Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-04-25
LABOR LEADERS
ARE INDIGNANT
criticise President Roosevelt
for Recent Utterances
AGAINST ACCUSED MINERS
Case Of Meyer and Haywood and Petit
bone Discussed.
DECLARATION OF HOSTILITY
Prominent Representatives of Work
ingmen Express Views-Some of
Them Conservative.
AGAINST ACCUSED MINERS
DECLARATION OF HOSTILITY

common with those Throughout the
United States are deeply dgnant over
the latest utterance of President Roosevelt
IN the Alexander letter. reiterating his
former statement that Meyer Haywood
and Pettibone of the Western Federation
| or Labor are, with Hartman undesirable
citizens. Leaders of the laboring men here
expressed bitterness at the Presidents ac-
| ton when seen today by a Star reporter.
Any man that Roosevelt may now name
| for the presidency will be defeated" said
man high in the labor world, "or any
man that he may seemingly support Be-
Sides the $4,000 socialistic voters the mil
mons or organized wOrkngmen will be
against MIN or his candidate. They are not
| so dumb as not to be able to read between
the lines his hatred for trade unfonism and
without the labor vote no man can be elect
ed to the presidency
Mr.. Frank Morrison. secretary of the
American Federation when seen this a fter-
noon by Star reporter, said:
ne time may come when it will be
necessary for the American Federation Of
Labor to take action Until that time we
have nothing to say
Mr.. Samuel Gompers could not be found
put the statement of Mr.. Morrison is I'M
derstood to be about what he would have
something up his sleeve and there will coon
tiers is to the effect that the ''old man has
something up his sleeve and there will soon
be something doing" This was the way
all oiilcidl expressed 1t.
Mr.. Brinkmon's Views.
When Mr.. John Fl. Brnkman. president
of the Central Labor Union and an inter-
| national officer OF the Brotherhood of Car
riage and Wagon Makers, was found he
talked freely about the action Of the Pres
ident and unhesitatingly condemned it, He
said:
President Roosevelt in my opinion has
pjzat of Ioho
against him. and l do not believe that
there Is an honest labor man in the United
States AFFILIATED with any political organiza-
ton that could possibly mark his ballot
In favor of him. He has written himself
down as tyrant. He has in this case
trampled the Constitution under his feet
He is no more entitled to the support of
the law-abiding citizens of this country
imam man who has done his utmost to
upset its institutions l believe these views
WIN be shared by every labor leader in
the l nlted States. whether he is in affilia-
ton with the Western Fedora ton of Miners
or any other labor organization.
The labor organizations of the District
OF Columbia are no more interested in
Charles H. Meyer. George A. Pettibone or
Nlinam D. Haywood, as representa- iyes of
organized labor, than they are in any other
American citizen. be he multi-milionaire or
be he pauper The only interest we have
In the case is to see that every citizen no
matter what may be his condition shall
have fair and impartial trial by a Jury,
anu 'iidt 10 power Sfali De exercised that
Is In contraventiOn of the rights guaran-
teed to every citizen by the Constitution
of the United States
Alleges They Were Kidnaped.
When these men were kidnaped and oar
ried from one state to another. without duo
process of law, and in contravention of
their rights as American citizens no mat
Ter even though they were charged with the
most Migrant crime known to mankind if
was IN contravention of their rights and
against this we have lodged a protest We
40 not snare their political opinions. We
may not share their mode of conducting a
strike, but, nevertheless, they have rights
that must be respected. We condemn Pres-
dent Roosevelt for the utterances he has
mades respecting these people and we can
not view 1T other than an attempt from
the Chief Magistrate of this great republic
70 influence a jury before whom these men
Will be tried. If their friends and co
workers appeal to their fellows for funds
with which to give them an opportunity to
secure the best legal talent that can he So
cured. this is no crime; for them to believe
In advance that they innocent is no
CRIME, because under the law of our coun-
Try every man is considered innocent until
he is proven guilty"
William Upton Talbot editor of tho
Trades Cnionist. official organ of the Cen
trail Labor Union. Washington branch Of
the American Fedora ton of Labor who ia
noted for his moderation in labor matters
ana VINO opposes extremists, said this after
noon:
Conservative View.
----ti' III, I'll
Il see no reason why thoughtful uorl,pp
men and their friends should lose their
heads and indulge in questionable epithets
in reference to the Presidents statement.
l think myself that the methods and Ian
guage of socialistIc and other extremists
are not only often Objectionable on broad
general grounds. but harmful to the
labor cause as represented in the trades
union movement, in which connection it
should be borne in mind that American
trades unionism cannot be said as yet to
be allied with socialism. So far as such
an alliance has progressed, as in the case
of the Western Federation of Miners 1t
has been largely brought about through the
irregular. and. as many claim. the positive
ly anarchistic methods In furtherance of the
open shop idea which have been resorted
to in the west by the mine owners combt-
nation under the sinister auspices Of the
Standard OIL trust.
- Position of the Laboring Men,
"As understand the position of the great
majority of leaders and others In the ranks
of organized labor who have given the mat
ter serious thought they do not object to |
the Presidents condemnation of those
whom he may consider undesirable citi- |
zens. but to the implication that Meyer and |
Haywood are guilty as indicted, which they
think may be read between the lines of his |
structures on the subject of undesirable |
citizens
Many of those who wish to hold the |
President strictly to the rules of fair play
are not themselves free from the charge of |
unfairness. So far the matter of impro-
priety is concerned. regret to say they are |
sometimes more culpable than the Presi- |
dent himself. Such terms as the Wash |
ington jawsmith.' the soldering trick
ster' the glaring and brazen grand-stand
player" are bad enough when lost in the |
hot air of political campaign but when
embalmed in printers ink in the pages of |
socialistic papers, as they have been. they |
may be expected to make the judicious
trades unionist grieve. |
1.-THE President is only human. like any
other American citizen, and 1t is but nat
ural even II he were not an irascible indi-
vidual. that under the circumstances he
should contemplate such references to the
President of the United States as incar-
mated in his own person.
After Other Game.
s'Of course when the President wrote the
Sherman letter he was after other game
than Meyer and Haywood, He wanted to