The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-04-24
Of His Criticism of Meyer, Hay
wood and PettibOne.
HE WRITES A LETTER
Repeats With Emphasis What
He Had Previously Said.
He Does Not Care What Anyone
Thinks About 1t.

W tOil, <1PIli At.-llt a iCllOl ~
Bernard Jackson, chairman of one of
| the labor organization committees in
\ Chicago, President Roosevelt answers
the general charge of labor that he has
unjustly condemned Meyer and Hey
| wood by CHASING them as undesirable
citizens in his recent letter on E. H.
! Hartman.
The president says he regrets any
body of men should so far forget their
! duty to their country as to, by forma-
| ton of societies or in other ways, en-
deavor to influence justice and coerce
| court or jury; that they, not he, are
| trying to influence justice, and he con-
demns what he calls their fragrant i'm
propriety in the matter. He says that
he indicated no opinion as to their guilt
of the Steunenberg murder, but that it
! s a simple absurdity to suppose that
because man is on trial he is free from
| criticism as to his manner of life, and
that he might well be accused of
| trying to influence the suits against
Hartman. some of whose friends had
I also criticised him.
Meyer and Haywood stand as repre-
sentatives Of those who habitually ap
pear guilty of incitement to or apol-
| ogy for bloodshed and violence, said the
president. and added that he was pro-
foundly Indifferent to the condemnation
of him for his criticisms of the unde-
Sirable types of citizens, regardless of
the power of either labor or capital.
The Presidents Letter.
lows:
April %. 1907
Dear Sir: I have received your letter |
of the 10Th inst, in which you enclose
the draft of the formal letter which is !
to follow. 1 have been notified that |
several delegations bearing similar re- |
quests are the way hither. In the |
letter you, on behalf of the Cook county |
Moyer-H Haywood conference protest |
against certain language 1 used in a re- |
cent 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.
Il entirely agree with you that it is |
improper to endeavor to influence the |
course of justice, whether by threats or
in any similar manner. For this reason |
have regretted most deeply the action /
of such organizations your own in
undertaking to accomplish this very re-
suit in the very case of which you
speak.
..For instance. your letter is headed
Cook County yer-Haywood-Petti
bone Conference with the headlines;
Death can not. will not and shall not
claim our brothers, This shows that
you and your associates are not demand
ing fair trial, working for fair
trial, but are announcing in advance
that the verdict shall only be one way,
and that YOU will not tolerate any other
verdict Such action is fragrant in it's
Improperly, and L join heartily in con-
demning it.
But 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 gen
eral conduct and manner of life. In my
letter, to which you object, referred to
a certain prominent financier, Mr.. Har-
rirnan. on the one hand, and to Messrs.
Meyer, Haywood and Debs on the other
as being equally undesirable citizens
They "HDiscredit Labor
1T 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 influence the suits
that have been brought against Mr.. s.
Hartman. 1 neither expressed nor in {
Messrs. Meyer and Haywood were !.
guilty of the murder of Governor |
Steunenberg. If they are guilty, they :
certainly ought to be punished. Ifthey
are not guilty, they certainly ought not
to be punished q
But no possible outcome either of :
the trial or the suits can affect my :
Judgment as to the undesira bility of the
-ype of citizenship of those whom
mentioned. Messrs. Meyer, Haywood r.
md Debs stand as representatives of '
hose men who have done as much to
liscredit the labor movement as the 7
worst speculative financiers or most Ii
employers of labor and :
iebauchers of legislature have done to
liscredit honest capitalists and fair
iealing business men,
.6They stand as the representatives of
hese men who by their public utter
,nces and manifestos; by the utterances
# the papers they control and inspire, j
md by the words and deeds of those
associated with or subordinated to
hem habitually appear, as guilty of
ncitement to or apology for bloodshed
md violence. d
IF this does not constitute undesir- f
Lble citizenship, then there can never t,
,e any undesirable citizens. The men t
whom I denounce represent the men
Who have abandoned that legitimate k
movement for the uplifting of la Dor, s.
With which I have the most hearty s
they have adopted practices le
which cut them off from those who ]
cad this legitimate movement. C
:. Trying to Coerce Courts.
In every way I shall support the
aw-abiding and upright representa- tives
f labor. and in no way can / better le
ossible line between them on the one II
and and on the other hand those b.
reachers of violence who are them n
elves the worst foes of the honest le
aboring men. S.
Let me repeat my deep regret that To-
nv body of men should so far forget h
heir duty to their country as to en- u
nd in other ways to influence the OF
curse of justice in this matter. T
ave received many such letters as a
ours Accompanying them were
ewspaper clippings announcing de-
parades ana mass meet
lgs designed to show that the repre- M
antatives of labor, without regard to bl
Iessrs. Haywood and Meyer. such to
leetings can, Of course, be designed W
My to coerce court or jury in rem L.
ering 4 verdict, and they therefore D