The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-05-06
he WRITES AGAIN.
President Roosevelt Sends a
Letter to Federated Union
Setting Forth His Position on
the MOyer-HayWOOd Case.
WANTS JUSTICE DONE.
VIII Do All He Can for the
Accused Men
III Shown That They Have Been
Wrongly Dealt With.
WANTS JUSTICE DONE.

New York. May 6.-In letter read
before the Central Federated Union,
President Roosevelt states that. Il evi
cence is submitted to him showing that
there has been a miscarriage of justice
for or against Meyer AMI Haywood,
awaiting trial at Boise, idaho. charged
with the murder of former Governor
Steunenberg, he will bring such evil
dence to the attention of rhe attorney
general for such action, if any. as it
may be in the power Of the federal au-
thorities to take. The communication.
was the formal reply of he president
to the union committee which recently
called the president and requested
him to set forth in general mis- attitude
toward the accused men, and specifical
~ why he had referred to Meyer and
Haywood as undesirable citizens
In making his reply the chairman,
John Henry, said the committee had
spent more than an hour with the pres
ident, at which time the matter in hand
was thoroughly discussed. The presi-
dent signified his intention of formally
replying in the letter which the chair
man then read.
Following the reading, there was an
animated discussion during which the
chairman and VIM. Coakley, another
member of the committee, stoutly
championed the attitude of the chief ex-
ecutive. 1t was finally voted to send a
copy of the letter to counsel for Meyer
and Haywood
in his reply the president quotes from
q letter written by him more than
year ago to the attorney general in
which he says that Our duty is (if it
should ever happen that we had any
power in the matter) to see that exact
justice is done these men,
The presidents letter follows:
THE White House, Washington, May 2,
1907
MY Dear Mr. Henry:
when you. in company with Messrs.
Coakley and Brown, called upon me
this morning 1 read you the letter had
written to the attorney general of March
25, 1906. At your request 1 gladly send
you the following extract from that let
ter:
"'Our duty is Gf it should ever hap
pen that we had any power in the mat
teri to see that exact justice is done
these men, There must be no consider
alton of lavlessness on our part. even if
the lawlessness takes the form of
effort to avenge the wrongs committed
by the lawlessness of others.
1.-The sole question as regards Hay
wood and Meyer must be the question
whether or not they can be shown to
be guilty of this particular act and their
legal rights must be as carefully safe
is alleged that they were extradicied
from Colorado in a manner that
amounted to a betrayal of their legal
rights. L should like to have the dis
tr1ct attorney OF COlOraQO, ana II nee
essary the district attorney of Idaho,
give me such information they can
on this point. 1 should like to get from
the district attorney of Idaho any in
formation that he can obtain as to
whether or not there has been the
slightest disposition shown by the auth
critics in Idaho to act toward these
men in an unfair or improper manner,
or to deny them their legal rights. On
the other hand, I should like to know
whether there is any symptom OF a
miscarriage of justice in their favor.
g The Incorporate violence with
which the socialistic or labor papers
like that of Debs, and / am sorry 10
say some labor organizations, have in
sisted. without knowledge of the facts,
upon treating these men as martyrs
to the cause of labor, has unquestion-
ably resulted in tremendous pressure
being brought to bear on the authori-
ties of Idaho to discharge or acquit
them whether guilty or innocent. So
far as the unions are anxious only TO
see that exact justice is done these
men; that they are given their full le
gal rights and not condemned unless
proved guilty of this specific act they
are entitled to the cordial cooperation
of all just and fairminded citizens.
SO far as by any action, or by
murderous reasonable language such
as that quoted above from Debs (and
others) they tend to bring pressure to
bear upon the state authorities and the
courts to obstruct the course of Justice,
and to render it difficult to convict the
men if guilty, they are equally without
stint to be condemned and anything
that the federal authorities can do in
either event, to further the cause of
Justice is to be done.
In response to your question 1t is, I
trust needless for me to say that if at
any time you or any one else can sub
NIT to me any evidence showing that
there has been miscarriage of justice
for or against Messrs. Meyer or Hay
wood. which you believe it is in my
power to remedy, I will at once bring
such evidence to the attention of the
attorney general to have him give it
the fullest consideration and to take
thereon such action If any as it may
be in the power of the federal author
titles to take. sincerely yours.
THEODORE ROOSEVELT
"Mr. John S. Henry, New York
In the discussion that followed
motion to accept the committees re-
port delegate charged that the
president had evaded the issue. This
called forth a response from Delegate
Coakley. The latter said that the COM
mittee considered the interview salts
factory and that it was mot UP to the
president to prove that there had been
miscarriage of justice. but to those
defending Meyer and Haywood"
After several delegates had been
heard it was decided to forward a copy
of the letter to counsel for the indicted
submit to President Roosevelt any evil
dence they might have that there
might have been a miscarriage of JUS
tice in the extra dition of Meyer, Hay
wood and Pettibone from Colorado to
Tdahn