Show Murder Is M Murder d r By By Theodore Roosevelt Contributing Editor of the Outlook S 1 1 New York Dec 15 Theodore 15 Roosevelt leas lias an edi editorial article in the tho current issue of the Outlook relating wg to the time lie McNamara case casc entitled Murder l Is Murder The fhe article says Jj Not only laboring men mull but hut business men capitalists have at times shown the worst form of class consciousness con con- that that of sinister sinister sinister sin sin- ister and brutal class selfishness selfishness selfishness-in in standing standing standing stand stand- ing by criminals simply because they were of their own class This has been done by capitalists capitalists capitalists cap cap- in the cause of capitalists who have been guilty of brazen corruption and by la laborers laborers la- la laborers borers in the case of labor leaders who have been guilty of murderous murder murder- ous ons violence The two offenses stand on a par from the standpoint of damage to the com com- In San Francisco in ono one municipal contest the capitalists who desired desired de de- desired sired to be bo free freo from all cheek on corruption and the tho labor loaders who desired to bo be freo free from all nIl oho cheek ok on lawless law less violence f hands bands and elected their ticket and this proved in the tho end to bo ho a n lasting lasting last lut- ing misfortune UIlO to San Ban Francisco to the cause of honest business and to the cause of honest labor Since the startling out ome of the McNamara Mc Mc- McNamara c- c Namara trial certain apologists of these men I have ha made male themselves r p I I t t-t t t C i 1 ty r J r- r 3 T. 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I 1 f. f t tf a I I r jN 1 Ij r. r t f- f r t i I i. i 1 p t j ft 1 t w J ti sti SH t r I h j- j 1 l' l COLONEL THEODORE ROOSEVELT conspicuous by asserting that these depraved criminals who have on their scarred souls the murder of so many ninny innocent persons persons all all of them laboring laboring labor labor- ing people by the way way are way arc are victims or at worst fanatics who should rec receive sympathy because they were acting in what they regarded as a war on behalf of their class The plea is monstrous in its folly and its wickedness It is precisely the kind of plea sometimes advanced on behalf of a crooked man of great wealth caught bribing a legislature legislature- t that hat he has hns to do It h to protect his business We Ve are arc not here dealing with any of the time kinds of offenses in incidental incidental incidental in- in to the sudden and sweeping changes brought about by modern in industrial industrial industrial in- in conditions into which capitalists capitalists capitalists capi capi- or labor men arc are sometimes drawn without any very great reat conscious conscious conscious con con- moral turpitude on their part We Te are arc dealing with crimes as old as the law-giving law from Sinai with cr crimes murder crimes murder and theft theft that that have hae been prohibited ever since the decalogue decalogue decalogue deca deca- logue was formulated The murders committed by hv men like the although nominally nominally nomi nomi- n nally ally in the interest of organized laberg la lab labor la- la b berg bor r differ not one whit in moral culpability from those committed by bythe bythe bythe the Black Hand or b by any band 0 of ot mere cutthroats and arc are fraught with fraught with an infinitely hen heavier ier men menace ce to sod sod- soci soci- e ety t Yet great though the tho menace isto is isto isto to the community the time menace to the cause of honest organized labor is is still greater and no Ito duty is more jm- jm m- m 1 pe laid on the leaders of labog la labor labor la- la bor bog than the duty dotty of affirmatively freeing themselves and their followers follow follow- I ors ers fl from m the taint of f responsibility for such criminals and such crimes The rho labor leaders who by their loud load championship of the time as 1 as a previously of Moyer and Haywood- Haywood have succeeded in identify identifying ng them with the cause of labor in the eyes o othe of the public have rendered an evil service service ice to that cause Mr r. Debs and the extremists of hi his type among the call so-call called so-called cd Socialists So So- I I say called so-called because Debs Deb and his followers of the Emma Goldman Goldman Gold Gold- man kind are not Socialists at all aU in any true sense of the word but mere mer inciters to murder and preachers o of applied anarchy and anarchy and the labor leaders lead lend leaders lenders ers affiliated with them have always alway boasted of the part the they played in the trial of Moyer and Haywood and inthis inthis in inthis this case they repeated their familiar tactics and held mass meetings am and scattered broadcast papers and addresses addresses ad nd- dresses in which t they her furiously denounced denounced dc de- de- de the time effort to bring bling wrongdoers wrongdoers wrongdoers wrong wrong- doers to justice to-justice jus ie and sought to arouse every ery evil class instinct against all al who uphold the law or sought to pu pua put puta a stop slop to and murderous violence It is worth n noting ting that since McNamara Me Mc- rc- rc Namara confessed his bis guilt Mr r. Moyer the head of or what purports to tobe tobe tobe be a labor organization is reported inthe inthe in t the e press commenting upon it it not no noby by denouncing McNamara r for haying having hav hay ing committed the the them m murder buby but bu by denouncing him for having confessed con con- it Such is sig sig- Murder is is murder and ana the foolish sentimentalists or sinister wrongdoers who W lO try to apologize for it as an incident incident incident in of labor warfare are not only morally c culpable hut but ire are enemies of the th American wage earn ers erSt In honorable contrast contrast con con- to these men stand the various labor con 1 leaders who have never asked for more than a fair trial for the Mc- Mc Mc-j Mc 1 whose pu pur zy peso poso his has only been t to J get justice and wh who i now sternly demand deman that murder shall bo boJ punished when comm committed com cora m in the tho nominal lf interest of labor precisely pre as under any other circumstances I with all my my 1 heart in the American workingman I beli believe 6 with all my heart in in- organized labor for 1 la-j la 1 bor hor must be organized in order to prot protect ct and ands ands' secure its rights and therefore with all aU my my M strength I urge my feu tellow tel fel low citizens the Amer J J ican lean men and women who earn carn their liveli-l liveli hood as wage wane workers workers to see that their leaders leaders' stand for honesty and and andl l obedience to th the law and t to set their facets faces like flint against any effort to identify the the- cause of organ organized z d la labor labor la- la abor a- a bor directly or indi 1 with wit f any movement move- move I ment which in any shape or way war benefits benefits' by the time comm commission of crimes crimes or lawless and mu murderous us violent violence viol ence |