The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1917-08-16
Governor Alexander Tells About Local
Conference and the Request for Troops


nature in the Capital News, Governor
Alexander tells about the proposal tc
send troops to the Occur dAlene dis
trict. says the people don't want then
and that he represents the people,
that the big industries of the north
are criticising the state which is peace
full and quiet. He says the conference
at wallace, to which he. invited al
the people, was attended only by mine
owners, bankers, the sheriff, prosecut-
ing attorney, county commissioners,
the secretary Of state" and himself
The statement, although a little old
is nevertheless good reading and is
here reproduced in full:
The Rex Fire.
What do l know about the Rex fire
in Shoshone county?
Not more than | have read in the
various dispatches in the press reports
and in a telegram from the sheriff OF
Shoshone county and a telegram that
was sent to my war secretary by Har-
ry L. Day. 1t is all l. w. W.ism so
far as have heard but have not any
evidence whatever to support it.
have a statement from the state
mine inspector, who is probably the
best posted man on the matter of the
mine of any man in the state. The
Rex mine is zinc producing property,
20
mine, one from above and one through
a tunnel. The tunnel and shaft is
what Mr.. Bell calls dry tunnel. The
timbers are intensely dry-no moisture
whatever-and If there had been one
man stationed at the smart above and
the tunnel entrance no one could have
gone into the mine excepting the men
working there The only other way 1t
could have possibly occurred would be
through some l. w. W. or anyone else
leaving a candle close to the timbers
and that according to the mine in
spector's version would have caused a
fire. So you can see if there had been
a reasonable precaution taken by the
owners to protect their property, there
could not be anything happen from
without and whatever happened from
within, neither the governor, the sher-
if nor United States troops with bay
! onets could have prevented
/ Asked for; Troops.
Was l ever asked for troops?
Well, that is all I am asked by the
big industries Of the state and it Is to
my regret that the press of the state
magnifies everything that occurs with
in the borders of this peaceful, peace
loving state You never hear anything
of Washington having fires and they
have hundreds of them. nor of l. W.
W.ism in Oregon and Washington, in
those states where they have to have
troops, but it is all Idaho. Everyone
seems DESTROYS of besmirching the fair
name of Idaho. The big industries Of
Idaho seem DESTROYS of criticising our
state, but peacefulness and quietness
prevails better in Idaho than any state
! know Of
think there is a great deal of poll
tics in this, but have always stood by
the people of Idaho, and the people
have had no voice in the call of troops.
They have asked for no troops and
were not present at the conference
when the demand for troops was made.
They were attending to their own BUSH
ness protecting their property and
sending their boys to the front to Of
fer up their lives for the cause of the
nation.
1t is the big institutions that do all
this and admit they are entitled to
full protection, and to all that we can
give them and that Is what Idaho Is
doing.
Conference at Wallace.
Did hold a conference at Wallace?
Yes, l did two weeks ago at the
Hotel Samuels and requested to meet
the people at said conference and all
who were present were mine owners,
bankers, the sheriff, prosecuting at
torney, county commissioners, the Sec
rotary of state and myself
Where were the people?
Well they were not there. The con-
ference was not private. 1t was held
Gin the parlor of the Samuels hotel and
open to all.
What occurred there?
Well, the mine owners asked for
troops. They wanted them for the
moral effect that the /. w. w. might
thereby be made to realize that the
strong arm of the@law was there. Dur
ing this conference asked the sheriff
II he believed 1t was necessary to have
troops for the protection of life and
property, and stated If SO, we would
make call upon the national govern
ment to furnish them. He positively
refused to make any such request and
further flat-footed declared that there
was no occasion for troops In Shoshone
county. One of his deputies declared
that were he given the power he would
enforce the law against all the !. w.
w. visible or that could be found.
No Need for Troops.
One Of the county commissioners
who was present. who is also mine
owner, and who has the distinction OF
xsso,. tip,,o,c1v n the