Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-06-30
GOVERNOR SMITHS GIFT

" iheH III lhe stdte, your opinion 10 the
contrary notwithstanding. But I have
always noticed if laboring men had a
friend in any position it was but a short
time until they found fault with him.
Even your own great leaders are soon
discredited, n it results from the dispo-
sltion to adopt as true every rumor, how
ever started, whether true or false. My
whole life has been one of poverty and
hard work and l cannot if / tried escape
the feelings OF regard for the poorer
classes. If I had been disposed to serve
the corporate interests Of the country I
could have been very comfortably fixed
for life. las it is, mine is a life of con-
t1nua strugg lie to exc out a moderate
existence. I see you are disposed to
make fun of the contribution because it
was small. In this respect at least. you
40 not exhibit a very Christian spirit. I
nave no feeling against any laboring
man. On the contrary, they have my
sympathy in all just and lawful attempts
to better their condition. l am very re-
spectfully, ROBT B. SMITH.
Butte, June q 1899.
Hon. r. B. Smith, Helena, Mont.-Dear
Sir: Suggestions made in your letter Of
the 18th instant seem to justify a re-
Joinder on my part, as statements are
made to which l cannot subscribe with
my knowledge of the situation. l can
not, for instance, agree with your state
ment that the allegations made by the
b organizations concerning the abuse
of authority on the part Of the military,
in the matter of making arrests in Mis-
soula county, are false. On the con-
trary, l know their statement of facts
is true. and that men We're arrested by
General Merriam's subordinates within
the limits of the state of Montana with
out any warrant under the law, and that
men so arrested were taken to Idaho
without a preliminary hearing and with
out the protection of the rules and regu-
lations governing the eXtradition of men
accused of crime. You say you did not
"authorize" the soldiers to make such
arrests, but it is clear that even if you
did not authorize it, you permitted it to
be done. If you did not "authorize'' a
procedure of that kind on the part of
General Merriam, l must confess my sur
prise that you did not demand the return
of the parties kidnapped and report that
officer to the war department for having
committed an illegal act. If those men
We're arrested without our knowledge
n you intimate that if any thing of
that kin was done you knew nothing of
tit seems the least that you could have
done would have been to demand the re-
turn of the men, rather than compliment
General Merriam on the respect that he
showed the civil authority of the state
of Montana in taking those men to Idaho
in the manner Indicated. That men We're
arrested and taken out of this state
by the military does not admit of a doubt,
and that the responsibility rests with
your excellency or with Genera Merriam
is clear. AS you by telegram relieved the
general of any charge of having exceeded
his authority in the matter. nothing re-
NAMED for the friends of these men to
do but to ascribe to you the RESPONSE
blhty of their arrest and detention. You
say further that you did not deprive any
OF these men of the right of habeas corpus
or any other right to which they were en-
titled.
Necessarily they were denied this right
when taken to a section where martial
law was in force, without having been
granted a preliminary hearing in the
state where arrested. And yet you say
each and every one had all the right
the law allows any man." If this were
true, the right accorded ordinary Grim
inals-the right to be properly extradited
have been accorded them. Your
mistakes in saying that 1 am
to make light of your contribu- |
ton on account of the size of it. The
reasons why the five dollars will be re-
turned to Q by the committee We're
fully set forth in my previous letter and
need not be repeated here. The money |
will certainly do you more good thar it
VIII the sufferers at Wardner, if / COR
rectly interpret your flnanclal condition, |
as set forth in your letter. You say, by
way of showing your friendship for those
who toll that, eff / had been disposed to
serve the corporate interests of the coun- |
try. l could have been very comfortably |
fixed for life" 1t is to your credit that
you refused such overtures, in the dis |
charge of your duties as the executive of
this state. n you could doubtless do a
great deal of good to the people by pub
licly exposing those who were willing to
fix you for life if you would do their bid
ding in an official way. Otherwise, cor
porate interests wholly guiltless of such |
might be ~unjustly suspected
and injured accordingly in reputation and
purse. This is a matter, however, with |
which your own conscience and sense of
propriety must deal. Hoping that you
may see your way clear to right the
wrong inflicted upon the men taken out
of this state. not only so far as they are
personally concerned, but to remove from
this state the stain upon it's escutcheon
through an infraction of its laws in Mis-
soula county, I will close without further
and leave the matter in your
hands. Respectfully.
DANIEL MCDONALD.
Big bargains in shoes for the Fourth.
Nnt Elbow, ,n-- Vocco11,o o. Ky Do,1 1