Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-10-27
GEN. MERRIAM DENOUNCED.
resolutions Adopted at Labor Meet
ing I'm Cfucfnuutf

A dispatch from Cincinnati. Ohio last
h-Sht says: An enormous meeting was held
last tonight at Music Hall. the officers Of
winch We're Of the Central Labor Council
OF cincinnati. and the speakers were Sam
ueI Gompers. president of the American
Federation of Labor, and Edward Bovce Of
Butte, Mont, president Of the Western
Federation of Miners. The announced
purpose of the meeting was to protest
against the treatment Of prisoners held in
the Occur d'Alene region in the bull pen
Before the speaking began the resolu-
uons were read. The first resolution was
demand of the President Of the United
states to enforce the Constitution. espe-
Gaily IN the sixth section. which they
cialm has been violated The second reso-
luton demanded of the PTeSidenr The Nth
dlawal Of the United States troops from
Sh"shone county. The next resolution de-
manded cOurt-martial Of Gen Merriam
ana his subordinate officers The last reso-
luton was that all the federal the military
anu civil officers responsible for the alleg- q
illegal acts committed by them should DE
held to the striCtest accountability
President GOmpers said the nresen+ af
forded great opportunity for laboring peo-
pie. He said this enormous attendance ana
me passage OF these resolutions would have
Iar-reaching effect. and would do much
TO relieve the oppressed in Idaho. and TO
bring their oppressors to Justice President
donpers said that he was in the mountain
Shoshone county, but a few DAYS before Il
occurred. He said by conversation with
men who knew about the situation he
learned the condition Of affairs at Wardner
bunker Hill and Sullivan mines He yehA-
meiltly denied that labor organizations had
aIslHlng Whatever 10 do with that uprising
Inc labor unions had been locked out 10y
lne operators, who went outside and brought
In inferior and dangerous non-union men
and set them to work in the mines These
ignorant miners, unused to the ways of the
union. demanded union prices and Nero
denied
He told Of what followed, including the
Gynamiting OF the property. Some one in
the audience shouted, Good Mr. Com
pers responded mo. not good: organized
lakor cannot stand for such acts II Vfo-
lence. Organized labor is the great con-
servator Of peace" He described the bull
pen, and said it utterly ignored the s1ni-
tary wants Of those corralled in f. and that
II stlnted them in food and exposed them to
the weather.
1t would go down in history az the black
mole ana the AnderSonVille OF Idaho. He
said that the charge of the operators that
the violence was the work of labor organi-
cations was maliciously false. The oper-
ators were compelled to make that charge
to screen themselves from being the cause
of the violence by bringing ignorant nom
union desperadoes to take the place OF
union men.
The case in Idaho. he said is but q svy,,n
tom of miltarism and despotism, which met
with prevalent favor on the part of can't
taiists and the great money power. He
asked the question: How can we preserve
the liberty of this country?'' A voice IL the
audience said: Elect Jones" The voice
was promptly squelched.
After Mr.. Gompers' speech Edward
BCyce, president of the Western Federation
of Miners, gave an exhaustive history az
the troubles, covering seventeen or eighteen
years, among the miners in Shoshone
county. After his speech, which was fin
ished very late, the resolutions were adonted
with roaring aye and then with a stand
ing vote.