The Colorado statesman., 1905-05-13
VIOLENCE DENOUNCED
PRESIDENTS LANGUAGE is FIRM
Roosevelt Will Support Mayor Dunno
in suppressns Mobs and Riots
in CHICAGO.

Chicago, May 1.-THE committee
of labor men appointed to call upon
President Roosevelt and lodge with
him a protest against the employment
OF federal troops during the present
teamsters' strike was granted an au-
dience late yesterday afternoon.
The protest is signed by Cornelius
p. Shea, president of the international
Brotherhood of Teamsters; Charles
Dold, president of the Chicago Fed
Grafton of Labor, and by other labor
leaders.
Charging that the employers have
repeatedly spurned the request of the
labor leaders for arbitration, the pro-
test declares the employers openly
boasted that federal troops would
back up the employers side of the
controversy.
Peace" says the protest of the
labor leaders, rests not upon the
militia or the army, but upon the pa
tience and long suffering of the toll
ing masses. Can a few soldiers scare
the men who make the armies, and
who compose the flower of American
manhood
"Is the army all that these men
think it is? Is it not fact, after
all, that the power of the army even
rests to great extent upon the sup
port of the people? What would a
few soldiers be against nation?"
Declaring that the workers will
abide by the decision of an arbitrator.
even should that decision fail to be all
that might be hoped for, the appeal
to the President closed with the re-
quest that he consider all the facts in
the case before he permits any abuse
of federal power in complying with a
request for troops.
Mr.. Shea, after presenting the pro-
test. acting as spokesman, said:
I'VE are here as committee to
present to you a statement stating our
position in this controversy between
the employers association and the
teamsters' association. We have un-
derstood that they had asked your aid
for bringing troops into Chicago. We
want to present our petition to you"
The President said that he would
read it at once and after doing so
said:
s nave Itdu lue ptllllOn yOu nave
presented to me, the conclusion of
which is a request for a hearing be-
fore any action be taken by the fed
eral President relating to the Chicago
situation. AS yet no suggestion of
any kind has come to me from any
source that l should take any action.
OF the merits of the case l AIN wholly
ignorant. | have no knowledge of
what the situation is or of what steps
would properly be taken to end it.
81 feel. however, that, in view of
one statement, or series of statements,
in your letter, l ought to say this:
81 regret that you should in the let
ter have spoken at all of the use of
the federal army as you have there
spoken. No request has been male to
me for action by the federal govern
ment but at the same time, Mr. Shea,
as you have in this communication to
me brought up that fact, want to say
one thing with all the emphasis in my
power:
'In upholding law and order, in do
ing what he is able to do to suppress
mob violence in any shape or way, the
mayor of Chicago. Mayor Dunno, has
my hearty support.
'T am glad to be able to say this to
you, gentlemen, before say it to any
other body Now let me repeat that
| know nothing of the facts of the
situation. | know nothing of the rights
or wrongs of the point at issue. What
l have to say is based purely on what
I regard as the unfortunate phrasing
of letter presented to the President
of the United States. l have not been
called upon to interfere in any way.
but you must not misunderstood my
attitude.
"In every effort of Mayor Dunno to
prevent violence by mobs or individ-
uals, to see that the laws are obeyed,
and that order is preserved, he has
the hearty support of the President of
the United States, and, in my judg-
ment, he should have that of every
good citizen of the United States.
Now gentlemen, it has been
great pleasure to see you. and | am
glad to have had the chance to say
this to YOU"