Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1907-05-23
Extremes Meet.
(Richmond News Leader. J

Z IL
Z 1t is a coincidence that last week Har-
per's Weekly, edited by Colonel Har-
vey, and supposed to represent espec-
tally Wall street and financial interests
and the plutocracy, devoted most'of its
space to an attack on President Roose-
welt; while this week the leading and
most violent organ of the socialists of
the country does the same thing. The
socialist publication gives its entire first
page to Eugene V. Debs, who pours out
his wrath in the most virulent words
and terms his mind can furnish. Colonel
Harvey accuses the President of cater
ing to the radical, socialistic and de-
structive elements. Mr.. Debs describes
nm as the tool of the money power and
traitor to the common people.
The provocation given by the Presi-
dent to the Wall street interests was
his lnsistance on regulation of trans
portation rates by the Government.
The special provocation to Debs and the
other socialists was in describing Meyer,
Pettibone and Haywood, the men ac-
cused of numbering Governor Steunen-
berg, of Idaho, as undesirable citi-
zens."
Having offended the two extreme ele-
ments, the President may feel that he
Is about right, squarely in the middle
OF the road and in accord with the great
mass of people in between who are not
radical and not ultra conservative. who
believe in law and order, in giving each
man fair chance according to his abil-
ity, and who want life and property to
be safe from dynamite on one side and
from unrestrained greed and the money
power on the other. Debs does not
prove his case more successfully than
did Colonel Harvey. 1t is a matter in
dispute whether Meyer, one of the
three martyrs so highly extolled by the
socialists, is the same man who was
convicted in Chicago of burglary.
There seems to be no doubt that Petit
bone is one of the men who blew up
with dynamite mine operated by non
union labor and who himself was Sc
verely injured by the explosion. We
think the common sense of the country
will agree that records of that kind GER
tainly make men undesirable citi-
zens. "
As<we have observed before, the |
American people like man who does
things. Mr.. Roosevelt has done things.
He forced the rate regulation bill
through Congress, was more instrument
tai than any other man in making the
Panama canal fact, brought about the
reform in the packing industry, induced
Japan and Russia to make peace and is
pushing the inquiries into the great land
frauds in the West. He is doing and
rying to do continually. MIR. Debs on
me side and Colonel Harvey on the
'ther may undertake to suppress all
his, trusting to the ignorance or for
-etfulness of their readers; but neither
# them can wipe out the record. And
vhen Colonel Harvey undertakes to !
old up Mr.. Hartman as a model citi-
en- and Mr.. Debs refers to John Brown {
nd Wendell Phillips, who melted slave
'surrections and attempted to force +
iolence, rapine and unimaginable har-
ors on the country, as typical reform ,
rs along with Haywood, Pettibone and s
ioyer, they forfeit the respect and in {
lite the derision of the American peo-
lie and strengthen Mr.. Roosevelt's z
old. r