The morning times., 1896-10-31
NILES ANSWERS ALTeELD
General Exp aims tie Use Of
Troops al Chicago.
CALLED AS A LAST RESORT
He Denies That the Federal Troops
Had Orders Five Days In Advance
of the TrOuble-SusFensio oi III
ter-State Commerce tie Cause Oh
Their Presence.

In reply to a statement in Gov. Altgeius
speech in Madison Square uarueh' W"
York, October II, in relhuon W wy
riots in Chicago, where ne siiiu 'hh' o. n
states troopswere ordered tore III Teauint'
| five days In advance OF any .iouue,
with view To force emIfo?es TO "oih ~,
| their employers a statement is Inade' WIN
the opnroyal or Gen Miles, ,whocOminandcd
tue United States forces on the occasion
| in question and with his iDGurseiheht VI ITO
accuracy, as follow S:
"The hordes, or so-called armies, oi
Coxey were organized in Kansas, So'oi"uo,
California, Oregon and otLer s'ases, @ anu
swarmed across tie country III sohie eaaes 1,
seizing trains for tier transportation anu
living upon the PEOPLE oi towns, villages
and communities in ti.eir route. foiio" NE
this the employees of the Northern iaciiE
struck and practically held pcssessioh VI
that road when IL was not earning running
expenses.
EPIDEMIC OF STRIKES.
sThe same thing was done the urea1
Northern the strikers holding possessioh
of the property for weeks, resaluienS
OF law or tie rights OF the proiert! owners.
Then strikes occurred In near! "ii .ne
coal mines between the Alleghenies anu thc
Rocky Mountains In many instances tne
property was seized and unlawfully ueiu'
regardless uf the civil authorities.
Following this, in May, le94, u s'iiho
was ordered In the Pullman Worhs III Shi-
Cago, and when that business was para
lyzed sympathetic strike was oftersu
on nj the railroads over whlch thc fuil-
iiIan cars moved.
This was in June, and, according tou
Altseld's own statement, published Ill Ills
Madison Square speech, all freiSht trains
in certain portions of Illinois were apah
doned by the employees and prohlDlted
from moving by the strikers. Trains were
ordered side e-trackcd by the hundreds, anu
the pa ssengers were pracucaliy heid
prisoners for weeks.
COMMERCE WAS SUSPENDED.
1.-The interstate commerce OF the entire
country, westof Chicago, was suspended py
the end of June. A few niaii trains were
allowed 10 run, butin anyinstances every
window was smashed. In some instances
the operators were brutally treated.
This was the condition OF AFFAIRS on
the last of June. Under the laws or Con-
gress 1t was the duty of the ffesiueht
to protect the Interstate commerce, the
mail routes, the subtreasury ut chicago.
containing twenty millions or government
money. and other United States property.
when the mail ami Interstate commerce
lines We're obs.ructed and paralyzed it
became the duty Of The United States court
tn take action, which ii did. although the
lives Of its marshals We're threatened ana
they were unable 10 carry out the lawful
orders Of the court.
THE FIRST ORDER.
lit was then. anu not tiii then, July
=, that President Cleveland ordered Fed
eraitruops uoprouect United States marshals
in IN. Ia wrul execution Of their duties, and
also to protect property under the jurls-
mctInn uI Inc tinted States authorities.
Al The same time the leaders publicly de-
clared that 1T was no longer a strike, but
a rebellion
| When ,ne United States rnaTshals, TIL
| der the protection of the Federal troops,
had opened The lines of Interstate coin
| inerce and rnail routes. and protection had
| been Ublaiued for the properties under the
| jurisdiction OF the United States. the troops
were removed 10 their former Stations
| July Is. Hence they Were III Chicago
| only fifteen days and did not IN any way
! interfere with the municipal or State au-
thOrities.
The strike. however, was not ordered
off until two weeks later. This demon
| strated clearly that the Federal auth0ri-
| ties had nothing whatever To do with the
| so-called strike Neither had they any
thing whatever to dc with the questions
| bet Xpsu capital and labor :"