Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1899-05-19
UNION MEN ARE BARRED
OUT.

May No Longer Work In the
Coeur d'Alene Mining
Camps.
Mines OF Shoshone county, Ida
no, that propose to operate during
the reign of martial law may do 30
only on condition that they do not
employ members Of the C1ur
d'Alene miners unions, says the
Spokane Review.
This is the martial law a. laid
down by General Merriam and At
torney General Hays of Idaho. At
a meeting of the mine owners in
this city yesterday morning Mr..
Hays presented this mandate. The
owners cheerfully promised to
obey. 1t will not be hard to do 80.
Most-in fact nearly all-of the
union men left in the county are
herded in the "bull pen" at Ward
ner, federal prisoners.
1--WE are going to clean up the
Ceur d'Alenes," said Attorney
General Hays yesterday afternoon
prior to his departure at 3:l6
o'clock for Boise. II have seen
some of the mine owners today and
they have been informed by the
proper authorities that they cannot
employ any one connected with .
criminal organization in the
county. The miners unions in
Shoshone county contain many des-
peradOes and criminals who have,
under the protection of the unions,
perpetrated crimes and outrages.
Twice has it been necessary, be-
cause OF these men and their organ
izations, to put the county under
martial law. We want to put .
stop to that sort Of thing. 1t
would be useless to bring troops in
there unless we took action Of the
kind now taken. The criminal
organizations must be rooted out
and their members driven from the
country. A thorough cleaning out
is the only remedy. 1t is the one
we propose to apply. So long as
those organizations are allowed to
exist in the manner they have ex-
listed, nothing can be done toward
applying the remedy. .
"The owners living in Spokane
allow the union to run things and
when property is threatened or riots
occur as a result, they wire to the
governor Of Idaho to send troops
to protect their property. They
do not seem to have the proper
spirit about protecting their own
property. Some Of these owners
know who the men were who left
their mines to go to Wardner for
the purpose Of blowing up the
Bunker Hill and Sullivan mill.
! They allowed the men to 60 out Of
their mines to destroy the property
of another, and then to return t.
!. work. This conduct on the part o.
! the owners is nearly, if not Qnite
! as reprehensi BILE as that q go tloe
> ers themselves. A petty 1e8a
losing som ething themselves ~
.. animated them and aided the Grim
! inal organizations in ruling the dis
4 trict.
"The state of Idaho does no
!, propose to harbor within it's limit
Q the class of desperate character
that has swayed these unions AM
, caused the criminal acts to be com
Q mitted. We have over 700 Of tha
t class of men under arrest and ar
t going after the rest of them as fas
e as possible. We don't want t.
r give them any encouragement Il
s remain in the country, 80 the own
, ers must close their mines or ceas
4 employing them.
1--WE have undertaken as large
job of criminal prosecution as eve
commenced in the history Of tn
: country. Trying between 700 AND
t 800 men is q task of enormouI
0 magnitude. We propose to pusl
Y the prosecution vigorously, how
!, ever. ! am obliged to 60 back Il
0 Boise for few days on officia
a business, but will be back in abou
:. a week and expect to spend the en-
: tire summer in the Ceur d. Alenee
}. Prisoners will be tried in both tn
9 state and federal courts. 1urde
g and arson are some of the chareg
s the state will bring against thes
men, and we hope to inflict the ex
: IRENE penalties. Whether the frs
!, trials will be in the state o
r federal court is something that ha
e not yet been arranged. The stat
s and federal authorities are workin
" amicably together in the matter
and will aid each other all possible
Yes, there will be di fficulties, {
course, but we hope to oyegesab
y them. A remarkable SITUATE
n confronts us. It is not Otter IN
If half the voting population of q
g entire county is under arrest at on
q time"