The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-10-24
DEFENDS. HIS POSITION
Idaho Responsible for the EN-
ployment of Troops.
ARE STILL NECESSARY
Secretary Root Wished to Withdraw
the Soldiers From the Occur
d'Alenes, but Governor
Steunenberg Objected.


ten by Governor Steunenberg of Idaho
under date of Oct. 10 to Secretary of
| War Root, in which the governor as
sumes for the state full responsibility
for all that has been done in Shoshone
county in connection with the Occur
d'Alene mining troubles. The letter
was written voluntarily. it is said, by
| the governor, on account of the crit
icism which has been made of the fed
| eral government. Governor Steunen-
berg says:
while it is not necessary to inform
| you of the relative positions of the
| state of Idaho and the general gov
eminent in the matter, as this status
| is clearly defined by statute, still it
may be proper for purposes of general
| information to add that the state of
| Idaho is responsible for all that has
been done in Shoshone county relative
| to the call for troops, the arrest, de-
| tention and care of prisoners, the reg
ulations under which the mines can
| and have been operated from the time
| of the insurrection up to the present
| time, and the regulations of all mat
ters concerning the employment OF
| men in these mines. All of the above
| matters have been under the immedf-
of the officers and representatives of
the state of Idaho and not in any way
of the federal troops. l further state
| that the state of Idaho assumes and ac-
knowledges all responsibility for the
| manner in which the affairs are con-
Quoted in the Occur d Alenes so long
as martial law, as proclaimed, pre-
walls.
1T should be stated here, however.
that these men (the prisoners) have not
been under arrest by reason of indict-
ments upon the part of the state, but
because they were men whom we
could not permit to be at large under
the present conditions of affairs in
that section The men who were held
under indictments found by the state
| grand jury. and whom we desired to
try, escaped prison a few days before
the regular term of the court, at which
time all preparations had been made
to try them
Secretary Root on September %
wrote to Governor Steunenberg pro-
testing against the further employ
ment of United States troops to guard
the prisoners, saying:
Il am informed that they are now
being used by the civil authorities OF
the state and county as a guard for
certain p1isoners-upward of a hundred
in number-who have been arrested by
the civil authorities upon warrants Is
sued by the civil courts, and are held
under such warrants or indictments
! found by the grand jury of the county;
that these prisoners, or most of them,
have been held for a number of months
and that during the period of their de-
} tention the district court of Shoshone
J county. which is the court having jul
risdiction to try indictments found by
, the grand jury, has twice convened
} and adjourned without bringing these
prisoners to trial; that the next reSu-
lar term of court will not be held I'M
til January of next year, and in the
meantime unless something is done to
prevent 1T, these prisoners would re-
main in prison under guard of the
, troops of the United States.
} II do not wish in any way to make
any suggestion relating to the admin
istra ton of justice in your state, or to
imply that the failure to bring these
prisoners to trial has not been for per-
fectly good reasons in accordance with
the law and practice of the courts OF
, Idaho, but I am much disinclined &c
} have the troops of the United States
: continued longer in the attitude of ..e-
tanning in custody the citizens of a
state who have remained SO long with
} out being tried, and I feel bound to
J urge that if it is not convenient to
bring the prisoners to speedy trial
that you will substitute civil guards
as their custodians and relieve the
that duty
The reply of Governor Steunenberg
under date of October 10 asserts that
the withdrawal of troops would sure
ly result in great loss of property
and the loss of life in that vicinity
Threats are being made by those
engaged in the riot of April 20 whict
resulted in the destruction of some
{ S250.000 worth of property" the gov
ernor said, and the assassination o
two men. and as soon as the troop:
are removed they will crafty tha
revenge upon the citizens who hav,
) been induced to assist the state in tn,
; attempt to ferret out crime, and tn,
history of that region convinces N,
that these are not idle threats or the
, boasting of irresponsible parties, blu
} are the expressions of deliberate ant
well arranged purposes and plans.
1T should be understood that this il
not conflict between capital and la
Dor, nor question of wages, but it is
conflict between the state of Idaho
and certain criminal organization:
, which seek to cloak themselves under
the cover of labor organizations. These
organizations Were originally undoubt
) eddy legal and proper and were organ
; lied for commendable purpose, bu
( they have been taken possession of by
men who utterly ignore all law. who
) are anarchists in belief and practice
anu ny Sutn men transformed int
( criminal combinations. We do moi
: concede for a moment that these or.
} saniza tons in Shoshone, to which we
( We're referring, are having anything ir
common with the great labor organiza-
) tons throughout the country and they
! are not in any way to be considered ir
( that light. We are not in conflict with
organized labor, as such, in any man.
5 ner whatever"
: The governor then gives a history OF
( series of crimes consisting, of murdal
and arson and the blowing up of mines
} extending over a period of six years
: from 1892, no effort being made by the
{ county authorities to discover AM
5 prosecute the guilty parties. He says
} AT the present time in the Coeul
dAlenes quiet apparently prevails, bu
( it is solely by reason Of the presence
5 of the federal troops.
! "a large number of these partie:
who We're in the riot of April 90 /
I iS tt,Iln Fl,