truth;
and Roosevelt knew it. His sword had a double edge, and he habitually
used it with a sweep that cut both ways. As a result he was generally
hated or feared by the extremists on both sides. But the average citizen
heartily approved the impartiality of his strokes.

In the year 1905 the Governor of Idaho was killed by a bomb as he was
leaving his house. A former miner, who had been driven from the State
six years before by United States troops engaged in putting down
industrial disorder, was arrested and confessed the crime. In his
confession he implicated three officers of the Western Federation of
Miners, Moyer, Haywood, and Pettibone. These three men were brought from
Colorado into Idaho by a method that closely resembled kidnaping, though
it subsequently received the sanction of the United States Supreme
Court. While these prominent labor leaders were awaiting trial,
Colorado, Idaho, and Nevada seethed and burst into eruption. Parts of
the mining districts were transformed into two hostile armed camps.
Violence was common. At this time Roosevelt coupled the name of a giant
among American railroad financiers, with those of Moyer and Haywood,
and described them all as "undesirable citizens." The outbursts of
resentment from both sides were instantaneous and vicious. There was
little to choose between them. Finally the President took advantage of
a letter of criticism from a supporter of the accused labor leaders to
reply to both groups of critics. He referred to the fact that certain
representatives of the great capitalists had protested, because he had
included a prominent financier with Moyer and Haywood, while certain
representatives of labor had protested on precisely the opposite
grounds. Then Roosevelt went on to say:

"I am as profoundly indifferent to the condemnation in one case as in
the other. I challenge as a right the support of all good Americans,
whether wage-workers or capitalists, whatever their occupation or creed,
or in whatever portion of the country they live, when I condemn both the
types of bad citizenship which I have held up to reprobation.... You ask
for a 'square deal' for Messrs. Moyer and Haywood. So do I. When I
say 'square deal', I mean a square deal to every one; it is equally a
violation of the policy of the square deal for a capitalist to protest
against denunciation of a capitalist who is guilty of wrongdoing and for
a labor leader to protest against the denunciation of a labor