The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1923-05-03
WHAT TO DO WITH
BILL HAYWOOD

BILL HAYWOOD
| We sometimes think about Will
lam D. Haywood, and for a long
time we have been unable to reach
conclusions about what ought tC
happen to him or what he ought tc
to, or have to do, as we have been
about one certain William HOhen-
zollern.
If we were to pass sentence upon
the latter individual and his mill
tary clique, there is no court docket
! in the world that would be big
enough to record all the hard things
we would include in the sentence
And ever since it became reasonably
plain that Haywood's organization
| caused the bomb to be placed at the
gate of Frank Steunenberg to blow
him up, we have felt a measure of
the human impulses to pass harsh
judgment upon him. Ever since we
heard him addressing a meeting at
Idaho Falls some years ago and took
the measure of the man, perhaps
a prejudiced measure, we have had
fear of him because Of the per-
verseness of his nature and his
preachments.
During the world war Haywood
was convicted of obstructing the
draft and blocking the governments
operations in the struggle to break
the power of Germany, and was SEN
fenced to twenty years in federal
prison. He appealed his case and
after serving a while, was released
on a bond, pending the decision Of
the higher court. When the deci-
sion was rendered it required that
Haywood should surrender and serve
the rest of the sentence, but he slip
ped away to Russia and his bonds
men forfeited the twenty thousand
dollars. If he came back he would
be subject to arrest and imprison-
ment the same as if he had been
taken into custody at the time of
the court decision.
Soon after he went to Russia we
expressed the hope that he would
become so sick of conditions there
that he would rather be in prison
in America than to have his liberty
in Russia, the same as Jack John
son did after being a fugitive from
Justice for a few years in foreign
lands, and came home to surrender
and serve his sentence which must
be nearly finished now.
But men sometimes change their
minds when the1 reflect, and we
changed our mind about Haywood,
and tried to get broader vision of
things. When it was announced
that he was to be the manager of a
mammoth mining company opening
up new coal mines in the Ural
mountains reputed to be among the
best, richest and most extensive in
the world we wondered if it could
be that Haywood had. been caused
to spend all his life up to that time,
to prepare himself to organize those
to furnish coal to an en-
pire; to lay out model mines and
model mining towns and prove to
the world that he was good at heart
and working to produce something
useful and at the same time, have
proper conditions for the workers.
He had been finding fault with near
ly everything connected with the
mines of his own country and Can
ada and theorizing on how all the
mines in the world ought to be i'm
proved and operated; he had want
I'd a chance to govern conditions and
20 do great things for great ptrr-
poses, and in our reflections we
.oned down our wrath and prejudice
against him and awaited develop
nents.
He sent back to America for en-
sineers, got the men of his choice
% lay out his mines and towns and
'ailroads. He sent back to America
or managers and superintendent to
AIRY out his wishes and his orders,
md some of these friends who were
to go to his model places
ook their families, being promised
model schools and social conditions !
long with the rest.
But those people, after travelling
lalf way around the globe, have been
Irifting back with tales of woe.
hey mention cold, hunger, decep-, !
ion, bad faith, graft, delays, idle
ess, no schools, worthless money,
rec love and rotten social condi- !
ions. One of the latest arrivals
rom 'Haywood's model colony" has
ust had hearing in a convention a
f the American Federation of La
or presided over by Samuel Com /
ers, and he told his experiences and !
and the sufferings of
is family-a sad story not even v
prinkled with anything rejecting '
redit on Haywood.
He quoted Haywood as saying he :.
'ished he had some way of getting j
ack to America. !
1t is this last part, this wish in !
q fhof he 11o