The Washington herald., 1907-04-24

In a letter written Monday. and made
public last night, President Roosevelt de-
Tended his course in speaking of Meyer,
Haywood. and Debs. the labor leaders.
and z. II. Hartman. the capitalist, as
undesirable citizens"
The letter was in answer to a protest
from THE Cook County Moyer-Haywood
Conference" of Chicago against what the
President said about Meyer and Hay
wood, officers of the Western Fedora
ton Of Miners, who are TO be tried for
the murder of ex-Gov. Steunenberg, of
Idaho.
Honore Jaxon, of COZ West Lake street,
Chicago, chairman of the Moyer-Hay-
wood conference. wrote to the President
that his reference to them was designed
TO influence the course Of justice in the
trial OF Meyer and Haywood.
The President, in writing TO Chairman
Jaxon, not only holds that ne had a right
10 say what he did, but condemns Jaxon
and his colleagues on the ground that
they have organized 10 prevent fair
trial for the accused men.
Mr.. Roosevelt tells the MOyer-Haywood
conference and everybody else that he
doesn't care "a rap what they think of his
classification of Meyer, Haywood. and
Debs as undesirable citizens" He applies
this attitude also to those who wrote TO
him protesting against CHASING Mr.. Har-
rtman with the three labor leaders. He
holds that because a man is on trial he is
not freed from criticism of his general
conduct and manner OF life. and he liz
sists that it was as harmful agitat0rs
that he criticised Meyer. Haywood and
Debs.
seek TO Prevent Justice.
On the other hand, he contends, the
members OF the ''Moyer- Haywood confer
enee" are seeking TO prevent justice being
meted out 10 the men charged with
steunenberg's murder, if they are guilty.
and points TO the fact that the conference
has adopted as its motto:
Death cannot, will not and shall not
claim our brothers"
The Presidents letter is intended ap-
parenuy 10 forestau the Chicago labor
leaders who are coming 10 Washington 20
protest against his classification OF Meyer
and Haywood as undesirable citizens"
II they see him, he viii tell them just
what he told the Cook County conference
The criticism OF labor leaders was con
tanned in the Presidents letter of last
October to Representative James s. Sher-
man, of New York. in regard TO d state
ment which Mr.. Sherman said was made
by Z. II. Hartman, that Mr.. Roosevelt
had asked him tHaTTiman) to raise $3.50 900
for campaign purposes ia 1904, when MIR.
Roosevelt was "a candidate for the Presi-
dency A letter written by Mr Hartman
70 Of f-,f
the allegation against Mr.. Roosevelt con-
corning campaign contributions was OBJ
tanned and published by a New York
newspaper. The President thereupOn gave
to the press his letter TO Representative
Sherman, charging Mr.. Hartman with
falsehoOd
Text of the Letter.
The letter written yesterday by the
President TO Chairman JaXon, OF the
Moyer-HaywoOd conference, is as follows:
Dear Sir: have received your letter
OF the 18th instant, in which you inclose
the draft OF the formal letter which is to
follow. I have been notified that several
delegations. bearing similar requests. are
on the way hither In the letter you, on
behalf of the Cook County Moyer-Hay-
wood conference. protest against certain
language L used in a recent letter which
you assert 10 be designed TO influence the
course Of justice in the case of the trial
for murder of Messrs. Meyer and Hay
wood.
Il entirely agree with you that it is
improper 70 endeaYor to influence the
course of justice, whether by threats OF
in any similar manner. For this reason
have regretted most deeply the action OF
such organizations as your own in under
"a N -fz s-,
the very case of which you speak. For
instance, your letter is headed Cook
County -HaywOod-Pet Con
ference with the head lines Death can
not, viii not, and shall not claim our
brothersr
This shows that you and your asso-
ciates are not demanding a fair trial or
working for a fair trial. but are announc-
ing in advance that the verdict shall only
be one way, and that you will not toler-
ate any other verdict Such action is
fragrant in its impropriety, and / Join
heartily in condemning it.
But It is simple absurdity TO sun
pose that because any man is on trial for
given Onense he is therefore TO be freed
from all criticism upon his general con-
duct and manner OF life. In my letter 10
which you object, I referred to a certain
prominent financieT, Mr.. Hartman. on
the one hand, and Messrs. Meyer. Hay
wood. and Debs, on the other, as being
equally undesirable citizens
No Opinion as to Guilt.
It is as foolish to assert that this was
designed TO influence the trial of Moyer
and Haywood as to assert that it was de-
signed to influence the suits that have
been brought against Mr. Hartman I
neither expressed nor indicated my opin-
ion as to whether Messrs. Meyer and Hay
wood were guilty OF the murder Of Gov.
SteunenbeTg. II they are guilty they GER
bainly ought to be punished. If they are
not guilty they certainly ought not to be
punished. But no possible outcome either
of the trial or the suits. can affect my
judgment as 10 the undesirabiity of the
type of citizenship Of those whom I men,
TONED. Messrs. Moyer, Haywood, and
Dehs stand as representatives of those
men who have done as much TO discredit
the labor movement as the worst specula-
tive hnanciers. or most unscrupulous en-
ployers OF labor and dehauchers Of Iegis-
latures have done to discredit honest
capitalists and fair-dealing business men.
They stand as the representatives of
those men who, by their public utterances