The age-herald., 1900-05-14
COY. STEPHENS
 MAKES STATEMENT Says Authorities Must Preserve Order in St. Louis. REGARDLESS OF OPINION He Says Officers Should Deal Fairly With All and Enforce the Law
 No Matter Who is to
 Blame.
REGARDLESS OF OPINION

St. Louis Mo-. May Ex-Governor Lon V. Stephens, accompanied by Attorney-Gen- eral Crow, came down from Jefferson City this evening and made the Planters hotel his headquarters. The governor gave out a communication that he had sent to the president of the board of police commits sioners and the chief of police. It is dated at Jefferson City, Mo-, May 13, and is as follows:
 "Hon. H. B. flaws, President, and Hon. J. w. Campbell, Chief of Police, St. Louis Mo-
 Dear Srs: The conditions that now and for several days have existed in St. Louis must be terminated.
 "As governor of the state, it is my duty to see that peace and order are preserved in Missouri to the end that the ordinary business and affairs of life may be attend ed to by our citizens with safety and con- yenience to themselves I will perform my whole duty as see it in this matter. and all peace officers must perform theirs.
 q shall not hesitate, if deem 1t neces- sary to use promptly the full power of the state to restore and preserve order and peace in St. Louis.
 ''The citizens have right to expect and receive adequate protection from officials to render life, property and the transaction of business secure.
 ''Differences or controversies between cit izens must not be allowed to produce dis order and destroy the public peace. And if those on either side of the controversy or persons in sympathy with either side, or lawless individuals for whom neither side to a dispute is, perhaps, responsible, take advantage of what they deem an op- portunity to violate the law, it is, in any event, the duty of officers to promptly ar rest all offenders, using whatever power is needed to enforce respect for and obedi- to the law.
 t is not my duty, nor yours, to offi- cially pass on the merits of the contro- versy which has produced the existing caR- dltion of affairs in St. Louis. The par ties to the existing dispute in St. Louis must adjust or settle their differences with out endangering the safety or disturbing the good order of the community. This controversy between certain persons has produced disorder and interferes with peace and retards transaction of business and this condition cannot be tolerated, and nor nal state of affairs must be established i'm mediately. As individuals, you have ant are entitled to opinions regarding the merits of the controversies. Doubtless your sym pathies are with side the other. But as executive officers of the law you have but one thing to do, and that is restore peace and suppress all disorder.
 T believe the law has clothed you with complete official power to accomplish this result.
 'If your regular police force is not suf- ficient in your judgment, the law gives you authority to add sufficient men to meet any emergency l require that you exercise the power vested in you promptly.
 Each side to the dispute which has caused the existing conditions claims that it is not violating the law, but that others are responsible for the disorder. But so far as you are concerned in the perform ance of your duties, it matters not who is responsible; the acts creating public disor- der must be stopped at once.
 'It is important in circumstances like the present that the commission of unlaw- ful acts be speedily ended, for each hour they are allowed to continue only incites the lawlessly disposed to commit depreda- tions and creates dsrespect for the law.
 Therefore to the end that the public peace and order may be restored and main- tained you are directed to use immediate ly the full power given you by law, and if your power is inadequate (which I am loath to believe), notify me, and will eX- ercise my full authority to assist you.
 ''Very truly,
 LION V. STEPHENS,
 Governor of Missouri" Governor Stephens was asked if the statement in his communication to the eff feet that he would use the full power of the state to restore and preserve order meant that he would call out the militia. He declined to make any explanation of the communication, saying it spoke for it. self.
 In his room at the hotel Governor Steph ems held conference with the local polio, officials. The conference was still in sessiol at a. m., Monday. The governor, wh, was seen at that hour, said he had come t St. Louis with the purpose of restoring order and that within the next twenty-fou hours 1000 additional policemen would be sworn in to help the present force of 1,10d