The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1904-06-03
Chief OF COLORADO
MILITIA RESIGNS
General Bell Says Troops Are
Used to Serve Corrupt
Corporations.
SENSATIONAL STATEMENT
Military Organization Used to Suppress
Workinsmen and Protect Corpora
tions in Lawiessness in
Handling Elsctions.

Denver, Colo, May sherman
Bell. adjutant general of Colorado,
has resigned, because, as he says,
tho National Guard of Colorado is
used to enforce the law against work
ingmen and to shield corporations that
defy the law. Bell is a soldier and 4
republican, but has never taken part
in politics
In an interview he puts the situa-
ton squarely before the people. He
said the men his soldiers drove out
Of mining camps at the instigation
OF corporation interests were hired
by the same corporations to carry
the Denver elections.
u don't approve of using the militia
of the state to help any political move
ment," said the general. And l OBJ
ject whether it is in a positive or
negative way. | am accused Of using
or attempting to use the military in
the late campaign. This is false, but
the corporations used the militia for
their purposes and instead of the mill
tia being used to protect the people and
uphold the law that force was actually
degraded to the uses of local corpora
tons to connive at the breaking of the
law.
Arrange to Mobolizc.
ct was this way. l had arranged
last month u mobolize troops in Den
Yer under the regulation of the Dick
law governing the National Guard for
target and march practice. The Dick
law makes certain requirements before
the state troops can claim their appro-
priation from the federal government
Our troops are in line for this appro-
priation, which amounts to $4,000, and
intended to complete the work neces-
s.ry by having this practice. I was
about to call them to Denver last week
| 1t did not strike me at that time that
any political significance could be at
tached to the movement.
Finally, there was talk of a riot In
| Denver and that the republican party
was to call upon the mayor and gov
the time and told the governor it would
be n happy coincidence to have troops
| in this vicinity in case of trouble and
! he agreed with me. / was about to
issue the order for mobilization when
began to see that politics was enter
ing the game.
Mayor Wright asked me to meet
him on Saturday night at his office
| i'll the city hall. He declared 1t neces-
sary to have troops out for election
day and wanted to confer with me at
o'clock that night. ! went to the hall
| to meet the appointment and was as
| tonished to find the mayor failed tC
| show up. and that in his place was his
secretary and the governors private
secretary. l did not talk to them, but
left feeling convinced that some mys-
| FERROUS work was going on.
Thugs Imported for Election.
con Sunday l found there We're many
| familiar faces on the streets of the
| lower part of town and that they were
of the worst type of men in the west
| Then l discovered the corporations hac
sent out all over the west and brought
| them here. l thought then more than
. ever that the militia ought to be il
the vicinity Of Denver in case o
trouble, but imagine my surprise wher
l was t,iven orders Sunday night by tho
governor not to call out a single mar
and to abandon my plan OF assembling
the troops for practice.
1T was then that l became con
WINGED the military was to be used no.
to enforce the law and protect prop
| erty, but to encourage trouble by re
fusing to assemble troops l protested
but it made no difference. In somt
mysterious way and in the twinltlint
of an eye the whole plan was changed
had to interrupt my military duty
and plan because the assembling OF
troops for any purpose was feared