The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1907-04-27
roosevelt answers
HIS labor CRITICS
DEFINES "sQuARE DEAL" IN LET.
TER ON MoYER-HAYWoo
CONTROVERSIES.
REBUFF TO APPEAL
FOR MINERS CHIEFS

President Deplores Efforts to lnfIu.
domination of undesirable citi.
zens' is Repeated.
Washington. April 25.-A remark
able letter on the MoyerIlaywood
controversies in Idaho has been writ
ten by President Roosevelt to Honoro
.JaXon. a Chicago labor leader. The
letter is notable for its definition of
the presidents idea of the square
DEAL" of which policy be has been
called the sponsor The we'll known
views of the president regarding the
case are reiterated in the letter. and
abiding to the square DEAL Presi-
dent Roosevelt assert that it should
be enforced both in the case of the
capitalist and the labor leader.
The presidents letter was re-
buff to the appeal written him by Mr..
,Jaxon in behalf of the Western
miners leaders, who are accused of
the assassination of Governor Steun-
enberg of Idaho.
Mrs. Roosevelt's Letter.
The letter follows:
april %. 1907. Dear Sir:-l have
received your letter of the 10th inst,
in which you enclose the draft of the
formal letter which is to follow. ]
have been notified that several dele
cations bearing similar requests are
on the way hither. In the letter you,
on behalf of the Cook county Meyer
Haywood conference, protest against
certain language | used in a recent
letter which you assert to be designed
to influence the course of justice in
the case of the trial for murder Of
Messrs. Meyer and Haywood. en-
tirely agree with you that it is I'M
proper to cndeavor to influence tho
course of justice, whether by threats
, or in any similar manner. For this
reason I have regretted most deeply
the action of such organizations as
your own in undertaking to accOmp-
, lish this very result in the very case
of which you speak.
For instance, your letter is headed
Cook county Moycr-Haywood Petit.
bone conference with the headlines:
Death cannot. will not and shall not
claim our brothers. This shows that
you and your associates arc not de
handing fair trial. or working for a
fair trial, but are announcing In ad
!! vance that the verdict shall only be
one way, and that you will not toler
ate any other verdict. Such action is
fragrant in its improperly and joil
heartily in condemning it.
Still Open to Criticism.
But it is a simple absurdity tc
suppose that because any man is or
trial for a given offense he is there
fore to he freed from all criticisms
upon his general conduct and man
ner of life. In my letter to which you
object, ! referred to a certain promi
nent financier, Mr.. Hartman, on the
one hand, and to Messrs, Meyer, Hay
wood and Debs on the other, as be
ing equally undesirable citizens. 1t is
as foolish to assert that this was de
signed to influence the trial of Moycl
and Haywood. as to assert that it was
designed to influence the suits tina
have been brought against Mr.. Harri
man. | neither expressed nor indicat
ed any opinion as to whether Messrs
Meyer and Haywood were guilty o
the murder of Gov. Steunenberg. |
they are guilty, they certainly ough
to be punished If they are not gull
ty they ought not to be punished.
But no possible outcome. either o
the trial or the suits, can affect m.
Judgment as to the undesirability o
the type of citizenship of those whom
| mentioned. Messrs. Meyer, Hay
wood and Debs stand AS representa-
tives of those men who have done a
much to discredit the labor movcmen
as the worst speculative financier
or most INSCRIPTIONS employers O
labor and debauchers of legislature
have done to discredit honest capital
: lists and fair dealing business men.
Reason for Condemning Them.
"They stand as the representative
of these men who. by their publ
: ntterances and manifestoes, by the IL,
terances of the papers they control o
inspire, and by the words and deed
of those associated with or subordir
ated to them, habitually appear a
guilty of Indictment to or apology 70
bloodshed and violence.
'If this does not constitute undesir;
BILE citizenship. then there can neve
be any undesirable citizens. The me
whom | denounce represent the me
who have abandoned that legitimat
movement for the uplifting of labo
with which ] have the most heart
sympathy; they have adopted pra,
tees which cut them off from thos
: who lead this legitimate movemen
IL.