Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-05-18
Under date May 18th Governor Smith
wrote Csanara1 Mnrri ~ q rain as fpllOWS:

Your letter of the 18th instant, with en-
closures copies of kilograms sent Lieu
tenant Lyons) is received this morning.
I am pleased to see that you were misrep-
resented in the statements made in the
press. Your letter with copies of the teie-
grams diScloSeS that at all times you rec
ognized the proper civil authorities. In
this applaud your action. for while at
! times the civil authorities may need AID
of the military. I don't believe it consist
ent with the spirit of our laws or lnstltu-
tions of our country to supplant the civil
| with military or martial authority, eN-
| cent in extreme instances. l am, with
! great respect, very truly yours,
While this Is not the kind of a letter
! that Andrew jackson would have written
under the circumstances, 1t contained
about as much backbone as the demo-
cratic governor of Montana was Justlileo
in showing at the present time. The tele-
grams sent by Genera Merriam to Lieu
tenant Lyons fasten upon his eXcellency
the responsibility of the work done IN
Missoula county. They call his bluff OF
the 18th instant and no wonder he lays
down his hand. They drive a plug into
the hole through which he had hoped to
escape responsibility for the violation of
the laws of this state. Here they are:
Wardner, Idaho. May Z, 1S99.-Lieu-
tenant Lyons, Thompson Falls. Mont:
Send injured man to Harrison with at
ndant 1t is not expected that troops
make arrests in Montana. only receive
the prisoners for safe keeping. Governor
of Montana has promised to cause the
arrest of escaping rioters. Await his ac-
ton until Monday noon, then return to
Mullan and wait further orders if no ac-
ton by Montana authorities.
MERRIAM, Brig. Gen.
From the foregoing it would seem that
General Merriam did not propose to take
any arbitrary steps in the matter until
the course of the governor of Montana
was defined. Having received word from
the governor permitting him to exercise
the prerogatives of martial law in Mis-
soula county. the general wired Lieuten-
ant Lyons again the same day as fol-
lows:
wardner. Idaho, May :, 1S99.-Lieu-
tenant Lyons. Thompson Falls, Mont
Governor of Montana has ordered sheriff
of Missoula county to make arrests of
fugitives. Return with the prisoners you
tomorrow morning, delaying in
Missoula long enough to permit your
deputies and Missoula sheriff to make ar
rests there. Then come to Mullan.
tSigned) MERRIAM, Brig. Gen.
Does any one suppose for one moment
that General Merriam directed euten
ant Lyons to have his deputies-a gang
of colored soldiers-make arrests and re
turn to Idaho with the prisoners on the
ance from Governor Smith that no OBJ
~jections would be made to such a course?
The general in his letter to the governor
declares that Lieutenant Lyons acted in
strict compliance with his orders, and
those orders We're thai the military au-
thorities should make arrests in Montana
and bring the prisoners within the
domain Of martial law in Idaho. And yet
Governor Smith in his rejoinder to the
general on the 18th instant says Il APP
plaud your action" A third telegram
reads as follows:
Wardner, Idaho, May 9, 1S99.-Lieuten-
oiAS N1AssOuld, AhoIll.-l eleSIdll
received and action taken. Be ready for
answer from Governor Smith direct. Act
accordingly.
tSigned MERRIAM, Brig. Gen.
The answer from Governor Smith re-
but the conduct of the military authori-
ties in rounding up suspects ant shipping
them out of the state in direct violation
of the law indicates it's character. Evil
IDENTIFY the governor has been Wise
enough not to press the button too hard
after he wrote a grandstand letter to
General Merriam May II, asking if any
body had been arrested and taken out of
the state by the military authorities!
The whole nasty business totalizes in
this a Governor Smith assented to
the military invasion Of Montana in times
of profound peace, and permitted federal
troops to arrest men who were suspected
of having been directly or indirectly con-
cerned in the Wardner troubles No
charges had been preferred against these
men-they were merely under suspicion
of being union miners from the Occur
d'Alene country. There was nothing to
show that they We're not non-union men,
or union men not in sympathy or touch
with the men who committed the out
RACES at the Bunker Hill and Sullivan
mine. In the fullest and freest interpre-