The daily morning journal and courier., 1907-05-07
KISSED THE PRESIDENT
 AT SOCIALIST MEETING Offensive to People as Di- rected Against the Chief
 Executive. FERVID LABOR SPEECH Result of Denunciation of His Undesirable Citi-
 zen" Talk.
FERVID LABOR SPEECH

It is impossible to believe that the
 members of labor unions throughout
 the country will applaud the behavior
 of their brethern in New York It is
 estimated that as many as twenty
 thousand men and women were in the parade in that cty on Saturday,
 undertaken as a demonstration in fay-
 or of the men under indictment in
 Idaho for murder. To their credit be
 1t said, the parade was orderly enough. But after the crowd had entered the
 hall where the speeches were deliv-
 cred, the red flags appeared and the
 familiar socialist oratory broke loose.
 There would be comparatively little
 in this perhaps, to call for comment,
 were it not for the fact that the chief
 subject of denuncation was the Presi-
 dent of the United States An emi-
 nent 'philosophcal' Socialist, MT.
 Morris Helquist, accused MT. Roosevelt
 of violating his solemn oath" and
 called him an undesirable" citizen; and his hearers applauded him and hissed MT. Roosevelt. This was the significant feature of the occasion. It was not Mir. Roosevelt as MT. Roosevelt
 who was hissed; 1t was MT. Roosevelt as President of the United States. Ob- Vlousy the approval of such proceed lngs by organized labor as a whole
 would constitute grave menace to the peace and prosperity of the nation.
 To argue with men of MT. Helquist's opinions would be hopeless. Probably he could not explain what solemn
 oath'' it IS that the President has yio-
 lated; and if he could, his explanation
 would be unintelligible to the wayfar-
 ing man MT. Roosevelt is certainty
 under no oath, solemn or other, to the
 unions. He is not obliged to recognize
 their members as priveleged class. which Is apparently what some of them want. One of the speakers at the meet
 ing, the representative of the Central
 Federated union, seemed to be con- scious of this fact He did not endorse. at least directly, the Socialist talk Of
 the rest. He declared the workingmen are law-abidng and that Organized la Dor is not for treason" The statement Is gratifying as it stands; it would be more gratifying, however, if the labor leaders verified 1t more frequently by their acts There was plainly some confusion in Mir. Coakley's mind as to what constitutes obedience to law. Speaking of Mover and Haywood, he said:
 We believe that the Constitution grants to tEese men and to every oth- CT man a free and fair trial, and we are going to see that they get a fair trial, even if we have to go to Wash 1 lngton for It. There is no sentiment in | this matter. Organized labor believes | these men are innocent has gone into US pocket to prove them so, and would l go into it's pocket again, if necessary. All we ask is a fair trial"
 The argument is admirable in the abstract; concretely it is misleading, Light is thrown upon the professed eagerness of the friends of Mover and for fair trial by the threat enlng letters that the governor of Idaho to receive from them It is believed by his friends that he is mark ed for assassination, and his move ments are guarded with the utmost care. Public sentiment in Boise depre- ,ates such terrorism, it is said, and de- Sires to see the responsibility for a das- -ardly crime fully established. Yet fear 1t personal violence will deter men rom entering the jury box It is .un- necessary to add that no true advocate )f the workingman will endorse or with these methods of in- the verdict. Those union eaders who pursue a contrary course Ire injuring their own cause with the thoughtful people of the country All he perfervid oratory in the world can lot alter the fact
 Cannot the real friends of labor see hat they must dissociate themselves tt once from all connections with rimes of violence if they wish to re- ain the sympathy of the public? By hat sympathy or the lack of it they will stand or fall. The unions are no | oubt powerful organizations, but unor- public sentiment is the great St force of all. That is why the insult the President at the New York meet lg Will not harm him and will harm hem. It is not necessary to refer to he expressions of approval which MT. plain language has received rom "capitalistic, subsidized press"