The White Pine news. [volume] (Ely, Nev.) 1906-1910, 1907-05-06
President Replies 10 John ). Henry
Concerning Cases Against
Federation Officers.

New York. May 5-in Il letter
read today befor, the Central Fede-
rated union, President Roosevelt
states that IL evidence is submitted to
him showing that there has been
miscarriage of justice for or against
Meyer and Haywood, awaiting trial
at Boise, Idaho. charged with the
murder of former Governor Steunen-
berg. he will bring such evidence to
the attention of the attorney general
for such action as il may he in the
power of the fedora authorities to
take. The communication was the
formal reply of the president TO the
union committee which recently
called on the president and requested
him to set forth in general his atti-
tudc toward the accused men and
Meyer and Haywood as undesirable
citizens.
In making his report today the
chairman, John Henry. said the com
mittee had spent more than an hour
with the presiden, at which time the
matter in hand was thoroughly dis
cussed. The president signifled his
intention of formally replying in the
letter which the chairman then read
Following the reading there was an
animated discussion, during which
the chairman and Coakley. another
member of the committee, stoutly
championed the attitude of the chief
executive. It was finally voted to
send copy of the letter to counsel
for Meyer and Haywood.
In his reply the president quoted
from letter written by him more
than year ago to the attorney gen
eral in which he says that "Our duty
is Qf 1t 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 My Dear Henry: When you,
in company with Messrs. Coakley and
Brown, called on me this morning
read you the letter | had written to
the attorney general of March %,
1906. At your request l gladly send
you the following extract from that
letter:
Our duty Is (if 1t should ever
happen that we had any power in
the matter) to see that exact justice
is done these men There must be
no condonation of lawlessnesa on our
part. even II the lawlessnesg takes
the form of an effort to ayenge the
wrongs committed BY the lawlessnessf
of others The sole question as re-
CARDS Haywood and Mover must he
the question whethe9 or non they ctn
be shown to be guilty OF this particu-
lar act, and their legal rights must
be as carefully safeguarded as those
Of any other men It is alleged that
they were extradited from Colorado
in a manner that amounted TO be
lrayal Of their legal rights I should
Ike to have the district attorney OF
Colorado, and If necessary the dis
trict attorney of Idaho. give me such
information az they can on this point.
should like to get from the distritc
attorney of Idaho any information
that he can obtain as TO whether or
not there has been the slightest dis
position shown by the authorities in
Idaho to act toward these men in an
unfair or improper manner, or 10
deny them their legal rights. On the
ot her hand, | should like TO know
whether there is any symptom Of
miscarriage of justice in their favor
The Incorporate violence with which
the socialistic or labor papers like
that of Debs, and am sorry to say,
some labor organs. have insisted,
without any 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 upon the an-
thOrities of Idaho to discharge or
aequit them whether guilty or inno-
cent. So far rs the unions are any
ions only TO see that exact justice is
done these men that they are given
their full legal rights, and not con-
demned unless proved guilty of this