Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1900-04-11
THE IDAHO TROUBLE.
DEMOCRATS WILL FAIL TO MAKE
1T A NATIONAL ISSUE.
The Attempt Has Been NulIified Main
~ Through Gov. Steunenberg. Him
self Democrat Chief objection to
Free Trade with Porto Rico.

The efforts that have teen made to
develop national issue in the line OF
anti -miIitarism out es the use of United
States troops in suppressing the rlotlng
in connection with the Occur d Aleae
mining strike have been nullifieG main
" through the manly stand on Coy
Steunenberg, of Idaho, GOV. Stenqen-
berg is a Democrat and a member on
labor union. When the trouble between
union and non-union laborers in the
mining districts developed iItto riot
the Governor called upon the president
for troops to aid i'm the restoration of
peace He represented that lives were
being lost and property destroyed in
riots which the State authorities We're
unable to suppress. Under the consti-
tuition, which guarantees government
protection to the lives and property of
citizens in every State in the Union, it
was President McHinley's duty to aid
in restoring peace in Idaho, once he had
been convinced that the State authori-
rs were unable TO cope with the exist
e 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
We're 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
SV.r4c T.
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 We're retained for sew
eral weeks after the war department
had requested their release at the
earliest possible moment.
Naturally therd 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 inveghed against
as an invasion of State rights, militar-
lStiis SAS. vi Nbuist tiit hldAitI IOhhh
it's way into politics. and in the course
of time Congressional investigation
was instituted. The investigation is
still going on. but it has proceeded far
enough to show the emptiness of the
hoIes of the Democrats toward making
any political capital out of it.
Gov Steunenberg in his exhaustive
testimony, has from first 10 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 if the same conditions should
arise
In the light of the testi >ny of the
Democratic Governor of Idaho and his
own positive assumption of the re-
sponsibility for the reign of ''mIitar-
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.