A Town on Trial: Sprague Fights Back Against Strike Rumors

In another column will be found a letter from Mr. L. F. Williams contradicting the reports of recent riotous disturbances at Sprague. Also a letter from Capt. Lindsay, of Troop A, of the First cavalry of the National Guard of Washington, denying that his company was mutinous or insubordinate.

Of course nobody wishes to do the city of Sprague an injustice, nor are we sure that such an injustice has been done. Mr. Williams, it will be noticed, does not deny that acts of violence were committed in that place during the strike. It is certain that two Northern Pacific trestles were burned by rioters from Sprague; that trains were delayed; that threatening manifestations were made against the crews of every train which passed the place during the exciting days of the strike. Rioters were arrested at Sprague by United States marshals and convicted of riotous acts committed in that city. Regular troops were sent there, not in consequence of newspaper reports, but before the newspaper reports were published. All this leads us to believe that the peace was not as well preserved at Sprague as it should have been.

Further than this, the sentiment of a community, when such a question as that which confronted the American people a short time ago is to be met, can usually be discovered by the tone of its newspapers. At Sprague a daily paper was issued which was called the 'strike edition' of one of the weekly papers. Its attitude was radical in the extreme and its sympathies were altogether with the rioters at Chicago and elsewhere, and not at all with those who were endeavoring to preserve public order. This paper, in one of its editions, stated that a prominent citizen had warned the editor that the course he was pursuing was not approved by the business men of Sprague, and that it would certainly injure the town. The editor added, however, that he had carefully canvassed the business men, and that he found that the attitude of the paper was warmly approved. If this be true, the business men of Sprague have only themselves to thank if an injury has been inflicted upon the good name of their town.

As to Troop A, the real facts of that matter will doubtless be brought out when an official investigation is made. That the spirit of that company was not what it should have been, however, is attested by many. Indeed, one could put in evidence some of the letters written from camp to the Sprague papers by the members of that troop. In at least one of these it was flatly declared that if the troop was ordered to act against rioters it would ride home; that it had lost no rioters and did not propose to look for any. We are not aware that this bold announcement of the troop that it was prepared to disobey orders received any reprimand from Capt. Lindsay or any denial from any members of the troop. We are inclined to think that both Sprague and Troop A have brought their troubles upon themselves.

To the Editor: Sensational reports regarding the actions of the strikers in this city have been sent to the leading papers of the Pacific Northwest, and are calculated to do a vast amount of injury to the business interests of this community. So long as the truth is adhered to the citizens will find no cause of complaint, but when reports so untruthful and misleading as those which appeared in your issues of July 9 and 10 are published broadcast to the world, we find it necessary to enter most emphatic protest and denial.

Not only has the city been the victim of unscrupulous newspaper correspondents, but Troop A, N. G. W., of this town, has suffered in the estimation of all loyal citizens of Washington at the hands of these same correspondents. Sprague has at no time been the scene of rioting or violence. The damage done to railroad property here since the inauguration of the strike has been very slight. Outside of the car of oil which was burned, the damage will not amount to $10. There have been no cars wrecked or ditched and no engines injured.

One would be impressed by the dispatches sent from here with the idea that Sprague was at the mercy of a lawless mob. Such is not the case, nor has it ever been. By far the larger element is peaceable and law-abiding, and they intend to maintain order and give ample protection to property. There was no occasion for sending out reports of such a sensational and untruthful character. The statements regarding Troop A were also false, as at no time was the troop or any member of it under arrest, nor did any of them refuse to obey orders at any time on the trip home from the encampment at Olympia.

The publication of this letter in the Post-Intelligencer will do much toward counteracting the evil effect of your dispatches of July 9 and 10, and will be regarded as an act of justice to the business men and law-abiding citizens of Sprague.

L. P. Williams.

To the Editor: My attention has been called to a telegraphic report in the columns of your paper of the 16th inst.; also to an editorial founded upon said report and published in your issue of the 20th inst., both articles reflecting upon the credit and previous good name of Troop A, N. G. W., of Sprague. The former of these publications is false in all respects; the latter manifestly unjust, since it is founded upon incorrect information.

Two of my men did fail to return with the troop; in fact did not report for duty the last day of our stay in Tacoma, but they were not arrested, though their delinquency is yet a matter for investigation, and will be investigated. Aside from this breach of discipline not a man refused, either alone or with others, to obey all orders issued. Not a gun was taken from them and not a single man came home under arrest.

The men acted as their own military escort on the way home and were carefully on guard at all points of anticipated danger. It is an organization that has a state-wide reputation for obedience, military salutation and soldierly bearing; the praise gained in previous encampments was in nowise abated in this, their last, and they ask only that the stigma of a soldier's having refused to obey the orders of his superiors be removed.

I have now, as briefly as I well could do, stated the facts in the case, and I trust to your usual spirit of fair dealing to give them an equal circulation with the false and slanderous statements that have already gone through the columns of the state press.

A. W. Lindsay, 1st Lt. Commanding Troop A, N. G. W.