Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-05-06
Socialists and Labor.

If justification of the Presidents attitude
In the matter of Meyer and Haywood the
labor leaders accused in Idaho of COM
plicity In the assassination of former Gov.
Steunenberg. were needed II has been fur
nished by the expressions employed by his
severcst critics. 1t is becoming plain that
the agitation against the President on the
score Of his undesirable citizens letter
has been fomented not by the sincere
friends of union labor but by the socialists
who are eager to take advantage of every
controversy to forward their own propa-
ganda.
Yesterday at a meeting of the Central
Federated Union of New York city the COM
mittee recently named to wait on the Presi-
dent to expostulate with him on this subject
reported. Its report appeared in an I'M
expected FORM A letter from the President
was read in which Mr.. Roosevelt expressed
himsef as determined to secure for the
accused men. as far as the Jurisdiction of
the federal government extends n fair trial
ana exact justice. In attestation of this
sentiment the President quoted from a let
Ter written over year ago to the Attorney
General setting forth his views in this vein
and urging upon him the necessity of safe
guarding the legal rights of the defendants.
Notwithstanding this frank declaration of
the executive purpose, a disposition imme-
olateiy appeared to reject the Presidents
explanation and to hold him guilty of pre-
judging Meyer and Haywood These at
tacks came from radical socialists, who
have seized upon this Issue as a means to
the end Of making trouble. 1t is Infinitely
to the credit of the level-headed men who
apparently comprise a majority of the New
York body that they were not carried out
OF the main track by this current Of malev-
olence, but accepted the Presidents letter
as satisfactory. One of the delegates re-
piled vigorously to the socialistic attack.
He said:
What do you want to humiliate the
President of the United States for? 1t is
high time that organized labor should be
alive to the tricks of these men. They have
fooled us long enough.
"The Presidents letter is a sufficient an
swer We went to Washington to get his
views in reference to Meyer and Haywood
and organized labor. and we got them. Our
interview was perfectly satisfactory, and
the President has done all that an honor
able man could do. and has done his best to
give us a square deal Organized labor In
return should give him the same square
deal that we are asking of him. ! voted
against him for President. and will prob
ably do so again: but let us be Just and
loyal to our President of the United States"
The sooner the honest workingmen OF
L
the radical agitators who are seeking only
to create q disturbance in this country
the better 1t will be for the workingmen.
This Moyer-Haywood matter has become
national issue chiefly because the radicals
have sought to identify themselves with
the defense and have pitched their cam
paign in a key of malevolent hatred for
capitalism. No clearer proof of the danger
to which American labor is exposed today
could be had than that furnished by the
socialist agitators themselves. One OF
them. signing himself Morrison L. Swift.
has just printed and Is now scattering
broadcast through the country a series of
cards on what he styles The American
Dreyfus Case" Number seven of this
series has just come to hand. single
sentence from the Iurid language on this
card is enough to stamp the present anti
Roosevelt crusade a wicked attempt to
use labor for evil ends:
"Convicting men to death on the word
OF a creature like Orchard That is what
dsgraced Idaho is trying to do. No. not
Idaho, but its Black Hand mineowners,
who. masked in law have for years made
civil war on Idaho's toilers.
Though the evidence against their three
victims Is ridiculous (sic) and their guilt
unbelievable. even II they did the deed they
should be acquitted
At the bottom of this card is the phrase
Crush Capitalism with the Catapult Of
Socialism" Rather does 1t seem as IL the
secret shibboieth of this campaign of
radlcalism today runs: Crush Capital,
Law and Labor with the Catapult of
Anarchism"