The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1911-12-15
MURDER IS MURDER
ROOSEVELT STATES
IN HIS EDITORIAL
He Denounces "Apologists"
of McNamaras as Mere In
citers to Murder" in the
Strongest Terms.
CONTINUED from Page One.)

6c1ous moral turpitude on their part.
We are dealing with crimes as old
as the law giving from Sinai, with
crimes-murder and theft-that have
been prohibited ever since the deca-
logue was formulated. The murders
committed by men like the McNama-
ras, although nominally in the inter-
est OF organized labor, differ not one
whit in moral culpability from those
committed by the Black Hand. or by
any band Of mere cutthroats, and are
frought with an infinitely heavier
tmenace to society; yet great though
the menace is to the community, the
menace to the cause OF honest organ
lied labor is still greater, and no du-
ny Of affirmatively freeing them
selves and their followers from the
faint Of responsibility for such crimi-
lnals are such crimes. The labor lead
ers who by their loud championship
iof the McNamaras-as previously OF
kMoyer and Haywood-have succeed
ed in Identifying them with the cause
tof labor in the eyes of the public
khave rendered an evil service to that
tcause. Mr.. Debs and the extremists
k1f his type among the so-called poll
1ical Socialists say so-called be-
cause Debs and his followers of the
Emma Goldman kind are not Social
lists at all in any true sense of the
|word. but mere meters to murder
and preachers OF applied anarchy
land the labor leaders affiliated with
3hem, have always boosted of the part
Nhey played in the trial of Meyer and
Haywood: and in this case they re-
peated their familiar tactics, and
Aeld mass meetings, and scattered
broadcast papers and addresses in
which the furiously denounced the
ieffort to bring wrong-doers to just
Nee. and sought to arouse every evil
tclass instinct against all who upheld
stop to assassination and murderous
violence. 1t is worth nothing that
since McNamara confessed his guilt
Mr.. Meyer, the head OF what purports
to be . labor organization, is re-
ported In the press as commenting
mara for having committed the muir
der, but by denouncing him for hAv-
ing confessed 1t! Such denunciation
'ds significant.
Murder 10 Murder.
Murder Is Murder" and the fool
4sh sentimentalists or sinister wrong
doors who try to apologize for 1t as
an incident of labor warfare are
not only morally culpable but are
enemies Of the American people, and.
above all-are enemies Of American
wage-workers.. In honorable con-
trast to these men stand the various
labor leaders who have never asked
Nor more than fair trial for the Nc
HNamaras, whose purpose has only
lbeen to get Justice, and who sternly
demand that murder shall be punish +,
led when committed in the nominal
Interest of labor precisely as under
with all my heart in the American
workingman: believe with all my
heart in organized labor. for labor
must be organized in order to pro-
ttect and secure it's rights; and there
fore with all my strength I urge my
Mellow-citizens, the American men
and women who earn their livelihood
las wage-workers, to see that their
headers stand for honesty and obedi- !
ence to the law. and set their faces
alike flint against any effort to identi-
1y the cause OF organized labor, d.
Irectly or indirectly with any move
iment which in any shape or way
benefits by the commission Of crimes
of lawless and murderous violence"