The times., 1899-08-21
LABOR STRIFE IN IDAHO
An Official Enquiry Into the Occur
d'Alene Trouble.
John L.. Kennedy, of the Indus
trial Commission, Gives 1t as His
opinion That the Government
Was Justified i'm Placing sho
shone County Under Martial Law.

John L. Kennedy, of Ohio, member OF
the subcommissien on mining of the In
dustrial Commission, has just returned
from Idaho. where the members of the
body to which he is attached have COM
pleted an investigation into the recent
troubles in the Coeur d. AIene region The
subcommission is composed of former SEN
ator Mantle OF Montana, Representative
Bell OF Colorado, NJ d. Ratchford, and
John L. Kennedy The testimony taken
and the findings of the subcommission
will be submitted to Congress-
In speaking OF his trip, Mr.. Kennedy
said that he was of the opinion that the
Federal Government was justified in aid
ing the State authorities of Idaho TO re-
store order. He held that the union miners
of Shoshone county had been guilty Of
many uprisings during the past ten years
and mad Kept the Occur d'Aiene region in
a state OF lawlessness bordering on an
archy. He acknowledged that hundreds of
innocent men had been arrested and
thrown into filthy bullpen, where they
were compelled to stay for over a month,
but he held that the retention of 100 sus-
peeted men for trial was a good thing,
and among that number many may be
iouHu guilty ana punished.
The subcommission heard much evil
denee, said he, and did everything pos
sible to get at the bottom of the conditions
existing in that county. Witnesses on both
sides were heard under oath. 1t was tes-
tilted that the union miners in Burke. Null
I'm, and Gem did not work ON the day
upon which the Bunker Hill and Sullivan
concentration was destroyed by dynamite
Inc men who destroyed the concentratof
marched in bodies from the halls used by
the miners unions and held up a train
going to Wardner. All of the men wore
masks and many carried Winchesters The
men compelled the engineer to stop near
dynamite storehouse while they obtained
several large boxes Of the explosive and
placed it in car.
When the concentration had been de-
stroyed Governor Strunenberg sent the
State Auditor, Barrett Sinclair, to the scene
OF the trouble and the latter advised that
the. county be placed under martial law
Immediately. The Governor at once ap-
pealed to the President for Federal troops
and regiment of colored regulars was
sent on under command of General Mer-
riam. State Auditor Sinclair then ordered
that every union miner in the towns of
Burke, Gem, and Mullin be arrested and
thrown into bullpen. This was done by
the soldiers, who were really not to blame
authorities. A great outcry went up against
the troops, but Auditor Sinclair said plainly
that he and the Governor were responsible
for everything that had been done.
The deputies of the State officials
pointed out the men, and the soldiers ar
rested over 500 of them. These men were
thrown into the bulpen and allowed to
remain there The colored troops were
Withdrawn and replaced by white regulars.
/ pnutd Of 10 0f
alleged outrages which were said to have
been perpetrated by the colored troops. :
The proclamation which was issued de-
claring the union to be criminal or
ganiZation was the work of State Auditor
Sinclair and Mr.. Lindlay, of San Fran
cisco. the attorney for the mine-owners.
Acting Sheriff Franz said that it was the
work of Lawyer Lindlay, while the State
Auditor claimed to have produced it him.
self General Merriam. perfunctorily en-
; dorsed the document.
There Is no doubt whatever about the
truth OF the statement that hundreds of
innocent men were arrested and thrown
into the bulipen. Out of about 500 men
all but 100 have been released, and those
remaining will be tried later This was
shown to be an outrage upon the rights of
the men as citizens but Auditor Sinclair
claimed that in view of the extraordinary
situation, he was compelled to arrest ev-
erybody, and that heroic measures were
necessary.
THE miners claimed that the whole
| scheme was q political conspiracy on the
| part Of the Governor to rid the county of
the big Populist majority which had de-
feated him at the last election. One man
offered to give SIS head for every man
| in the bull pen who was not a Populist
Auditor Sinclair said that the men were
not Populists but criminals. | discovered
that the Bunker Hill and Sullivan mines
| do not belong to the Standard Oil Trust
| as has been alleged. The owners of the
mine made oath to this effect.
"The union miners denounced the blow
| ing up of the coneentrator in strong terms
They claimed that nothing could be gained
for unionism by lawlessness and denied
ever having even discussed the matter"