Crawford avalanche., 1900-04-12
THE IDAHO TROUBLE.
DEMOCRATS WILL FAIL TO MAKE
IT A NATIONAL ISSUE.
The Attempt Has Been Nullided Main
~ Through Gov. steunenberg, Him
seIf q Democrat- Chief objection to
Free Trade with Porto Rico.

The efforts that have been made to
develop u national issue In the line or
anti ti-militarism out OF the use of United
| States troops In suppressing the rioting
| in connection with the Occur dAiene
mining strike have been nullified main
ly through the manly stand of Gov.
| Steunenberg, of Idaho. Gov. Steunen-
berg is Democrat and a member OF
labor union. When the trouble between
union and non-union laborers In the
mining districts developed into a riot
| the Governor called upon the President
for troops to aid in the restoration OF
peace. He represented that lives were
being lost and property destroyed in
riots which the State authorities were
unable to suppress. Under the consti-
tuition, which guarantees government
protection to the lives and property Of
citizens in every State in the Union, 1t
was President McKinley's duty to aid
In restoring peace In Idaho, once he had
been convinced that the State authori-
ties were unable to cope with the exist
ing disturbances. That was the ex-
tent of the Presidents connection with
the affair.
The United States troops co-operated
with Gov. Steunenberg and no mild
measures were used Scores Of rioters
were arrested and kept in confinement
until all danger of further lawlessness
was at an end. The United States
troops were kept on duty only until
Gov. Steunenberg could secure trust.
worthy men to take their places as
guards, but as the sympathies of in
habitants of the mining regions were
almost unanimously with the striking
miners who had been responsible for
the rioting this was not an easy mat
ter. The troops were retained for sew
eral weeks after the war department
had requested their release at the
earliest possible moment.
Naturally there was resentment
among the strikers and their friends in
Idaho that their plans for intimidating
the mine owners and non-union miners
had failed, and the presence of the
troops was bitterly inveighed against
as an invasion of State rights, miltar-
ism, etc. OF course the matter found
it's way into politics. and in the course
Of time a Congressional investigation
was instituted. The investigation is
still going on, but it has proceeded far
enough to show the emptiness of the
hopes Of the Democrats toward making
any political capital out Of it.
Gov. Steunenberg, in his exhaustive
testimony, has from first TO last taken
the responsibility for summoning the
troops to Idaho, for their retention and
for everything they did while on duty
there. He insists that the reign of an
archy in the mining regions could never
have been controlled without the
troops that he retained their services
no longer than was absolutely neces-
sary and that no other measures than
the vigorous ones he adopted would
have resulted in the eventual restora-
ton Of order. He declares that he
would resort to the same expedients
again il the same conditions should
arise.
In the light of the testimony of the
Democratic Governor of Idaho and his
own positive assumption Of the re-
spOnsibility for the reign of "militar-
ism" in Idaho the Democratic hopes for
making capital out Of the unpleasant
state of affairs there last fall have been
summarily disposed of.-Sioux City
Journal.