Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1908-10-30
A DIRECT ATTACK ON
LABOR. SAYS COMpEPS
Styles Roosevelt's Activity "Worst
Exhibition of Demagogism,"

|
Exhibition of Demagogism,"
Washington, Oct. 26.-Replying to
President Roosevelt's letter to Senator
Knox, Samuel Gompers, president of
the American Federation of Labor, in
a statement says:
sit has been my pleasure to have Of
ten had the privilege of discussing with
President Roosevelt number of funda-
mental questions of right, justice and
moral and social uplife. Included i'll
these discussions were the inVasions of
personal rights and human liberty by
the courts in the injunction abuse 1t
is true that the president has not al
ways agreed with my contentious, but
he has never until the publication of
his latest utterance limited, much less
charged that anything which | advo-
Gated was lawless, unfeeling, despotic,
/ brutal, or wicked; and yet the rights
| for which the workers of our country
contend and which, as best | can, | de-
fend and advocate, have been as well
known to him during the past several
years as they are when he now so I'M
justifiedly undertakes to misrepresent
my work, my motives and my law
abiding citizenship. Surely, that opin
ion was not always entertained by the
president.
Mr.. Gompers says that last February
he sent Mr.. Roosevelt an issue of the
American Federationist in which was
published the chapter, ''Some Equivo-
cal Rights of Labor from George A.
Ayers book, "Moral Overstrain.'
"The chapter of the book, Mr.. Com
pers says, sis as keen criticism of the
courts of the country in their decisions
affecting the rights, interests, and lib
erty of the workers as anything | have
ever said or written"
The president in acknowledging re-
ceipt of the article sent Mr. Gompers
the following letter on January 9th,
1908:
"You may be amused to know that
L have sent copies of the Moral Over
strain to Justices Day and Mckenna
| am glad that you were able to use it
in the American Federationist," and
thank you for sending me the copy of
the magazine"
'The fact of the MATTER" Mr. Com
pers declares, sis that President Roose-
welt, having made injunction Judge
Taft the candidate of the republican
party for president, and seeing that the
'labor vote is now aroused, and deter
mined to deliver its own vote; that the
tOilers will not be cajoled, deceived or
broW-beaten, has become desperate and
angry, and in his anger, by the worst
exhibition of demagogism, tries to instil
into the employees and business men
the fear that their prosperity and bust
ness are in danger if a square deal,
implied by equality before the law and
human freedom, is accorded to the
workers with all other citizens 1t is
an exhibition of impotent rage and dis
appointment, and an awful descent
from the dignity of the high office of
the president of the United States. No
one but himself will be deceived as to
the purpose of Mr. Roosevelt.
SThe workers and liberty loving cit
liens are aroused as never before since
81. The battle cry for freedom is
again taken up. Then it was for the
union and the abolition of black slav-
cry; today it is for the union, equal
rights, and freedom for all"
Mr.. Gompers insists that the presi-
dent "makes a direct and specific at
tack upon labor in his letter TO Sena-
tor Knox.
"The pretense that the attack is up
on me is too thinly yelled to deceive
any one, he adds. "He strikes over
my shoulder at the hearts of the great
rank and file Of the workers and other
liberty-lOving citizens of our country.
So far as | am concerned, | have Meth
er the inclination nor the desire to bask
in the sunlight Of President Roosevelt's
benevolent assimilation by which he
plicates some by the Big Stick, brow
beats others, and by his sophistry hopes
to fool the masses into supporting in
junction Judge Taft.
'tIf the courts have not invaded hui
man liberty, if they have not under
taken to protect corporate interests to
the detriment of the people, why did
President Roosevelt characterize Judge
Grosscup's reversal of Judge Lands
$29, OOO, 900 fine upon the Standard Oil
trust as "a gross miscarriage of jus
tice ?'
Declaring that ''the veriest typro Of
layman in his widest dreams never
suggested the abolition of the injunc-
ton process" MIR. Gompers insists that
labor desires to have the injunction re-
stored TO the use ''from which it has
been ruthlessly diverted, from the pro-
lection of property rights to the inva-
sion of personal freedom" He quotes
from the Presidents messages to con-
gress and declares that they ''show An
utter confusion of the entire matter of
injunction in Mr.. Roosevelt's mind.n
He claims that the decisions of the
lower courts in Great Britain, which
were reversed by the higher courts
there, have been accepted as the basis
for the issuance of injunctions in the
United States. Mr.. Gompers also in
sists that the provisions of the Pearre
and Wilson bills, advocated by the fed
Grafton of labor, are not as broad or
comprehensive as the British trades
disputes act.
''The mere fact, continues Mr.. Com
pers, "that Mr.. Roosevelt denounces
proposition as wicked does not so con-
stitute it; time and circumstances and
party obligations have persuaded him
to modify his judgment and his utter
ances. Surely, it must bring JUNCTION
TO him to find his unwarranted attack
on me so thoroughly appreciated by
the New York Sun, which characte ICES
him for his pasteutterances in as severe
language as that with which he now
attacks me-"
Referring to dissenting opinions of