Great Falls weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1894-1???, 1894-12-21
Judge Woods Finds the A. r. u,
President Guilty of Contempt
rs Charged.
ALSO THE OTHER OFFICIALS
GOmpers Calls 1t a Contemplate De
cisisn-Plain Standing In with
Corporations.

was tuo HuuluS LOO8y by
Federal Judge William Woods against
President Eugene V. Debs of the A. r.
U. The same finding was reached
against the other A. r. U. leaders on
trial with Debs. Judge Woods opinion
overruling the claims Of the defense that
the A. r. U. leader was invalid on the
ground that the court had not ]urisdic,
ton to determine a case in which an
Injunction was ordered and that. though
possessed of such jurisdiction, the court
lacked the organic power to make the
order in question, was very long and
cited many authorities. The court held
that the same protection given to COM
merce on the rivers can be extended
under the existing law to on
railroads. Referring to the contention
that the act of July 3, 1890, was directed
wholly at trusts and not against organi-
cations of labor in any form, Judge
Woods pointed out that the w%orkingmen
if they conspired with capitalists to
prevent the moving of Pullman cars,
would be guilty of conspiracy and il
would be absurd to say that they would
not be equally guilty if they did the
same without the aid of the capitalists.
Judge Woods held that the defendants
did deliberately violate the order of the
court by directing the strikers to intim-
idate men from taking their places.
Admonitlons against violations were sent
out by the defendants, but it was not
intended that they should be needed.
The disturbances at Blue Island were
the result of speeches by Debs and
Howard. Judge Woods concluded as
follows: 1.-The right of man to strike
peaceably, the right to advise a peaceful
strike, which the law does not presume
to be impossible, Is not questioned, but
if men enter into a conspiracy to do any
unlawful thing, and in order to accom-
plish their purpose advise workmen to
strike. Knowing that violence and
wrong will be the probable outcome
neither in law nor in morals can they es-
cape responsibility. The Pullman cars
in use upon the roads are instruments
of commerce. and it follows that from
the time of its announcement the boy
colt of the A. r. U. was committed to a
conspiracy in retarding interstate COM
MERGE in violation of the act of July 2,
1890, and that members OF that associa
ton and all others who joined in the
movement became criminally RESPONSE
BILE each for the acts Of others done in
furtherance Of the common purpose,
whether intended by them or not. The
officers became responsible for the acts
of the men and their officers. The act
ual conspiracy against the use OF Pull
man cars became a conspiracy against
transportation and travel by railroad.
Upon their own authority, without con
sulting local unions, defendants on
verted the boycott into a strike and
with the aid of followers, some of whom
stopped at no means between drawing
couplings and undermining a bridge
whereby men would be hurled to death,
they pushed the strike to the conditions
which prevailed when the intervention
Of the court was asked and which in the
end compelled the employment of mill
tary force to re-establish peace and start
again the activities of INNER Much
has been said, but without proof, of the
wrongs of workmen at Pullman, of the
alliance between the Pullman company
and the railroad managers to depress
| wages, and generally Of corporate op.
preston, but it is evident that these
things, whatever facts might have been
proved or imagined, could furnish neither
justification nor palliation for giving up
the city to this order and for p~aralyzing
the industries and commerce Of the
country. The decision of Judge
Caldwell has been referred to,
but while that recognized the right
of the employees to quit the
servic ee of the receivers, it contained no
warrant for i~ntimidating or abusing
those willing to take employment or for
otherwise interfering directly as defend
ants and their followers did, with the
management and operations Of the road.
The court, therefore, finds defendants
guilty of contempt as charged in each of
the cases. The same sentences will be
ordered in both cases, but it is not in
tended that they should be cumulative"
Debs was sentenced to six monthe in
the county Jail. The others we're given
three months each, except McVean, who
was released because there was nc evil
dence against him. Judge Woods, after
announcing the defendants guilty ae
charged, said it was not in accordance
with the procedure in such cases to per
nit defendants to say why sentence
should not be passed, but in this case
the court would allow it. The finding Of
court is that defendants are guilty ol
contempt, but any punishment inflicted
would not be cumulative. In othel