The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-04-24
HARTMAN, DEBS,
MOYER, HAYWOOD
President Reiferates His Asser-
ton That the Quartette Are
Undesirable Citizens.
REPLIES TO CRITICISM
LETTER TO HoNoRE JACKSON OF
CHICAGO.

Washington, April 25-In a letter ad-
dressed to Honore jackson of Chicago
chairman of the Cook county Mayor-Hay-
wood conference, made public today,
President Roosevelt replies to the criti-
cisms of his recent letter in which he
referred TO Meyer and Haywood, Off
Gals of the Western Federation of Min
ers. charged with implication in the MUIR
der of former Governor Steunenberg of
Idaho, as undesirable citizens The
president says he regrets that any body
of men should so far forget their duty
10 their country as to, by formation of
societies. or IN other ways, endeaVor to
influence justice and coerce court or jury;
that they. not he, are trying to influence
justice. and he condemns what he calls
their fragrant improperly in the matter.
He says that he indicated no opinion as
to their guilt of the Steunenberg muir
der but that il was a simple absurdity
to suppose that because a man is on
trial he IS free from criticism as to his
manner of life. He says he might as well
be accused of trying to influence the
suits against Hartman. some of whose
friends had also criticised him. He said
that Meyer and Haywood stand as rep
resentatives of those who habitually ap-
pear as guilty of Indictment to or apology
for bloodshed and violence. He added
that he was profoundly Indifferent to the
condemnation of him for his criticisms
of the undesirable types of citizens. re-
CARELESS of the power of either labor or
capital.
RooseveIt's Letter.
The presidents letter to jackson fol-
April q. 19O7.-Dear Sir: / have re-
ceived your letter of the 18th instant. in
which You enclose the draft of formal
letter which is to follow | have been
notified that several delegations bearing
similar requests are on the way hfther
In the letter you. on behalf of the Cook
County Moyer-Haywood conference, pro
test against certain language used in a
recent letter, which you assert to be de-
signed to influence the course of justice
in the case of the trial for "murder of
MeSsrs. Meyer and Haywood. ] entirely
agree with you that it is improper to en-
deavOr to influence the course of justice
whether by threats or in any similar
manner. For this reason / have regret ed
most deeply the action of such organiza-
lions as your own in undertaking to ac-
complish this very result in the very case
letter is headed, Cook County Meyer
REPRESENTATIONS conference with the
headlines: Death cannot. will not and
shall not claim our brothers This shows
demanding a fair trial or working for a
fair trial, hut are announcing IN advance
that the verdict shall only be one way,
and that yopb VII WILL not t9Lerate any Other
propriety. and I join heartily in con-
demning il.
Feels Free to Criticize.
''Rut it is a simple absurdity to sup
pose that because any man is on trial
for a given offense he is therefore to
be freed from all criticisms upon his gem
eral conduct and manner of life. In nv
letter to which you object / referred to
a certain prominent financier Mr.. Harri-
man. on the one hand and to MeSSrS
Meyer, Haywood and Debs. on the other
as being equally undesirable citizens. 1t
is as foolish to assert that this was de-
signed to influence the trial of Meyer
and Haywood as to assert that it was
been brought against Mr.. Hartman.
neither expressed nor indicated any opin-
ion as 10 whether Messrs. Meyer and
Haywood were guilty of the murder of
they certainly ought to be punished If
they are not guilty they certainly ought
not to be punished.
Undesirable Citizens.
But no possible outcome either of the
trial or the suits can affect my judg-
ment as to the undesirability of the types
of citizenship of those whom ! mentioned
Messrs. Meyer Haywood and Debs stand
as representatives of those men who have
done as much to discredit the labor move
ment as the worst speculative financiers
or most INSCRIPTIONS employers of labor
and debauchers of legislatures have done
to discredit honest capitalists and fair
dealing business men.
They stand as the representatives of
these men who by their public utterances
and manifestos; by the utterances of the
papers they control and inspire and by
the words and deeds of those associated
with or subordinated to them. habitually
appear as guilty of Indictment to OF apol-
ogy for bioodshed and violence.
Denounees the Prisoners.
IF this does not constitute undesirable
citizenship. then there can never be any.
undesirable citizens The men whom /
denOuncs represent the men who have
abandoned that legitimate movement for
the uplifting of labor, which which
have the most hearty sympathy; they
off from those who lead this legitimate
movement. In every way / shall support
the iaw-abiding and upright representa-
tiVes of labor. and in no way can l bet
ter support them than by drawing the
sharpest possible line between them on
the one hand and on the other hand those
preachers of violence who are themselves
the worst foes of the honest laboring
men.
Let me repeat nv deep regret that
any body of men should so far forget
their duty to their country as to en-
deavOr by the formation of societies
and in other wavs to influence the course
of justice in this matter. l have received
ing them were newspaper clippings an
nouncing demonstrations. parades and
mass meetings designed to show that the
representatives of labor. without regard
to the facts. demand the acquittal of
Messrs. Haywood and Meyer. Such meet
ings can of course be designed only to
coerce court or jury inlrenderfng YER
dict and they therefore deserve all the
say should be awarded to those who
endeavor improperly to influence the
course of justice.
Continued on paoe 2