Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-07-21
FAILURE TO UNIONIzE
NO CAUSE FOR MURDER
Roosevelt Makes Position Clear in
Letter to Secretary OF ILL.,
nois Federation.
URGES JUSTICE TO NEGROES
Condemns Authorities in East St.
{ Louis for Having Failed to Take
= Notice Of Situation Which Ended
In Wholesale Slaughter of Blacks.

NEW YORK, July 2a-Failure of any
persons Ito unionize and strike" does
not, in the opinion Of Colonel Roose-
welt. warrant their Wholesale murder
He made this point clear in a letter
just sent to Victor A. Chandler, score
tary Of the Illinois State Federation Of
Labor.
Il hold with the utmost intensity
of conviction" wrote the Colonel. that
1t is absolutely impossible for US to
succeed along the lines Of an orderly
democracy, a democracy which shall
be industrial as well as political, un-
less We treat the repression of crime.
including crimes Of violence. and the
insistence of Justice obtained through
the enforcement of law. as prime ne
cessitics. i, OF course refuse, under
any conditions. to accept the fact that
certain persons decline to unionize and
strike as warranting their murder. or
as warranting any kind OF violence
against them"
In this statement Mr.. Roosevelt re-
ferred to statement alleged to have
been made by Michael Whalcn, presi-
dent of the Central Trades and Labor
Council OF East ST. Louis, that the
chief objection to the negroes is that
they would not unionize and would not
strike"
After having mentioned Samuel
Gompers's speech on the race riot Ques-
ton and their controversy at the din
ner given to the Russian commission,
Colonel Roosevelt continues:
But refuse to treat any Industrial
conditions as warranting rioting and
murder; and 1 condemn all persons.
whether representatives OF organized
labor or not. who attempt to palliate
or excuse such crimes or who fail to
condemn them in clear-cut and un-
equiHocal fashion. heartily believe
In organized labor. just as and even
more than l believe in organized cap
ital; l am very proud of being a mem
Der OF one labor organization; but /
VIII no more condone crime or violence
by a labor organization or by work
ingmen than / would condone crime
or wrongdoing by corporation or by
capitalists. A square deal for every
man is the safe motto for the United
States"
Colonel Roosevelt then condemned
the governing authorities in East St
Louis for having failed to take notice
OF the situation which existed. II was
their bounden duty, ne wrote, to remedy
the wrong, IL injustice had been done
TO the workingman by improper So
licitation Of negroes to come to the
city. or II improper housing and work
ing conditions were provided for them.
He emphasized the fact that he was
not one-sided in the matter and. that
IL the negroes wore at fault, they too
should be punished. but that their pun
ishment should come from properly.
constituted authorities. In this re-
spect he mentioned the case Of a negro
regiment in Texas which shielded some
OF Its members which shot I'D a town
The government" he wrote, pro
ceeded to the limit Of its power against
them all. and dismissed them from
the army. not because they were black
haA
against white men. but because they
had acted criminally.
We are at this moment" continued
the Colonel. lat war with most
formidable and ruthless enemy. we
have demanded that the negro sub
NIT to the draft and do his share in the
hshting. exactly as the white man
does Surely when such is the case.
We should give him the same protec-
ton by the law that we give the white
man. We fight for the same country,
we are loyal TO the same nag we are
all alike eager to pay with our bodies
In order TO serve the high ideals which
those who founded and preserved this
nation believed II our mission to up
hold throughout the world
We have recently entered into a
war. primarily. IL is true. to secure
our own national honor and vital in
terests. but also with the hope of
bringing little nearer to all the world
the day when everywhere the humble
and the mighty shall respect one
another's rights and dwell together in
the peace Of justice. Surely when we
go to war against tyranny, brutality
and oppression, our own hands must
be clean OF innocent blood. We hope
to advance throughout the world the
peace of righteousness and brother
hood; surely we can best do this when
we insist upon this peace of righteous
ness and brotherhood within our bor-
ders.
I'm securing such a peace the first
essential is to guarantee to every man
the most elementary Of rights. the
right to his own life. Murder is not
debatable."