Show IDAHO congressional REPORT by of committee on coeur daleno investigation made public by lentz of ohio 4 the minority report on the coeur dalene investigation was given out today by tentative senta tive lentz and hay of west virginia who drafted it the following is the summary of its main features the minority point out that the evidence taken during the investigation shows that there was absolutely no rioting in shoshone county idaho after april 19 1899 that when the united states troops arrived on the scene quiet bad been restored and no reals tance was being made to the arate authorities who were arresting ss rap ady as possible those who were sua pecked of being implicated in the crime of april 29 1899 it is maintained by the minority that the troops sent to idaho by the president of the united states continued to be under control of the president and the military commander in charge could only use the troops in id of the civil authorities ot the baite to preserve peace and order and pie vent resistance being made by lawless to the process of the courts and the proper civil authorities of tho state the president of the united states has kept and is still keeping soldiers in that community and by so doans is upholding a tyrannical course ot conduct pursued by the governor of adato the minority points out flagrant instances of abuse of the power and violation of law by gen merriam the commander of the troops 1 I gen merriam sent on may ia about troops to the town of burko and arrested without warrant the eu alre male population ot that town consisting of about three hundred persons it was an outrage on the liberty of th j citizens which has no parallel ia thi annals of this country 2 gen merriam sent a detachment of troops into the state of montana for the purpose of arresting fugitives from the state of idaho an isable exercise of arbitrary power by gen merriam 3 aleut lyon acting under the order of his superior officer by threats of violence forced certain miners to the tiger poorman mine against their will flagrant invasion of the right of the citizen can be cited in mhd history of the country 4 major smith suppressed the mul lani mirror a newspaper published at mullan thus denying free speech and free press this was a gross violation of the law and wholly unjustified 5 the permit system in fart a blacklist black list system approved by general merriam and kept in operation to s day by the presence of the military forces of the united states is a violation of law be defended in up the minority says they are satisfied from the evidence adduced before the committee that gen wholly mistaken as to powers and duties that his conduct has resulted in the greatest injury to the liberty of men have been kept in prison for months without trial and have been finally without any charges being preferred against them at one time or another there were 1100 men in prison at wardner known as the bull pen they were kept there many months they were not tried they were not charged with any crime they were heu and guarded by united states trompa it was the duty of gen merriam and of he president of the united states tn inquire into the causes and reasons for the detention 0 so many american citizens no such inquiry was over made it is hard to understand and bard to excuse the plea anat gen merriam was act ing at tho request ot the governor of idaho and his irate bartlett sinclair Is not good neither the governor nor sinclair had the right to violate the law and gen merriam knew it or should have known it although the governor of idaho has for a year and more been governing shoshone county by martial law he has not called the legislature the laws 0 idaho state that a session of the legislature can be called on gwei ty days the minority holds that the president Is not justified in keeping soldiers sol diera indefinitely in shoshano Sho county merely at the will of one man while the legislature representative of the could and should have been called and their wishes ascertained |