY.
Views OF Chairman Ferguson Of
the Meeting, Knox and
President Mariatt.

Colonel William M. Graham of the Fifth
United States Artillery, brevet brigadier-
general, has given an additional offense TO
tie anti-railroad men.
His letter respecting the resolutions
adopted at the Metropolitan Temple mass
meeting in condemnation of his inscrip-
ton, Murdered by Strikers" on the
monument of the soldiers killed at Sacra-
mento, has made great many people feel
like asking him, "Who made thee Judge
over us?"
The particular portion of his letter to
which exception is taken Is that which
charges the participants in that gathering
with doing Unreasonable" things. The
words of the general We're:
l respectfully decline to comply with the
reasonable demands of men who have pub
licly put themselves outside the law ana OF the
respect of honest, law-abiding citizens by
adopting resolutions of sympathy with public
enemies and condoning the crime OF murder
There are four men which this charge
of General Graham directly concerns.
These are M. ]. Ferguson, who
was chairman of the meeting,
Harry Knox, who was at the head OF the
American Railway Union movement here
during the strike, E. D. Marlatt, the pres
ent president of the local A. r. u, and
c. E. Crandall. Messrs. Marlatt and
Crandall constituted the committee that
arranged for the meeting.
There is one more man. That is George
w. Monteith, but being a lawyer MT. Mon
teith clearly understands the difference
between the constitutional DEFINITION OF
treason in this country and General
Graham's idea. Mr.. Monteith, therefore,
simply smiles and observes that the courts
are open to any person believing the meet
ing to have been reasonable one.
The four men whose names were men
toned together were called upon yester-
day as matter of justice to them to see
what they had to say in response to Gen
eral Graham's charge. They had the one
sentiment in common, namely, that Cen
eral Graham assumed the same attitude
toward the mass-meeting as he did toward
the Sacramento affair. Mr.. Ferguson, the
chairman, is disposed to be very conserya-
tive and to do everything pro forma, so his
words were rather colorless. He said:
do not think have anything in particular
to say Just now. General Graham has right
to his opinion, but it is purely difference OF
opinion between us. He takes the identical
position on the meeting he took with relation
to the death of the soldiers.
He thinks the soldiers were murdered by
strikers" and has accordingly placed himself
on record in that inscription on the monu-
ment We think, on the other hand, that the
soldiers were not murdered by strikers, and
that for an officer of the United States army
under the pay of the citizens of this Republic
to make such statement, In such manner
and under such circumstances, without any
judicial basis for it, and in the absence OF IN
structions from his superiors, is, to say the
least, assuming prerogatives which do not be-
long to him.
The matter will be formally communicated to
the Secretary of War. ! shall dose purely In
| formal manner and because, as chairman, l
was instructed by the meeti- s to do SO. That
| will be the next step, and when get ready to
| do that 1 may. have something to say. sup
| pose General Graham himself has already re-
ported his version of the facts to his superiors.
| We all regret the death of those soldiers, and
| SO did the strikers regret it. None but insane
men would have wanted anything like that to
| have happened. Its occurrence certainly
| could not have helped the cause of the
| strikers.
| II. A. Knox, who, because of his connec-
| ton with the railroad strike, feels that the
| insinuation of General Graham's inscrip-
| ton is aimed at him in particular, ex-
pressed his sentiments in the following:
| This man seems to regard himself as the
| monarch of all he surveys, but he will find
that there are some things higher than he is
| before he gets through with this matter.
/ only wish that he would say either to my
| face or in some such way that could get back
| at him in some legal manner for it, the things
which am told he says OF me to third parties
and not in my presence. l would see II he en-
| joys perfect immunity in the making OF such
| There is only one thing to do in the premises
| that seems to be anything like the next step to
! properly take, and that is to have the facts
| communicated to the Secretary of War. That
official represents the people of this country in
| the War Department and happens to be above
General Graham.
mistakes his position. Because he chances to
| be intrenched behind small military force.
| over which he possesses absolute power to COM
| mand he INDUCES in the pleasing belief that
tic oto re %
| year and the men who recently met to protest
| against his cowardly and slanderous inscrip-
ton, are adjndicatory and final in their char,
| Persians, cannot be altered" by the power
| even of the sovereign people.
| Being only military servant of the people,
| he aspires to quasi-judicial powers and apes
| the prerogatives of judge. That is ambitious
on his part, it is true, but 1t is not warranted
| by the position he holds, the manner in which
he is recompensed and the nature OF republic
| can institutions as established In the American
| system.
be in this country-or, if it is not, it ought to
| be-that the administering OF government is
| done through three coordinate branches, each
having special preroganVes ana each being
well defined and limited in its scope of power.
| General Graham belongs to the executive
| branch and not to the judicial, and though he
| may have the right to accuse he has not the
| power to adjudge.
accusation-it is a charge, in writing, to the
| highest tribunal of the land, the people, and
| would stand as judgment in default were it
| not contradicted and protested against by the
ones he so wantOnly accuses OF murder. Our
mass-meeting, therefore, was merely for the
purpose of contradicting that SANDER and pro-
testing against his action, and as result the
meeting voiced a demand to General Graham
| for the removal of the inscription. Is such
| treason? / say that it was our right, and not
only that but our duty to take the action we
did.
President Marlatt's ideas were similar
! to those of Mr.. Knox. He said:
| The Colonel evidently fancies himself as
| possessing the same powers as the Emperor of
| Russia. He is little Car out there at the
| Presidio, and forgets that his relations toward
| the people of this country and his soldiers are
| very much different.
TWAS one PLATE of old who said, 'What l
| have written have written" and General Ora
| ham feels about as important and authorita-
tive as the said PLATE did. ! do not know
whether PLATE went quite so far as to charge
his importunists with treason.
Said c. E. Crandall:
There is one thing that we can say and that
is that we are about all of natives of this
country, which is more than can be said for the
soldiers of the United States Army. / never
committed treason or murder.
And Richard Parker, Sacramento
striker, said:
- f,oo