The daily silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1903-1907, 1903-10-03
The ATTACK on T4E PRESIDENT

8 F. Call, October 1st. The Miller
case as the Call first predicted las;
spring has crygtalized into a political
attack on President Roosevelt The
American Federation OF Labor. under
NJ Gompers. has made the mistake
OF demanding that in administering the
civil, service Law the president shall
order that only the members Of labor
unions shall be eligible TO civil ser
vice EMPLOYMENT In the government
printing Office. the bOokbindery and
the bureau Of engraving and print
ing. This demand goes much further
than such employment. Il effects the
charwomen. elevator engineers, de-
partment messengers and a long list
OF employees
To this demand the president has
arawered that: The laws are enact
ed for the benefit Of the whole people
and cannot and must not be construed
as permitting discrimination against
scme Of the people. / am president OF
al the people Of the United States,
without regard 10 creed. color. birth
place. occupation or social conditions.
In the employment and dismissal Of
men in the government service I can
no more recognize the fast that a man
does not belong 10 a union, as being
for or against him. than I can recog-
nize the fact that he is a Protestant
o. a Catholic, a Jew or a Gentle, as
being for or against him"
That is a declaration Of that equali-
t. before the law that is being SO rap
idly lost sight Of by the radical lead
ers and hot-headed advisers Of IN
ion labor. One Of the leading walking
delegates in Chicago, commenting on
the Miller case. said: Union labor
will oppose President Roosevelt be-
cause he refuses TO discriminate in our
favor. We demand discrimination"
Every sound and sensible American
citizen will see that this demand
raises an irrepressible conflict The
courts have decided what was inherent
in the rights Of man from the begin
nIng and is indispensable 10 liberty
and the maintenance of free institu-
tons. that the right Of private contract
Is invoilable. that il is a property right
and must be defended against invasion
by any power whatsoever. Cardinal
Ci5bCns has said that /. is a RICH:
81 funC-Mental that l. must n, de-
fe1ieI by the whole force Of 50 .iery
II IS that right which the unions
demand that the president Of the
United States shall destroy. Every
lawyer and every Intelligent laymah
and every man fit for American cit
inzenship will see that whatever right
belongs TO the government. as an
employer Of labor, and whatever right
belongs TO labor seeking government
employ, belongs to every private en-
ployer and TO every man who seeks
private employment. In the case OF
private employers this right has been
30 invaded and weakened that Mr..
Gompers regards II as entirely destroy
ed In his speech in this city he said,
"A %non-union laborer has got 10 get
out Of this country" He could only
be forced out by efficient denial Of his
rights OF private contract, and such
denial could be made effective only
by the unlawful use Of physical force.
Yet the country has everywhere seen
such use Of force prevail. The orders
OF courts in defense Of the right OF
contract have proved inefficient in
many instances, and their enforcement
beyond the power of the civil auth
critics. In such cases the national
guard has been called 10 the support
Of the civil officers. Then the labor
unions have shown their power to dis
organize the national guard by forbid
ding laborers TO BELONG to it, and by
boycott and persecution OF others who
abided by their oaths and the obliga-
lions OF citizenship. II is no wonder
that such success In the denial OF legal
rights to the private employer and en-
ploye led TO the belief that the last
refuge of personal rights, the govern
ment itself. could be successfully
stormed and carried. This assault has
been met and turned by the president.
Mr.. William X. Hearst. In his Exam