The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1907-05-06
Roosevelt Writes to Gen.
trail Federated Union.
HAYWOOD AND ASSOCIATES
Labor Leaders Should Be Given
Their Legal Rights.
President Declared If There Has Beea
Miscarriage of Justice, He
VIII Call Attention of
Attorney General.

today before the Central Federated
Union, President Roosevelt states that
If evidence is submitted to him snow-
ing that there has been a miscarriage
of justice for or against Meyer and
Haywood awaiting trial at Boise, Idaho,
charged with the murder of former
Governor Stuenenberg, he will bring
such evidence to the attention of the
attorney general for such action. TX
any. as il may be in the power of the
federal authorities to take.
The communication was the formal
reply of the President to the commits
tee of miners who recently called on
the President in Washington and re-
quested him to set forth in general his
attitude toward the accused men and
specifically why he had referred to
Meyer and Haywood as undesirable
citizens"
In making his report today. tina
chairman. John Henry. said that the
committee had spent more than an
hour with the President at which time
the matter In hand was thoroughly
discussed. The President signified hia
intention of formally replying in the
letter which the chairman then read
Following the reading there was an
animated discussion during which tho
chairman and William Coakley, a
member of the committee. stoutly de-
utive. 1t was finally voted to send q
copy of the letter to counsel for Meyer
and Haywood.
stands for Exnet Justice.
In his reply, the President quotes At
length from a letter written by him
more than year ago to the attorney
general, in which he says that "our
duty is df 1t should happen that we
had any power in the matter) to see
that exact justice Is done these men,"
The Presidents letter follows:
When you, in company with Messrs.
Coakley and Brown. called upon mo
this morning l. read you the letter I
had written to the attorney general on
March rs, 1906. AT your request, I
gladly send you the following extract
from the letter:
Our duty is or it should ever hap-
pen that we had any power In the
matter), to see that exact justice Is
done these men. There must be no
conformation of lawlessness on our part,
even IL the lawlessness takes the form
of an effort to aVenge the wrongs COM
mitted by the lawlessness of others
The sole question regards Haywood
and Meyer must be the question wheth-
er or not they can be shown TO be
guilty of this particular act and their
legal rights must be as carefully safe
guarded as those of any other men.
Would Like Information.
II Is diiOSeu tHdl tney were extra
dited from Colorado In manner that
amounted to a betrayal of their legal
rights. l should like to have the Dis
trict Attorney Of Colorado, and IL nec-
essary. the District Attorney of Idaho.
give me such Information as they can
on this point. l should like to get from
the District Attorney of idaho any in
formation that he can obtain as to whe-
Their or not there has been the slight
est disposition shown by the authorities
in Idaho to act toward these men in an
unfair or improper manner. or to deny
them their legal rights. On the other
hand. l should like to know whether
there is any symptom of a miscarriage
of justice In their faver. The intem-
perate violence, with which the social
istic or labor papers, like that of Debs,
l am sorry to say that ame labor or
CARNATIONS have insisted. without any
knowledge of the facts. upon treating
these men as martyrs to the cause of
labor. has unquestionably resulted in
tremendous pressure being brought tn
bear upon the authorities of Idaho to
discharge or acquit them. whether gull
ty or innocent.
should BE Given Their Rights.
so far as the unions are anxious,
only to see that exact Justice Is done
these men that-they are given their full
legal rights and not condemned unless
proved guilty OF this specific act, they
are entitled to the cordial co-opera-
tion of all Just and rair minded citi-
zens. So far as. by any action or by
murderous and reasonable language,
such as that quoted from Debs. (and
others). they tend to bring pressure to
bear upon the State author ities and the
courts to obstruct the course of tus-
tice and to render 1t difficult to con-
vict the men. If guilty, they are equal
" without stint to be condemned: and
anything that the Federal authorities
can do. In either event, 10 further the
cause of justice. Is to be done.
I'm response to your question. II Is.
trust, needless for me to say that II. at
any time. you or any one else can SUBJ
NIT to me any evidence showing that
there has been a miscarriage OF Justice
for or against Meyer or Haywood,
which you believe II is in my power to
remedy. L will at once bring such evil
dence to the attention of the Attorney
General to have him give It the fullest
consideration and to take thereupon
such action. II any. as It may be In the
power of the Federal officials to take.
Sincerely yours.
Theodore Roosevelt"
In the discussion which followed. a
motion to accept the committees report.
n delegate charged that the President
had evaded the issue i ais called forth
a response from Delegate Coakley. The
latter said that the committee consider
ed the interview satisfactory and that
at was not M to the President" to
prove that there had been miscar-
riage Of justice. but TO those defending
Meyer and Haywood
Afer the several delegates had been
heard. II was 1ecided to forward a copy
Of the letter 10 counsel for the indicted
Idaho labor leaders ana let them sub
nit to President Roosevelt any evidence
they might have that there had been
q miscarriage Of Justice in the extra
dition of Meyer, HAYWOOD and Petit
bone from Colorado to Idaho.