The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-07-07
COLONEL ROOSEVELT
 CREATES DISTURBING
 SCENE IN MEETING
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 MT. Gompers, who rose from his seat and approached the former President. "Why don't you accuse after an in- vestigation?' the labor leader de- manded.
 with these words he returned to his seat. Colonel Roosevelt strode over to his chair and exclaimed:
 ''Mr. Gompers, why don't accuse aft erwards? I'll answer now when mur- der is toNb be answered."
 SCENE CREATED
 With that the colonel brought down on Mir Gompers' shoulder his open left hand, which he had raised above his head At this juncture many of the men on the platform leaped to their feet and there was a storm of misses, cheers and ''boos" from all parts of the house. When MT. Roosevelt could make himself heard above the din, he went on:
 q 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 finished Mr. Gompers, evidently
 
 der, but was pushed back into his seat by those who sat near him, while Mayor Mitchell, who presided, pounG- ed vigorously with his gavel in an ef- fort to restore order. Several minutes elapsed before it was possible to in- troduce Boris Bakhm etieff. the Rus sian ambassador. and continue the meeting. As the excitement subsided MT. Roosevelt and MT. Gompers found fhayy, ca1vaS cittinor side hy side
 WHAT GOMPERS SAID
 It was at the close of an address by Mr. Gompers that the colonel was recognized by Mayor Mitchell Mir Gompers had declared that many la- boring men are in much the same posi- tions as Russians under the old re- gime, and had read a telegram he had received tonight from the president o1 the Federation of Labor of Illinois This message purported to explain the origin of the East St. Louis riots. II asserted that instead of labor unions being responsible for them, they re- suited from employers enticing negroes from the south to the city "to break the back of labor.'
 There should be no apology for the infamous brutalities committed on the colored people of East St. Louis," de- clared Colonel Roosevelt. in beginning his vigorous denunciation or the riots.
 JUSTICE NO PHRASE
 "Justice is not a mere phrase. It has to be translated into action. How can we praise Russia for doing jus tice to all her people when we must apologize for doing murder to the helpless?
 "In the past we have listened, to the same excuse for those in authority in old Russia for the fearful progroms on the Jews. 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. I care not a snap of my finger for a telegram from the head of the labor unions of Illinois Let there be the fullest inves- tigation into these murders"
 It was at this point that the inter- ruption came from Mr. Gompers. MT Roosevelt already had departed lit- tie earlier in the evening from the text of his formal speech of welcome to the Russians to refer to the riots
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 Before I greet the envoys of the new republic" he had said. 'T wish to say word to you in regard to some thing that has recently occurred in- side our own boundaries
 Before we speak of justice to oth- CTS, it behooves us to do justice with in our own boundaries. l refer to the