The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1913-01-08
THE HAYWOOD TREASON.

! Nothing could be moro candid than
| the frank admissions made by William
| ID. Haywood National organizer of the
| Industrial Workers Of the World, in his
| speech delivered in Salt Lake City on
Monday evening. He admitted that his
organization is antagonistic to the law
! md is engaged in war against the set
tied order, precisely such war as this
Nation would conduct if il were at war
with another nation. Mr.. Haywood
stated his case freely; tho gist of the
whole matter being as follows:
When the bridge and steel workers
asked for wages In line with their haa-
ardous occupation the directors of the
Industry knew they must get rid OF that
organization Tho men We're crowded to
didn't fight in civilized fashion. They
fought like this nation fights other ma
tions What nations do. ORGANIZATIONS
90. When the Government was aroused
by tlre tobacco trust and the sugar trust
the soldiers went down 10 Cuba and blew
towns Off the map. These men were
Perhaps they did-and II they did. why?
They were lighting for. their wives and
children and organized labor
Divested Of the specious pleas which
Mr.. Haywood makes az attempted iusti'
ficatiop for the war which he advocates
and defends, his statement is that the
bridge and steel workers made war
upon society and upon this Government
They "fought back,' and they did not
fight in civilized fashion; they fought
as nation against nation. But Mr.. Hay
wood seems to lose sight of tho fact
that in doing this they committed trea-
son against this Republic. His organi'
zation, therefore, as explained by him.
self, is reasonable organization, and
its activities did not lack anything Of
the full definition Of treason in the Con-
stitution. They levied war against the
United States and against the several
States.
That is the plain fact Of the case. as
stated by Mr.. Haywood himself. But
the Constitution Of the United States
says that this is treason. Mr.. Haywood,
therefore, pleads guilty for himself and
his organization Of treason against the
United States and against the several
States.
It IS difficult, therefore, to see what
Justice there is in his complaint about
the courts, and about the enforcement
OF the law against those who did the
reasonable work which be admits was
done. Mr.. Haywood does not admit
that he himself did any of these trea.
sonable acts, but his talk is treason,
and for precisely such talk as he is
making now, a good many men during
the War of the Rebellion were shut up
in, various Federal prisons on the theory
that although they had not fully com.
mitted treason, their utterances melted
to treason and urged others to fully
commit the acts which are defined in
the Constitution as treason against the
United States.
So far from finding fauit with the
procedure Of the courts and the appli-
cation Of the law to the case Of these
persons who are convicted, and who Mr..
Haywood expressly admits committed
treason, he should thank his fortune
that the law is not directed against
himself and that he is allowed TO be at
large. in place of being immured in
prison, as many Of his kind were i'm
INJURED during the War Of the Rebellion
for thoir reasonable and seditious
speeches.