Hon. Woodrow Wilson, President of the United States, Washington:
I regret exceedingly that you have been misinformed. The legislature has just passed an act, which I have approved, providing for a bond issue of one million dollars for the purpose of paying the indebtedness which has been incurred and which may be incurred in suppressing insurrection and defending the State. As soon as these bonds can be issued, these funds will be available and this State can and will control the situation. This is the only constitutional method of raising funds in immediate future. In addition to this act the legislature has enacted a law permitting the Governor to dose saloons in time of disorder, and also a law prohibiting the carrying and disposition of firearms in time of disorder. Moreover, a committee on mediation on the present strike has been provided for and appointed.
Now the heart of our story is this last sentence in the
Governor's telegram: this "committee on mediation on the
present strike." If such a committee had been appointed,
the legislature might fairly claim to have done its best to
settle the strife. But had such a committee been appointed?
It had not. The coal-operators, confused by the President's
sudden action, had caused their poor Governor to telegraph
the President a lie; and now all their agencies of repression
were brought to bear to keep the truth, not merely from the
President, but from the whole country.
First of all, it must be kept from the State legislature itself! A senator tried to have the President's telegram and the Governor's answer read in the senate, but by parliamentary juggling this was prevented. All debate was forbidden; but a Democratic woman senator, Helen Ring Robinson, succeeded in getting in a few words of protest, under the guise of an "explanation" of her vote. Senator Robinson read the last sentence of the Governor's answer: "Moreover a committee on mediation on the present strike has been provided for and appointed." Said Senator Robinson: "I know of no such committee which has been appointed by this assembly."
Lieutenant-Governor Fitzgarald replied that the resolution providing for the "strike investigating committee" provided for mediation.
"But," protested Senator Robinson, "I can't find a sentence in that resolution that mentions 'mediation.' I can't see a word on 'mediation' in the resolutions."
"Whereupon" (I am quoting the account from the "Rocky Mountain News" of May 17th), "Senator A. N. Parrish, conservative Republican, objected that the motion was not de-
