The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1907-04-26

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other verdict. Such action is fla.
grant in its improperly, and | JOIN
heartily in condemning it.
But it is a simple absurdity to
suppose that because any man is
on trial for given offense. he is,
therefore, to be freed from all
criticisms upon his general conduct
and manner of life.
In my letter, to which you OBJ.
ject, | referred to u certain prOmi
ncnt fnancier, Mr.. Hartman, on
the one hand, and to Messrs.
Meyer, Haywood and Debs on the
other, as being equally undesirable
citizens.
II is as foolish to assert that
this was designed to influence the
trial of Meyer and Haywood as to
assert that it was designed to in
fuence the suits that have been
brought against Mr. Hartman.
Il neither expressed nor indi.
Gated any opinion as to whether
Messrs Moysr and Haywood were
guilty of the murder of Governor
Steunenberg If they are guilty
they certainly ought to be pun
isheG. If they are not guilty they
certainly ought not to be punished.
But no possible outcome, either
of the trial or suits, can affect my
judgment as to the undesirajility
of the type of citizenship of those
whom | mentioned.
Messrs. Meyer, Haywood aud
Debs stand as representatives of
those men who have done as much
to discredit the labor movement MS
the worst speculative iinanciers or
most inscriptions employers of
labor and debaGchers of legisla-
lures have done to discredit honest
capitalist and fair dealing business
men.
They stand as the representa-.
tives of those men, who by their
public utterances and manifestOS,
by the utterances Of the papers they
control or inspire and by the words
and deeds of those associated with
or subordinated to them, 'habitually
appear, as guilty of Indictment to,
or apology for, bloodshed and
violence.
If this does not constitute I'M
desirable citizenship, then there
can never be any undesirable citi-
zenship. The men whom ! de.
nounce represent the men who have
abandoned that legitimate move
meDt for the uplifting of labor,
with which | have the most hearty
sympathy they have adopted prac.
tees which cut them off from those
who lead this legitimate move
ment.
In every way, | shall support
the law. abiding and upright rep.
resentatives of labor, and in no
way can | better 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 leboring men.
Let me repeat my deep regret
that any body of men should so
far forget their duty to their coun-
try as to endeavor, by the forma-
ton of societies and in other ways,
to Influence the course of justice in
this matter.
Il have received many such let
tiers as yours. Accompanying them
were newspaper clippings, aunoun-
cling demonstrations, parades and
mass meetings, designed to show
that the representatives of labor,
without regard to facts, demand
the ncquital of Messrs. Haywood
and Meyer.
Such meetings can, of course,
be designed only to coerce court or
jury in rendering a verdict, and
they therefore deserve all the con-
domination which you in your let
ter say should be awarded to those
who endeavor improperly to in
huence the course of justice.
You would, of course, be en-.
tirely within your rights if you
merely announced that you thought
Messrs. Meyer and Haywood were
desirable citizens though in such
case should take frank issue with |
you and say that, wholly without
regard to whether or not they are
guilty of the crime for which they
are now being tried, they represent
~ tlOrOuphly an undesirable tyne