The Idaho Springs siftings-news., 1906-03-17
IMPARTIAL TRIAL
GUARANTEED WESTERN Fedora.
TION oFFIciAlS
BY THE GOVERNOR OF IDAHO
Letter Of Governor Goodine to Evans
Vile, Indiana, Labor Unions
Prosecution Solely by the State
and Not by Corporations.

received numerous communications
from labor organizations and other as
| sociations throughout the country re-
| specting the prosecution OF Charles II.
Meyer. president of the Western Fed
Grafton of Miners; William d. Hay
| wood, secretary, and George \. Pet
| tibone.
One of these is from Evansville. In
| diana written by Secretary Jaynes of
the Central Labor body. The commit
| tees resolutions are moderate in tone,
| but in some measure reflect the idea
| so widely disseminated that the pros
| ecution of these men is in pursuance
| of a conspiracy.
The governor and Mr.. Hawley are
| asked 70 weigh the confessions care
| fully and to use their efforts to secure
fair and impartial trial for the ac
| cused. They ask that the men be
gwen full opportunity to prove the con-
| fessions ARE trumped up evidence. So
| licited by rich corporations for the sole
purpose of disrupting unionism in the
western states and probably put to
| death two American citizens that had
not done anything but act as officials
| of the Western Federation of Miners"
In his reply, Governor Gooding says:
| Your letter, with resolutions of
| Central Labor Union of Evansville, In
| diana. under date of March 5, 1906,
was received this morning. | was very
! glad to know that the sentiment of
your union was not in favor of an
archy. | have read the resolutions
| with much interest and think it very
! probable you have been misied by lack
| of reliable information.
Il cannot believe that you or your
union favor the assassination OF an
unoffe nding fellow citizen at his own
| home and in the presence of his wife
| and children. The man so foully mur
| dered was a member OF a labor union
| and had been member from early
| manhood.
believing that your motives are
! pure. and that you are believers in fair
! play, | am writing you in full exp!ana-
| ton of the activity of the state in the
prosecution of Meyer. Haywood, Simp
| kins, Pettibone, Orchard, ADAMS and
| St. John.
''To begin with, | can assure you
| that no mine owners, no association
| of mine owners, or no corporation of
a private nature, wealthy or otherwise
| has at any time had anything to do
with the work of securing evidence
against any of these men, that they
lidti iioltlllS W do with Sttul MS liiF
services of detectives and that the de-
tective under whose control the evil
| dence was obtained because of which
the men were indicted was up to the
| time of the confession of orchard a
staunch believer in the innocence of
Meyer, Haywood and others of the
crime charged against them in Colo
RADIO, such as the explosion at the In
| dependence depot.
''Ex-Gov. Frank Steunenberg, a
union printer for twenty-five years and
always an advocate in his speeches
and writings of union principles. was
destroyed by bomb at his own home
on the night of December 30th
Through a citizens committee evil
dence was secured that implicated a
man who gave his name at 7. II. Ho
| gan. The suspect later admitted that
| his name was Harry Orchard. A great
| deal of evidence was secured further
| duplicating Orchard and there was
every prospect that he and }. l.. Simp-
kins could be convicted of the murder
| on the evidence SO secured. Simpkins
| meantime disappeared and has not
been apprehended. although | am Offer
ing a reward of 81 900 for information
! leading to his arrest and eXtradition
| Jail at Caldwell, where the assassina-
tion occurred. was small, crowded and
! in disrepair, the sheriff OF that county
| asked permission of the state to lodge
| his prisoners in the State Penitentiary
| here.
by this time Mr.. James Mcfarland
had been employed by the state to
gather evidence relative to the guilty
parties.
There was not at that time and
| there has never since been any sug-
| sestion that an assault should be
made on the Western Federation of
Miners, or against labor unions.
No reward is offered, nor will Mr.
MCFARLAND get any unusual reward for
success, nor will the compensation
either in amount or degree depend
| upon his success in securing evidence
convicting or acquitting any man or
| set of men.
His employment was and is to Sc
cure the truth relative to the cruel
murder of Ex-Governor SteunenberS.
| The punishment of his assassins will
be attended to by the state OF Idaho
AS to the confession secured from
| Orchard, the letter states that McPar-
| land visited him, informed him who
| te was and asked him to tell the truth
| about the matter. No promise OF any
| character was made. Orchard fully
| expects to pay the penalty for the
| crime which he has confessed.
The governor expresses his belief
In unionism, saying he knows the con-
ditions and reward of labor have been
wonderfully improved through the in
strumentality of labor organizations.
Further he expresses the opinion
that labor organizations should be the
| first to condemn wrong.
| Closing, he says
81 want to assure your union that
the accused men shall have fair and
! tp,n,rtial trial The fairness of spirit