The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1907-06-08


Eugene V. Debs takes exception, ito
President Roosevelt placing him. Tin
the undesirable class, and be asks
Mr.. Roosevelt some very. pertinent
questions. to,
ttonal and imply serious such charges
that Debs ought to be compelled to
prove, them, Or the president ought
to deny tEem.& We reproduce Mr..
I,cbs' letter as follows:
The letter Of President Roosevelt to
the Meyer and Haywood conference Of
New. York is, in strange contrast with
the one previously addressed by him
TO the Chicago conference: or the same
subject. The two letters are. so en-
ttrely dissimilar in spirit land. temper
that they seem to have been written
by different persons. In the first the
president bristles with defiance, in the
last he is The pink of po,tteness. The
first letter utterly failed Of it's pur-
pose. Organized labor did not lie
down and be still at the command Of
the president. On the contrary, it
g1owled more .fiercely. than before; in
fact, showed its teeth to the president
who has become so used to exhibiting
his own. And lo-what a change! The
president receives a labor committee
talks over matters for al hour and
then addresses Il letter to the con-
,rh 1~ 49,
Dear Mr.. Henry explaining that he
IS ready to perform his duty if only
the conference. will point it, out to him,
and putting the whole blame ON. '.Debs
and the Socialists, whom he charges
with using Unreasonable and murder
Gus language" but not a word of ex-.
plantation does he vouchsafe In regard
to his denunciation Of Meyer and
Haywood, the real and in fact the only
point at. issue.
Again has the president indicated
MS reputation as one Of the smooth
est OF politicians and one of the most
artful and designing Of defnagogues.
We hope the. lesson here taught as
to what Workingmen can accomplish
by the power o. united effort Is not
lost upon the working class. The first
letter Of. the president was an Insult
to labor and had labor submitted the
presidents contempt for it would have
been intensified by its cravenness.
The second letter was a virtual
apology and nothing less than the firm
attitude Of labor extorted it..
The presidents position, however. is
nota less enviable than before. Since
he seeks escape from cast.gation for
his outrageous attack upon Meyer and
Haywood upon the ground that Debs
had used Unreasonable and murderous
language and that it was his duty as
president 90 denounce it, few Dues
lions Will be in order and when the
pres 1dent has answered these we have
q few more to which answers are also
desired.
Sherman Bell? .:,-s e.
Is ii not a fact that said Sherman
Bel! Is a personal friend Of the pres
'dert and that in letter written m
the presidents own hand he commends
said Sherman Bell in the most exalted
terms ?1.'-i--I' ST.. j -.
Has the president ever heard of the
expression, ITO hell with habeas
corpus; we'll give *'em post mortems,"
commended as "patriotic' by the CAP
1ta11st press at the time it was made?
Does not the president know that it
was his highly esteemed personal
friend; Sherman Bell! who coined. this.
phrase?' = = .;r..' -' y ;
Didithes president condemn it? :. -.
Is it reasonable and murderous"?
WIFI he. dc" Sc; now? = -
Would he have: done so if it had been
Debs instead OF Bell? =; - :.
Why does he "conceive It to be his:
duty" to condemn Debs and not Bell?
Because, Bellsstands for capital. and
Debs. for labor? 1@
Has Debs ever said anything that,
with reference to- treason and murder.
can be- compared to this expression Of
his boon companion, Sherman Bell:
Again, has the president ever heard
of one. Lieut.: r. E! McClelland? - -
And Of the expression, "To hell with;