The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-10-27
Warm Reply Is Made to Recent
 Letter of Roosevelt
CRY FOR FREEDOM"
Labor Leader Declares That the Pres- dent Strikes a Blow at Labor Which Will Be Answered
 at the Ballot Box.

Washington, October 26.-Replying to President Roosevelts letter to Senator Knox in reference to the application of the writ of injunction in labor disputes. Samuel Gompers, president of the Amer ican Federation of Labor in a statement issued today severely arraigns the Pres ident for what he terms a "change of position of at least of apparent friend ship to bitter, indefensible antagonism."
 "It has been my pleasure" MT. Com pers says, 'to have often had the privi- lege of discussing with President Roose- welt a number of the fundamental ques- tions of right, justice and moral and so- cial uplift. Included in these discussions were the invasions of personal rights and human liberty by the courts in the in junction abuse. It is true that the Pres ident has not always fully agreed with my contention, but he has never until the publication of his latest utterance. hinted, much less charged, that anything that we advocated was lawless, unfeeling, despotic, brutal or wicked, and yet the rights for which the workers of our coun- try contend and which as best I can 1 defend and advocate, have been as we'll known to him during the past several years as they are when he now so un- justihedly undertakes to misrepresent my work, my motives and my law-abiding citizenship Surely that opinion was not always entertained by the President"
  sent MT. Roosevelt an Issue of the Amer ican Federationst in which he published the chapter, Some Equivocal Rights of Labor" from George A. Alger's book. | Moral Overstrain."
 | Criticism of Courts.
 "rhe chapter of the book" MT. Com pers says, ''is as keen criticism of the courts of the country in their decisions affecting the rights, interests and liberty of the workers as anything I have ever | said or written.
 sThe President in acknowledging re- ceipt sent the following:
 ' The White House, Washington, Jan-
 uary 27 1908.
 | " My Dear MT. Gompers:-Y may be amused to know that l have sent copies of the Moral Overstrain' to Jus |, tices Day and McKenna, am glad that i you were able to use it in the American { Federationist and thank you for sending me the copy of the magazine. Sincerely yours, THEODORE ROOSEVELT
 " TO MT. Samuel Gompers President American Federation of Labor, Washing , ton, D. C.
 | .rpi, ! pers declares, that President Roosevelt having made Injunction Judge Taft the candidate of the republican party and seeing that the labor vote which so .often has been cerralled, diverted and per- <, yerted by the politicians, is now aroused i and determined to deliver its own vote that the tolers will not be cajoled, de- 1 ceived or browbeaten, has become de- | spaired and angry and in his anger, by the worst exhibition of demagogsm, tried ] to nstil into the employers and bus mess men the fear that their property and business are in danger if a square deal implied by equality before the law and human freedom, are accorded to the workers with all the other people. It is an exhibition of impotent rage and dis appointment and an awful descent from the dignity of the high office of the Pres ident No one but himself will be deceived as to the purpose of MT Roosevelt.
 Workers Aroused. "'rhe workers and liberty loving citi- zens are aroused as never before since '6l. The battle cry for freedom is again taken up. Then it was for the Union and the abolition of&blaok slavery; today it is for the Union equal rights and free dom for all''
 MT. Gompers insists that the President
 makes direct and specific attack upon 1 labor in his letter to Senator Knox 'vrhe pretense that the attack is upon 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 I have neither the in- clination nor the desire to bask in the sunlight of President Roosevelt's 'benevo- lent assimilation by which he placates some by the big stick browbeats others and by his sophistry hopes to fool the masses into supporting Injunction Judge Taft
 President Roosevelt says that Senator Knox has a peculiar right to discuss the principles involved In injunctions be- cause he as attorney general prosecuted civil suit for damages to an injured workman. That Senator Knox was the special counsel of the Pennsylvania road and of the United States Steel corpora tion would. indeed, qualify him to dis cuss the injunction abuse but certainly only from the viewpoint of the friends of corporation who profit by the abuse of the injunction writ as 1t brings advan- tage and profit to corporate greed and power.
 Pertinent Question. If the courts have not invaded h,I- man liberty, if they have not under foGa fp into the detrment of the people, why did President Roosevelt characterize Judge Grosscup's reversal of Judge Lands' s29, 900 GOO fine upon the Standard oil com pany as a gross miscarriage of justice? ? ? Declaring that "the veriest tyro of a ayman in his widest dreams never sug- legested the abolition of the injunction process, Mir. Gompers insists that labor. desires to have the injunction restored to the use from which it has been yuthlessly diverted, from the protertion