第58章
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  SpecialassistantsoftheAttorney-General,suchasMr。FrankKellogg,ofSt。Paul,andvariousfirst-classFederaldistrictattorneysindifferentpartsofthecountrysecurednotableresults:Mr。Stimsonandhisassistants,Messrs。Wise,Denison,andFrankfurter,inNewYork,forinstance,inconnectionwiththeprosecutionoftheSugarTrustandofthebankerMorse,andofagreatmetropolitannewspaperforopeningitscolumnstoobsceneandimmoraladvertisements;andinSt。LouisMessrs。DyerandNortoni,who,amongotherservices,securedtheconvictionandimprisonmentofSenatorBurton,ofKansas;andinChicagoMr。Sims,whoraisedhisofficetothehighestpitchofefficiency,securedtheconvictionofthebankerWalshandoftheBeefTrust,andfirstbrokethroughthearmoroftheStandardOilTrust。Itisnottoomuchtosaythatthesemen,andotherslikethem,workedacompleterevolutionintheenforcementoftheFederallaws,andmadetheirofficesorganizedlegalmachinesfitandreadytoconductsmashingfightsforthepeople’srightsandtoenforcethelawsinaggressivefashion。WhenItookthePresidency,itwasacommonandbittersayingthatabigman,arichman,couldnotbeputinjail。Weputmanybigandrichmeninjail;twoUnitedStatesSenators,forinstance,andamongotherstwogreatbankers,oneinNewYorkandoneinChicago。OneoftheUnitedStatesSenatorsdied,theotherservedhisterm。OneofthebankerswasreleasedfromprisonbyexecutiveorderafterIleftoffice。Theseweremerelyindividualcasesamongmanyotherslikethem。Moreover,wewerejustasrelentlessindealingwithcrimesofviolenceamongthedisorderlyandbrutalclassesasindealingwiththecrimesofcunningandfraudofwhichcertainwealthymenandbigpoliticianswereguilty。Mr。SimsinChicagowasparticularlyefficientinsendingtothepenitentiarynumbersoftheinfamousmenwhobattenonthe“whiteslave“traffic,afterJuly,1908,whenbyproclamationIannouncedtheadherenceofourGovernmenttotheinternationalagreementforthesuppressionofthetraffic。

  TheviewsIthenheldandnowholdwereexpressedinamemorandummadeinthecaseofaNegroconvictedoftherapeofayoungNegrogirl,practicallyachild。Apetitionforhispardonhadbeensentme。

  WHITEHOUSE,WASHINGTON,D。C。,August8,1904。

  TheapplicationforthecommutationofsentenceofJohnW。Burleyisdenied。Thismancommittedthemosthideouscrimeknowntoourlaws,andtwicebeforehehascommittedcrimesofasimilar,thoughlesshorrible,character。Inmyjudgmentthereisnojustificationwhateverforpayingheedtotheallegationsthatheisnotofsoundmind,allegationsmadeafterthetrialandconviction。Nobodywouldpretendthattherehaseverbeenanysuchdegreeofmentalunsoundnessshownaswouldmakepeopleevenconsidersendinghimtoanasylumifhehadnotcommittedthiscrime。Undersuchcircumstancesheshouldcertainlybeesteemedsaneenoughtosufferthepenaltyforhismonstrousdeed。Ihavescantsympathywiththepleaofinsanityadvancedtosaveamanfromtheconsequencesofcrime,whenunlessthatcrimehadbeencommitteditwouldhavebeenimpossibletopersuadeanyresponsibleauthoritytocommithimtoanasylumasinsane。Amongthemostdangerouscriminals,andespeciallyamongthosepronetocommitthisparticularkindofoffense,thereareplentyofatempersofiendishorsobrutalastobeincompatiblewithanyotherthanabrutishorderofintelligence;butthesemenareneverthelessresponsiblefortheiracts;andnothingmoretendstoencouragecrimeamongsuchmenthanthebeliefthatthroughthepleaofinsanityoranyothermethoditispossibleforthemtoescapepayingthejustpenaltyoftheircrimes。Thecrimeinquestionisonetotheexistenceofwhichwelargelyowetheexistenceofthatspiritoflawlessnesswhichtakesforminlynching。Itisacrimesorevoltingthatthecriminalisnotentitledtooneparticleofsympathyfromanyhumanbeing。Itisessentialthatthepunishmentforitshouldbenotonlyascertainbutasswiftaspossible。Thejuryinthiscasedidtheirdutybyrecommendingtheinflictionofthedeathpenalty。Itistoberegrettedthatwedonothavespecialprovisionformoresummarydealingwiththistypeofcase。Themorewedowhatinusliestosecurecertainandswiftjusticeindealingwiththesecases,themoreeffectivelydoweworkagainstthegrowthofthatlynchingspiritwhichissofullofevilomenforthispeople,becauseitseekstoavengeoneinfamouscrimebythecommissionofanotherofequalinfamy。

  Theapplicationisdeniedandthesentencewillbecarriedintoeffect。

  SignedTHEODOREROOSEVELT。

  OneofthemostcuriousincidentsoflawlessnesswithwhichIhadtodealaffectedanentireState。TheStateofNevadaintheyear1907

  wasgraduallydriftingintouttergovernmentalimpotenceanddownrightanarchy。Thepeoplewereatheartallright;buttheforcesofevilhadbeenpermittedtogettheupperhand,andforthetimebeingthedecentcitizenshadbecomehelplesstoassertthemselveseitherbycontrollingthegreedycorporationsontheonehandorrepressingthemurderousviolenceofcertainlawlesslabororganizationsontheotherhand。TheGovernoroftheStatewasaDemocratandaSouthernman,andintheabstractastrongbelieverinthedoctrineofState’sRights。

  ButhisexperiencefinallyconvincedhimthathecouldobtainorderonlythroughtheinterventionoftheNationalGovernment;andthenhewentovertoofarandwishedtohavetheNationalGovernmentdohispoliceworkforhim。IntheRockyMountainStatestherehadexistedforyearswhatwaspracticallyaconditionofalmostconstantwarbetweenthewealthymine-ownersandtheWesternFederationofMiners,atwhoseheadstoodMessrs。Haywood,Pettibone,andMoyer,whowereaboutthattimeindictedforthemurderoftheGovernorofIdaho。Muchthatwaslawless,muchthatwasindefensible,hadbeendonebybothsides。TheLegislatureofNevadawasinsympathywith,oratleastwasafraidofnotexpressingsympathyfor,Messrs。Moyer,Haywood,Pettibone,andtheirassociates。TheStatewaspracticallywithoutanypolice,andtheGovernorhadrecommendedtheestablishmentofaStateConstabulary,alongthelinesoftheTexasRangers;buttheLegislaturerejectedhisrequest。TheGovernorreportedtometheconditionsasfollows。During1907theGoldfieldminingdistrictbecamedividedintotwohostilecamps。HalfoftheWesternFederationofMinerswereconstantlyarmed,andarmsandammunitionwerepurchasedandkeptbytheunionasabody,whilethemine-ownersontheirsideretainedlargenumbersofwatchmenandguardswhowerealsoarmedandalwaysonduty。Inadditiontotheseopposingforcestherewas,astheGovernorreported,anunusuallylargenumberoftheviolentandcriminalelement,alwaysattractedtoanewandboomingminingcamp。Undersuchconditionsthecivilauthoritieswerepracticallypowerless,andtheGovernor,beinghelplesstoavertcivilwar,calledonmetokeeporder。IaccordinglythrewinabodyofregulartroopsunderGeneralFunston。Thesekeptordercompletely,andtheGovernorbecamesowellsatisfiedthathethoughthewouldliketohavethemtherepermanently!Thisseemedtomeunhealthy,andonDecember28,1907,InotifiedhimthatwhileIwoulddomyduty,thefirstneedwasthattheStateauthoritiesshoulddotheirs,andthatthefirststeptowardsthiswastheassemblingoftheLegislature。I

  concludedmytelegram:“IfwithinfivedaysfromreceiptofthistelegramyoushallhaveissuedthenecessarynoticetoconvenetheLegislatureofNevada,Ishallcontinuethetroopsduringaperiodofthreeweeks。Ifwhenthetermoffivedayshaselapsedthenoticehasnotbeenissued,thetroopswillbeimmediatelyreturnedtotheirformerstations。”Ihadalreadyinvestigatedthesituationthroughacommittee,composedoftheChiefoftheBureauofCorporations,Mr。H。

  K。Smith,theChiefoftheBureauofLabor,Mr。C。P。Neill,andtheComptrolleroftheTreasury,Mr。LawrenceMurray。ThesemenIcouldthoroughlytrust,andtheirreport,whichwasnotover-favorabletoeitherside,hadconvincedmethattheonlypermanentwaytogetgoodresultswastoinsistonthepeopleoftheStatethemselvesgrapplingwithandsolvingtheirowntroubles。TheGovernorsummonedtheLegislature,itmet,andtheconstabularybillwaspassed。ThetroopsremainedinNevadauntiltimehadbeengivenfortheStateauthoritiestoorganizetheirforcesothatviolencecouldatoncebechecked。

  Thentheywerewithdrawn。

  NorwasitonlyasregardstheirowninternalaffairsthatIsometimeshadtogetintoactivecommunicationwiththeStateauthorities。TherehasalwaysbeenastrongfeelinginCaliforniaagainsttheimmigrationofAsiaticlaborers,whetherthesearewage-workersormenwhooccupyandtillthesoil。Ibelievethistobefundamentallyasoundandproperattitude,anattitudewhichmustbeinsistedupon,andyetwhichcanbeinsisteduponinsuchamannerandwithsuchcourtesyandsuchsenseofmutualfairnessandreciprocalobligationandrespectasnottogiveanyjustcauseofoffensetoAsiaticpeoples。Inthepresentstateoftheworld’sprogressitishighlyinadvisablethatpeoplesinwhollydifferentstagesofcivilization,orofwhollydifferenttypesofcivilizationevenalthoughbothequallyhigh,shallbethrownintointimatecontact。Thisisespeciallyundesirablewhenthereisadifferenceofbothraceandstandardofliving。InCaliforniathequestionbecameacuteinconnectionwiththeadmissionoftheJapanese。IthenhadandnowhaveaheartyadmirationfortheJapanesepeople。Ibelieveinthem;Irespecttheirgreatqualities;I

  wishthatourAmericanpeoplehadmanyofthesequalities。JapaneseandAmericanstudents,travelers,scientificandliterarymen,merchantsengagedininternationaltrade,andthelikecanmeetontermsofentireequalityandshouldbegiventhefreestaccesseachtothecountryoftheother。ButtheJapanesethemselveswouldnottoleratetheintrusionintotheircountryofamassofAmericanswhowoulddisplaceJapaneseinthebusinessoftheland。Ithinktheyareentirelyrightinthisposition。IwouldbethefirsttoadmitthatJapanhastheabsoluterighttodeclareonwhattermsforeignersshallbeadmittedtoworkinhercountry,ortoownlandinhercountry,ortobecomecitizensofhercountry。Americahasandmustinsistuponthesameright。ThepeopleofCaliforniawererightininsistingthattheJapaneseshouldnotcomethitherinmass,thatthereshouldbenoinfluxoflaborers,ofagriculturalworkers,orsmalltradesmen——inshort,nomasssettlementorimmigration。

  Unfortunately,duringthelatterpartofmytermasPresidentcertainunwiseanddemagogicagitatorsinCalifornia,toshowtheirdisapprovaloftheJapanesecomingintotheState,adoptedtheveryfoolishprocedureoftryingtoprovidebylawthattheJapanesechildrenshouldnotbeallowedtoattendtheschoolswiththewhitechildren,andoffensiveandinjuriouslanguagewasusedinconnectionwiththeproposal。TheFederalAdministrationpromptlytookupthematterwiththeCaliforniaauthorities,andIgotintopersonaltouchwiththem。AtmyrequesttheMayorofSanFranciscoandotherleadersinthemovementcameontoseeme。IexplainedthatthedutyoftheNationalGovernmentwastwofold:inthefirstplace,tomeeteveryreasonablewishandeveryrealneedofthepeopleofCaliforniaoranyotherStateindealingwiththepeopleofaforeignpower;and,inthenextplace,itselfexclusivelyandfullytoexercisetherightofdealingwiththisforeignpower。

  Inasmuchasinthelastresort,includingthatlastofallresorts,war,thedealingofnecessityhadtobebetweentheforeignpowerandtheNationalGovernment,itwasimpossibletoadmitthatthedoctrineofStatesovereigntycouldbeinvokedinsuchamatter。AssoonaslegislativeorotheractioninanyStateaffectsaforeignnation,thentheaffairbecomesonefortheNation,andtheStateshoulddealwiththeforeignpowerpurelythroughtheNation。

  IexplainedthatIwasinentiresympathywiththepeopleofCaliforniaastothesubjectofimmigrationoftheJapaneseinmass;

  butthatofcourseIwishedtoaccomplishtheobjecttheyhadinviewinthewaythatwouldbemostcourteousandmostagreeabletothefeelingsoftheJapanese;thatallrelationsbetweenthetwopeoplesmustbethoseofreciprocaljustice,andthatitwasanintolerableoutrageonthepartofnewspapersandpublicmentouseoffensiveandinsultinglanguageaboutahigh-spirited,sensitive,andfriendlypeople;andthatsuchactionaswasproposedabouttheschoolscouldonlyhavebadeffects,andwouldinnoshapeorwayachievethepurposethattheCalifornianshadinmind。IalsoexplainedthatI

  woulduseeveryresourceoftheNationalGovernmenttoprotecttheJapaneseintheirtreatyrights,andwouldcountupontheStateauthoritiesbackingmeuptothelimitinsuchaction。Inshort,I

  insisteduponthetwopoints1thattheNationandnottheindividualStatesmustdealwithmattersofsuchinternationalsignificanceandmusttreatforeignnationswithentirecourtesyandrespect;and2thattheNationwouldatonce,andinefficientandsatisfactorymanner,takeactionthatwouldmeettheneedsofCalifornia。IbothassertedthepoweroftheNationandofferedafullremedyfortheneedsoftheState。Thisistheright,andtheonlyright,course。TheworstpossiblecourseinsuchacaseistofailtoinsistontherightoftheNation,tooffernoactionoftheNationtoremedywhatiswrong,andyettotrytocoaxtheStatenottodowhatitismistakenlyencouragedtobelieveithasthepowertodo,whennootheralternativeisoffered。

  Afteragooddealofdiscussion,wecametoanentirelysatisfactoryconclusion。Theobnoxiousschoollegislationwasabandoned,andI

  securedanarrangementwithJapanunderwhichtheJapanesethemselvespreventedanyimmigrationtoourcountryoftheirlaboringpeople,itbeingdistinctlyunderstoodthatiftherewassuchemigrationtheUnitedStateswouldatoncepassanexclusionlaw。ItwasofcourseinfinitelybetterthattheJapaneseshouldstoptheirownpeoplefromcomingratherthanthatweshouldhavetostopthem;butitwasnecessaryforustoholdthispowerinreserve。

  Unfortunately,afterIleftoffice,amostmistakenandill-advisedpolicywaspursuedtowardsJapan,combiningirritationandinefficiency,whichculminatedinatreatyunderwhichwesurrenderedthisimportantandnecessaryright。Itwasallegedinexcusethatthetreatyprovidedforitsownabrogation;butofcourseitisinfinitelybettertohaveatreatyunderwhichthepowertoexerciseanecessaryrightisexplicitlyretainedratherthanatreatysodrawnthatrecoursemustbehadtotheextremestepofabrogatingifiteverbecomesnecessarytoexercisetherightinquestion。

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