The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1908-10-22
Writes Letter to United
States Senator Knox on
the Subject.
HE cRITIcizEs BOTH w. ). BRYAN
AND SAMUEL eoMPERs, THE
LATTER OF THE AMERICAN
FEDERATION, AND DECLARES
DEMOCRATIC LABOR PLANK
DOES NOT MEAN ANYTHING.
BY Associates Press.

Washington. Oct. 21.-The follow
ing letter of President Roosevelt, ad-
dressed to United States Senator
Knox, in which the president attacks
both Bryan mad Gompersr was made
public today:
White House. October 81. 1908.
Ny Dear Senator Knox-In your admir-
action of Mr.. Bryan and certain gentle
men claiming to be the special represen-
tatives of organized labor foremost among
them Mr.. Gompers, to secure the support
Of laboring men for Mr.. Bryan on consid-
Grafton OF his agreement to perform Ger
tain acts nomnaliy IN The interest," Q. a or
either wholly Ineffective or else OF wide
spread injury. not eniy 70 oTganizsd .aD .soi
but to-all decent citizens throughout tais
country You have a peculiar right to
speak on labor questions, for II was you.
as attorney general, first actively invoked
ment on Behalf Of the rights Of labor
when for the first time in the history OF
the government, you speaking Tor the oe-
vate law suit which had gone against a
locomotive fireman who had lost his arm
in coupling cars. and by your ln Ht /,
construction of the safety appliance act
which made IL vital remedial statute
and therefore, has assured TO hundreds
pied employees, compensation which they
would not otherwise have obtained.
omen letter from Mr. Samuel Gompers.
president of the American Federation OF
Labor. appealing to workinsmen to vote
for Mr.. Bryan.
In that letter are certain definite state
ments which interest the wider Amer
can public quite as much as those TO
whom Mr. Gompers makes his appeal.
These statements warrant all you nave
said in your speech and they would war
publicly whether Mr.. Gompers states cor
rectly the attitude OF his party ana NM
self on a subject that Is OF vital concern
to every citizen. including every business
man as well as every farmer and every
laboring man who looks to the courts Tor
the protection of his rights.
Mr. Gompcrs in his letter asserts that
the judiciary of this country is destroying
Democratic government and SUBSTITUTING
therefor an irresponsible ana c0cruP p.
power and he further makes clear That
the means by which he believes this al
legged despotism has been set up In the
place of democracy is by the process OF
Injunction In the courts of equity.
Mr. Gompers, in his letter states tnat
his appeal to the Republican convention
al Chicago for remedy against the in
junction was denied, and he then goes on
10 state not only that the DemocrauC
party promised remedy put pronhseu
him the particular remedy that he al
ready asked of congress-
His words are:
the Democratic party. That party made
labor's contentious its own; IL pisdged
Its candidates LOT every onISc - 80
remedies which labor had already sdo-
mitted To congress.
The last sentence in this quotation IN
dieatt.s very definitely the specific RENE
dies to which Mr. Gompers understands
Mr. Rr-yan's party has pledged itself
His statement now makes pertectlS
clear an important plank in the Bryanlte
platform which has heretofore seemed
, puzzling to vast number OF earnest
minded thinking people who are sincerely
interested In the steady advance and the
legitimate aspirations of labor. and who
carefully read both platforms to know
precisely what hopes each hold out foI
| the Improvement of the conditions OF
Wage-earnerS.
The plank reads follows:
Questions Of judicial practice have
arisen especially in Connection win lhous-
trial eiisputes We deem that the parties
! TO all judicial proceedings should Dt
! treated with rigid impartiahty, and thai
| iniunctions should not be issued in any
cases in which injunctions would not is