Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-05-24
DEMOCRATIC GOVERNORS.

General Merriam issued an order under
martial law denying to the members of
the miners union the right to earn bread
in the Occur d'Alene country, and Gem
eral Merriam gave Instructions to Lieu
tenant Lyons of the regular army to
come over into Montana and arrest fugi-
tlves from Idaho and take them back to
pens at Wardner. But it transpires
upon investigation that it was the demo-
cratic governor Of Idaho who directed
General Merriam to take the course he
did respecting union labor in that state:
and it was the democratic governor of
Montana who sanctioned the military in
vasion of Missoula county by Lieutenant
Lyons and his men.
1t lay within the power of the demo-
cratic governor of Idaho to have pre-
vented the order issued by Merriam, and
it lay within the power of the democratic
governor of Montana to have prevented
the illegal arrest of suspected fugitives
in this state by the military authorities.
1t therefore follows that while General
Merriam is culpabls in both cases, going
to the extreme of breaking one law to
enforce another, he had the unquestioned
approval of the democratic governors of
two sovereign states. General Merriam
represents the military power whose
to carry out the implied functions of mar
tlal law. He consequently took advan-
tage of every opening given him.
The governor Of Idaho and the COVER
nor OF Montana represent common
Wealths organized under civil laws. Their
duty begins and n d with the enforce
ment of the laws of their respective
states, and the protection Of their people |
from any infraction of the civil rights
guaranteed by the constitution. 1t was
the purview Of each executive to
end every assistance within the letter
Of the law to the apprehension of men
guilty of overt offenses against law and
order, that the peace and dignity of he
may be maintained. !
But when the governor of Idaho direct
ed his attorney general to communicate
to General Merriam the order now en-
forced by that worthy, that no man who
belongs to the miners union shall be
permitted to work in that country, he
the constitutional rights of man
and perpetrated a crime against labor.
To reach the men guilty of the Wardner
outrages he would Unfortunately pun
ish the innocent, by depriving them of
the right to earn bread for themselves
and families. And when the governor of
permitted the military author
arrest them without due process of law
and drag them out Of the state without
a warrant, he became a party to all that
the governor of Idaho had done, and to
all that General Merriam had done, look
ing toward what they doubtless believe
to be the proper solution of the roublas
in the Occur d'Alenes.
In this precious triumvirate of aveng-
ing Nemeses-the governor Idaho and the
of Montana n their "most
obedient servant" his royal epaulettes-
it is difficult to determine who is the most
to blame. No doubt each one of them
earnestly desired the arrest and punish
ment of the men who actually committed |
the crimes at Wardner, and all legal
steps in that direction will meet the ap-
prevail of well meanig men everywhere; !
but when these officials go to the ex-
IRENE Of breaking one law to enforce an
other, and of furnishing the innocent in
order to reach the guilty, they call down
upon their heads the condemnation of
every citizen who venerates the consti-
tuition and respects the law.
/
PROHIBITION MOVEMENT.