Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-05-05
TRIAL OF HAYWOOD ET AL
Test of Strength Between Min
erS and Mine Owners.
CONFESSION OF HARRY ORCHARD
Question Whether It is a Fabrication
of the Pinkertons or an Amaz-
ing Record of Crime.
TRIAL OF HAYWOOD ET AL
CONFESSION OF HARRY ORCHARD

When William D. Haywood secretary of
the Western Federation of Miners. comes
up for trial at Boise, Idaho, May o, for the
| murder of eX-Gov. Steunenberg, his trial
will involve a living sociological question,
1t is either the end or the climax of long
war In the Rocky mountain regions be-
tween the Mine Owners Association and
the Western Federation of Miners. Chas.
II. Meyer. president; William D. Haywood,
secretary, and George A. PettibOne, COM
mitteeman, forming the Inner Circle" of
the Western Federation of Miners, were
implicated in the murder of Idahos former
governor by the confession of Harry Or
chard year ago. He swore that he had
committed the Steunenberg murder, and
long list of murders in Colorado. at the in
stigaton of the Timer Circle On the
strength of this confession and other evil
dence the officials of the federation were in
dicted separately, and Haywood will be the
first to come to trial. The result of this
trial will have an important bearing on the
sociological questions now stirring the
whole American people.
In the meetings which union labor men
have held throughout the country in all
the large cities with the purpose Of raising
money for the defense of Meyer, Haywood
and Pettibone. the watchword has BEEN:
Shall our brothers be murdered?'
Is a Tangled Web.
If the federation officials are exonerated,
the crisis will pass. But If they are con-
victed, the cry of murder will rise higher
and louder. The miners will have an UNI
shakable conviction that the court was
biased. The case will undoubtedly go to
the Supreme Court of the United States,
and will make deep impression on the
tr,1c Of 1A AonlA he fo1A to-. of
ficials are convicted, and no writs of error
or other legal procedure intervene, and
they are hanged, it will be a bitter dose to
the labor unions. For the trial having be-
come national question, public opinion m
itself will force a perfectly fair trial for
the indicted men,
If the indicted men are convicted, 1t must
be on sure grounds. The evidence must be
convincing to the ordinary mind. In that
event the labor unions will learn to dis
criminate, and not stand for everything
done in the name of unionism merely be-
cause union question Is involved. In the
present instance the more conservative of
the union leaders are disposed to await the
outcome of the trials, yet they attend meet
ings where the American flag Is sometimes
torn down, where justice Is called a mock
cry, and the American laws are jeered.
On the other hand, If the men are freed,
the only alternative is TO believe with the
miners that the Mine Owners Association
hired Harry Orchard to make the confess
sion, and that he was the hired man of the
Mine Owners Association.
Part Played by Pinkertons.
In the constant trouble between the mine
owners and the federation there has been
INSCRIPTIONS action on both sides. The
Rocky mountains has always produced its
share of bad men, and they have had their
opportunity on both sides of the present
trouble.
Whether the Mine Owners Association
has made any effort to aid in the prosecu-
ton of the indicted men or not, 1t Is ac-
cused of 1t, and the miners are convinced
that 1t has. What lends color to their con-
viction is that it was a Pinkerton detective
who secured the confession from Harry