Bisbee daily review., 1917-07-07
Big Army Nations Greatest Need. TT. R.

MT. Gompers, why don't 1 accuse af terwards? I'll answer now when mur- der is to be answeredi" With that the colonel brought down on MT. Gompers' shoulder his open left hand which he had raised above his head. At this juncture many of the men on the plat form leaped to their feet and there was storm of misses, cheers and "boos" from all parts of the house. When Mr. Roosevelt could make hip- self heard above the din, he went on:
 'I will go to any extreme to bring justice to the laboring man but when there is murder I will put him down."
 When the former president had fin ished. MT. Gompers, evidently deeply stirred, started to rise to make re- joinder but was pushed back into his seat by those who sat near him while Mayor Mitchell, who presided, pound ed vigorously with his gavel in an ef- fort to restore order. Several minutes elapsed before it was possible to intro duce Boris A. Bakhmetieff, the Rus sian ambassador and continue the meeting. As the excitement subsided, MT. Roosevelt and Mir. Gompers found themselves sitting side by side.
 Riots Are G=nounced.
 It was at the close Of an address by MT Gompers that the colonel was rec ognized by Mayor Mitchell. Mir. Com pers had declared that many laboting men are in much the same position as Russians under the old regime and read a telegram he said he had re- ceived tonight from the president of the federation of labor of Illinois. This message purported to explain the origin of the East St. Louis riots it asserted that instead of labor unions being responsible for them they re- suited from eployers enticing negroes from the south to the city ito break the back of labor"
 There should be apology for the in famous treatment of colored people of East St. Louis," declared MT. Roose- welt in beginning his vigorous denunci- ation of the riots. Justice is not
 
 into action. How can we praise Russia for doing justice to all people when we must apologize for doing murder to the helpless.
 "In the past we have listened to the same excuse from those in authority in old Russia for the fearful pogroms on the Jews. I will do anything for the laboring man except that which is wrong and that I won't do for him or for any one else. 1 care not snap of my finger for a telegram from the head of the labor unions of Hi nois. Let there be the fullest inyesti- gation into these murders"
 Gompers interrupts.
 It was at this point that interrup- ton came from Mir. Gompers. MT. Roosevelt had already departed a lit tie earlier in the evening from the formal text of his speech in welcoming the Russian mission to New York
 Before I greet the envoys of the new republic" he had said. "I wish to say word to you in regard to some thing that has recently occurred inside our own boundaries.
 Before we speak of justice to others it behooves us to do justice within our own boundaries. l refer to the race riot in East St. Louis, race riot for which, so far as we can see, there was no provocation and which resulted in such appalling brutality as to leave a stain on the American name.
 "It behoOves us to express our con demnation of facts that give the lie to our words within the limits of our own country and to say that it is i'm possible that there should be jusiifi- cation for mob violence. It is our duty 10 demand that the governmental au- thorities shall use with ruthless sever ity every power at their command to punish those guilty O: murder whether committed by whites against blacks or whether blacks against whites.
 "Only Gentle Touch"
 "It is our duty 10 insist. first of all. the restoration of order and the regin of law. Upon the foundation of law and order we must build the structure of justice