The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1908-10-22
PRESIDENT TAKES
UP LABOR ISSUE
Makes Public Letter to Senator
P. G. Knox Dealing With
lnjunctions.
QUESTIONS SINCERITY
OF BRYAN'S STAND
Demands of Democratic Leader
Explanation Concerning
Several Points.

WASHINGTON, Oct. 2I-Campaign
literature was enriched today by let
ter from President Roosevelt addressed
to United States Senator Philander c.
Knox Of Pennsylvania, in which Mr.
Roosevelt pays his respects to Samuel
Gompers, president of the American
Federation of Labor. Speaking at
Philadelphia on Tuesday, Senator Knox
took Issue with Mr.. Gompers on the
question of the attitude Of organized
labor in the present campaign, and the
presidents letter of today is in sup
port Of Mr., Knox s views. Mr. Roose-
welt says:
Text Of President S Letter.
Ny Dear Senator KnoX;-In your ad
mirable speech OF yesterday you speak
OF the action of Mr.. Bryan and certain
| gentlemen claiming TO be the special rep
| resentativvs Of organized labor. foremost
! among them Mr. Gornpers. TO secure the
support of laborng men for Mr.. Bryan
! on consideration OF his agreement 10 per-
| form certain acts nomlnally in the inter
! est OF organized labor which would he
really either wholly ineffective else OF
widespread injury. not only TO organized
labor. but TO all decent citizens through
| out the country. You have peculiar
| right 10 speak on the labor question: fog
! ii was you who. as attorney general, first
| actively Invoked the great power OF the
| federal government on behalf OF the rights
| OF labor when, for the iirsi time In tho
| history OF the government, you. speaking
for the department OF Justice. INTERVIEWED
| In private lawsuit which had gone
| against q locomotive fireman VINO had
| lost an arm In coupling cars. and by
! your intervention secured from the su-
preme court construction OF the safety
! appliance act, which made It a vital re-
| therefore
| to hundreds OF crippled employees and
widows OF crippled employees compensa-
| ton which they would not have other
wise obtained.
Discusses Gompers Plea.
| The daily papers of October l5 con-
| tain an open letter from Samuel Com
pers, president OF the American Fedora
| tion of Labor, appealing TO workingpen
| to vote for MIR. Bryan.
In that letter are certain definite state
ments which interest the American pub
| lie quite as much as those 10 whom Mr..
Gompers makes his appeal. These state
ments warrant all you have said In your
| speech, and they would warrant You i'll
asking Mr.. Bryan 10 say publicly w1th-
| er Mr.. GompeTs states correctly the atti-
| tude OF his party and himself on u slo-
| JeCt that Is OF vital concern 10 every
| citizen, including every business nan, az
well as every farmer and every laoorer
| WHO looks to the courts for the protec-
| ton of MS rights.
Mr. Gompers, In his letter. asserts that
| the judiciary of this country Is destroy
ing democratic government and substi-
| tuting therefor an irresponsible and cor
| rupt despotism in the interest OF corpor-
ate power. and he further makes clear
that the means by whirh he believes
| this alleged despotiSm mas been set up
| in the place of democracy is by the Pre-
cess of Injunction In the courts of equity.
Mr.. Gompers. in his letter. states that
his appeal 10 the Republican convention
at Chicago for remedy against the In
| junction was denied, and then he goes on
TO state not only that the Democratlc
party promised a rcmedy, but promised
him the particular remedy that he had
already asked OF congress. Ills woTGs
are. 'Lahors represen i1tiNes then Went
made labor contentious is OWL IL
pledged its candidates Cor every Office 10
those remedies whicn labor had already
submitted to congress.
dIcates very definitely the specific rerle-
dies To which Mr.. Gomps:s understands
Mr.. Bryan's arty has pledged itself
Attitude OF Bryan.
His statement now makes perfectly
clear an Important plank in the Bryanl1s
platform. which has heretofore seemed
puzzling TO vast number oi earnest
minded, thinking people, who are SIN
cerely Interested in the steady advance
who carefully read both platforms TO
know precisely what hopes each hold out
for the improvement of the conditions
OF wage earners.
The plauk reads as follows;
Questions, Of Judicial practice have
arisen especially in connection WIN IN
parties to all Judicial proceedings should
he treated with rigid iInpartlality and that
injunctons should not be Issued In any
cases In which injunctions would not issue
II no industrial dispute were involved.
This Is the plank that promises the
sHSd sans st Mn pI'RGJ9n TafR paTt2 f
actual fact II means absolutely nothing;
no change OF the law could be based on
IL: no man without inside knowledge could
(oretell its meaning would turn out 10 be
FOR no man could foretcll how any Judge
would decide i'll any given case, as the
plank apparently leat cs each judge free
to say when he Issues nm injunction In Il
labor case whether or not il Is case In
which an Injunction would issue II labor
parentiy perfectly clear To Mr., Gompers.
and In his letter 10 his followers he lndl-
Gates beyond question Just what he unaer-
has the requisite inside knowledge HIS
statement that Mr.. Bryan's party Cor "
form) pledged itself TO those remedies
which labor had already submitted 10
congress" Is perfectly clear ana definite
statement
Analysis of Remedy.
The remedy which Mr.. Gompers has
already submitted To congress are mat
ters of record and the identincaticn OF
his remedy" against in}unctions ., IN I4p9r T29
..rcmedy'' is embodied n mousse bill No.
II. OF the nrst session of the si%tleth con
e,ress tho complete text OF which Is hereto
- 99nDnn;dod TEe g!st of the BILL as can be
SEN 10y referring to the complete text, is
ths:
10 issue n restraining order for an lnjunc-
ton In any labor dispute except TO pre-
vent lrreparabe injury 10 property or
property rights, IL specifically provides
that mo right 10 carry ON busl-
ness of any particular kind or At any par
ticular place. or at all shall be construed.
Continued ON Page Seven.