| Show COEUR DALENE INQUIRY MINORITY REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE MI1ORITY MITTEE MADE PUBLIC It Declares that the President is Upholding Up-holding a Tyrannical Course Pursued Pur-sued by Idaho Governor I Washington June 1The minority report on the Coeur dAleno Investigation Investiga-tion was given out today by Representatives Repre-sentatives Lent of Ohio and Hay of Virginia who drafted lu The following follow-ing Is 0 summary of Its main features The minority points out that the evidence evi-dence taken during the Investigation shows that thercwas absolutely no rioting riot-ing in Shoshone county Ido after April 29 1809 that when the United States troops arrived upon the scene quiet had been restored and no resistance was being made to the State authorities who were arresting ag rapidly as possible pos-sible those who were suapectedvof lug implicated In the crime of April 20 1S99 I Is maintained by the minority that tho troops sent to Idaho by the President of the United States continued contin-ued to be under the control of the President Pres-ident and that the military commander in charge could only use the troops In aid of the civil authorities of the State to preserve peace and order and to prevent resistance being made by lawless I law-less persons to the process of the courts and the proper civil authorities of the State StateThe I The President of the United States has kept and Is still keeping soldIers In that community and by so doing Is upholding a tyrannical course of conduct con-duct pursued by the Governor of Idaho Tho minority points out flagrant instances In-stances of abuse of power and violation oc law by Gen MerrIam the commander com-mander the the troops First Gen Merriam sent on May 3rd about 150 troops to the town of Burke and arrested without warrant the entire male population oi the town consisting of about 300 persons I was an outrage on the liberty of the citizens which haS no parallel In the annals of this country Second Gen Merriam sent a detachment de-tachment of troops Into thC State of Montana for the purpose of arresting fugitives from the State of Idaho an inexcusable exercise oc arbitrary power by i Gen Merriam Third Lieut Lyon acting under the order of Ills superior olllcer by threats 0 violence forced certain cltlens to work In thc TIgorPoorman mine against their will No such flagrant Invasion In-vasion of the right of the citizen can bo cited in the history of this country FourthMaj Smith suppressed the Mullan Mirror n newspaper published at Mullan thus denying free speech and free press This was n gross violation viola-tion of law wholly unjustified Fifth The permit system In fact a blacklist system approved by Gen Merriam and kept J In operation to this day by tho presence of the military forces of the United States is n violation vio-lation of law which cannot be defended defend-ed edIn In summing up the minority says they are satisfied from tho adduced ad-duced before the committee that Gen Merriam was wholly mistaken as to his powers and duties that his conduct has resulted In the gravest Injustice to tho liberty of the Individuals Innocent men have been kept In prison for months without trial and have been finally discharged without any charges being preferred against them At one time or another there were over 1100 men In the prison at Wardner known as tho bull pen They were kept there many months They were not tried They were not charged with any crime they were held and guarded by United States troops I was the duty of Gen Morriam of the President Presi-dent of tho United Slates to Inquire Into tho causes and reasons for the detention de-tention of so many American citizens No such inquiry was ever made Such Indifference Is hard to understand and harder to excuse The plea that Gen Merriam was acting act-ing at the request of the Governor of Idaho and his State Representative Bartlett Sinclair is not good Neither the Governor nor Sinclair had the right to violate tho Jaw And Gen MerrIam knew It or should have known it I Although the Governor of Idaho has for a year and more been governing Shoshone by martial law he has never called the Legislature together the laws of Idaho provide that a session of the Legislature can be called on twenty days notice The minority hold that the President Is not Justified In keeping I United States soldiers indefinitely in Shoshone county at the mere will of one man when the Legislature representatives repre-sentatives of the people could have and ought to b convened and their wishes ascertained The majority report was aJso com plpud today and biihirUUcd to the minority mi-nority members but it will not bc made public until approved by the Home Military Mil-itary Investigation committee which conducted the |
