Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-05-18
LOCATING RESPONSIBILITY.

ST. AS a comedy Of errors, the farce that
Is row being played by Governor Smith
of Montana and General Merriam in COM
mand at Wardner is likely to excite a
great deal of interest, though it may never
receive a very enthusiastic encore. 1t is
a play in which the star actors do a
great noundetirg act and finally disap-
pear in the quicksand. Each of the prin-
-cipals lays all the blame Of his misfor-
tunes upon the other, and then they con-
graduate each other on their success in
making the public believe that neither is
to blame. When this point is reached a
frantic effort is made by the friends of
each to ave the curtain rung down and
the incident closed. Governor Smith
seems perfectly willing, under the cir
cumstances. to have the affair overlook
ed, and no doubt General Merriam is suf-
fering more or less from the same
TOMS.
these gentle men, the matter will not end
until it is settled ana settled right. With
all that has been Ion and said in an ef-
Tort 70 excuse the conduct Of The gov
ernor Of this state, and the action of man
under the immediate directions Of General
Merriam, the on central fact upon which
the criticisms Of the press and the people
have been based has not been denied,
M 49, y,alr- -t,,. 49, 1870 ~.- g.. .t..
state by the military authorities without
a state warrant and taken into another
state for trial in direct violation Of tic
laws Of Montana and the constitution Of
the United States.
In the effort that is being mad by
Governor Smith TO make it appear, not
that General Merriam was guilty OF this
serious infraction Of the law, but that
the soldiers acting under his direction
were responsible for it, and the equally
jealous effort on the part of General
Merriam to show that the local authorities
of Missoula count rather than his ex-
c~ellency were the ones who permitted
the outrage against the sovereignty
of a great state, the public has no
lost sight OF the facts in the case
The shifting of responsibility upon
subordinates indicate that both Goyerno,
Smith and General Merriam are brave
mel-men vine can uphold the dignit,
of a great commonwealth and the bras:
buttons OF a federal uniform by 'doublt
shooting the turn" whenever it is neces.
sary to posture before the public.
In reply to the letter written by Gov
ernor Smith under date May u, severa
days after the men had been illegally ar
rested in Missoula county and haulec
over into Idaho, General Merriam wrot
his excellency May Is as follows:
Acknowledging o letter dated Ma,
Il, l beg to hand you herewith the tele
grams (three) containing the orders ar,
instructions under which Lieutenan
Lyons, 24th infantry, acted during his re
cent trip into your state, a~ccompanyin:
attachments of deputy sheriffs from tn
state OF Idaho. Lieutenant Lyons re
ports exact compliance with his order
and instructions, and l hope you will b
convinced tnat every precautlOn has bael
taken to avoid the slightest discourtes,
toward the civil authorities of Montan;
in our effort to do what was possibl
and legal to assist the executive of Idah,
in his effort to arrest escaping criminals
With assurance of highest regard, you
obedient servant.
1t appears hat Governor Smith wa
not hard to convince that every precau
ton has been taken to avoid the slightes
discourtesy toward the civil authorize
of Montana" Though men had been ar
rested IN Missoula county purely on sus
picion, and without the shadow of JUST
flcation under the law, and in direct VIC
lation of it-though the soldiers had raid
ed groups of men and taken them int
custody without even the assent of the 10
cal authorities though thzse man ha,
been deprived of the common comforts O
life and were hecded like cattle and fl
nally shipped out Of the state by direction
of General Merriam, his excellency, tn;
governor OF Montana, Immediately dis
covered that there had ben no diseour
tesy to the civil authorities Of this state