Bridgeton pioneer. (Bridgeton, N.J.) 1884-1919, 1893-05-18
ton. and much less could they be thus

ton, and much less could they be thu
assigned.
The Court admitted the papers, ant
noted an exception.
President R. Elmer Shoemaker re
called the visits of the workers com
mittee to him, and wanted him to take
a small book which they said Mr.. Ar
rington sent. Mr.. Shoemaker replied
that he had no use for the book, much
less for Mr.. Arlington. he invited
the men into his Office If they had any
personal grievance with the company,
but they did not present any.
Treasurer G. W. Shoemaker was
called, and Col Potter conducted the
examination. After answering some
general questions, Mr.. Shoemaker
said his works employed 348 mep.
Judge Westcott objected, and the
Court ruled that If the state showed
that the defendants coerced the ap.
prentices away, the law presumed that
the company was damaged.
Mr.. Shoemaker then named some oi
the apprentices indentnred to him,
who on the 18th of December last, left
without his consent.
His first acquaintance with Louis Ar.
rington was sometime last August,
when Mr.. Arlington and Geo. L.
Moore called with him at his office,
coming of their own accord.
Mr.. Mitchell for the defendants,
asked the Court to direct the jury e
acquit the defendants. First, because
the State had failed to show any con.
spiracy upon the part of the defend.
ants to induce or compel these appren-
tice's to leave the employ of Clement
W. Shoemaker.
Mr.. Mitchell called attention to an
act of 1888, which made legal combin-
ations of persons to leave their work
when they saw fit. He argued at
length upon this point, and claimed
that 1t covered entirely the action
against these defendents.
Col Potter responded most elo-
quently. He claimed that this law did
not apply to persons under contract to
work for a specified time. If the law
made 1t legal for man under contract
to leave his work, manufacturing in
terests were imperiled, and even such a
legislature as exists to-day would not
dare place this sort of law on the
statutes. The Col. claimed that If
this law affected this case, a man who
violated contract TO work for a spec,
iffed time, could not be proceeded
against, either criminally or legally.
Judge Wescott argued, the law of
1888 was simply to prevent from GRIM
nal procedure, but there was nothing
in the act to prevent civil action.
The Court consulted, and then paid
his compliments to the law in ques-
tion, satisfied that the law was of no
effect, but rather was ridiculous in its
import. He said further, that he
would rule for the purposes of this
case that there had been facts proven
by the State In this case, that show
the acts of these defendents, or some
of them, were of such a nature to
make them criminal.
Court then adjourned until to.mor-
raw morning.
FRIDAY MORNING.
After the formal opening of Court,
this morning, the defense In the now
celebrated conspiracy case was out
lined, the jury being addressed by Mr..
Mitchell Calmly, deliberately, and
with peculiar force he portrayed the
position of the defendants, whom he
characterized as highly respectable, up
right and estimable gentlemen,
honorea in the communities in which
they lived.
He defined the meaning of the word
conspirators, and then read the in
dictment, and claimed that an indict-
ment on charge was one thing, and
to prove 1t, another. He held that
the Courts sustained the legality of
labor organizations, therefore 1t
seemed to him that there was but one
question before the jury-that of the
defendants inducing or compelling
these apprentices to leave their work.
Mr.. Mitchell then explained the OBJ
jects of the organization and declared
he would show that a strike
could not be ordered by the defend
ants. Another claim of the defense
was the fact that the indentures
spoken of were simply an evasion of
the law, and that there would be let
ters shown which the company had
sent to other manufacturers, claiming
that these apprentices belonged to
them. He further explained the rela-
ton of Mr.. Arlington to the union,
and of his actions concerning this
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