The sun., 1903-07-29
APPEAL IN LABOR GRAFT CASE.
COMMENTS FROM JEROME ON
THE HORIZON OF GRAFT.
He Says That In tho Labor Unions 1t 10
Merely n Reflection or What We Find
I'm Public IaSc--Lab0r Men DisavOw
It--sHrs. Murphy Has More to Tell.

It--Mrs. Murphy Has More to Tell.
That the revelations Of labor graft grow
ing out Of the trial OF Lawrence Murphy,
former treasurer Of the Journeymen Stone
cutters Union. have stirred working men
was demonstrated yesterday. when MIN
Der of laboring men. led by man named
Nelson. called on District Attorney Jerome
! TO protest that, however corrupt certain
influential members of labor organizations
| may be. the rank and flle Of the workers
| were honest men, and should not be con-
| fused by the authorities and the news
papers with the "grafters,' who, they
admitted are at the present time In control
| OF some of the organizations and using
them for the purpose Of extorting money
| from employers OF labor.
There is to be an appeal in Murphy 8
case. Only a very small part Of the story
that Murphy and his wife have told their
lawyer. John F. Mcintyre. got into evidence
at Murphy's trial. Mrs. Murphy was not
allowed 70 tell all she knew, Judge New
burger holding that in trial for larceny
such testimony, while very interesting,
was hardly relevant. Mrs. Murphy called
on Mr.. Mcintyre yesterday and declared
that she was ready to give all the informa-
| ton in her possession to the authQritles
| if they wanted il.
IL would like TO tell the truth about those
! men who went on the stand and convicted
my husband" she said. Those we're the
very men that got that money. They bed
my husband for every cent he had. taking
| it little by little, and the fact is that OF the
large amount of money he was accused
of misappropriating, only a few dollars
were ever used by him. saw men go on
the stand and swear he had never given
them cent when saw those men come
! to him day after day and get money. They
gave him no peace, and he. thinking they
would stand 10y him, met all their demands.
! One man in particular went on the stand
and swore he had never had cent from
my husband. | saw Lawrence give that
man $500
There is nothing left for me now but to
even up this account somehow. They
| have taken nv husband away from me
and our five little children and sent him to
| jeil for their own crimes. / will gladly
tell the District Attorney the names OF
the men who got this money, and will give
| the dates ard circumstances of the pay
ments was in my husbands confidence,
and know the facts,
District Attorney jerome is much in
| terested in the revelations in Murphy
trial, but District Attorney Clarke OF Kings
has declined to say whether he means TO
| take any action or not. Mr.. jerome mas
not finished his examination OF the minute
| book of the stonecutters' secret committee,
and would not discuss this matter
Yesterday After the visit of the laboriag
| mel to his office Mr.. Jerome said that he
| felt that in Justice to the honest labor union
men he ought to say something to indicate
| that he has no notion in his head that all
labor union men are grafters.
Nelson and these other man, said Mr.
Jerome, said they thought | ought 10 say
something on this subject, and perhaps
they are right because revelations Of cor
ruptinn have followed 80 close upon one
1 anohe during the past few weeks that
the public is probably beginning to get
the IDEA that all men who belong to labor
unions are grafters, which, OF course, they
are not
Now. in the matter OF this Murphy trial.
! I have not talked with District Attorney
| Clarke Of Kings yet, but l have had talks
with Mr.. Mott who prosecuted Murphy,
/ and have examined the minutes of the
union, and all the matters brought out at
thar trial are under consideration.
| "ln prosecuting men for extort ion, 1t
is far more difficult than is generally known
to get clear legal cases against them. In
the Cummings case, in which the opinion
waa written by Justice Parker, the demand
of union for waiting time and for fines
was declared to be perfectly legal, The
,l,xl HnfE
the Cummings decision, made this act OF
extortion a criminal conspiracy But as
the matter now stands, union men have n
right to refuse to work with non-union
men, and have right to demand waiting
time and fines from employers.
Under the circumstance there Is no use
going ahead prosecuting men for doing
what the Court of Appeals has decided is
perfectly legal. In the Barondess and
Parks cases the circumstances are different.
There the charge is that the men as indi-
viduals made the demands for money, and
on receiving it applied it to their own use.
Anv number of cases are presented to me
by men who have suffered from the labor
unions, which the complanants say are
similar to the Barondess case, but when
! come to investigate them find there is
no resemblance.
IF the law was different mans freedom
of contract would be impaired. Men
are their rights by economic force. In
time the labor unions in this country will
get by the corrupt stage they have now
reached. Unions are a comparatively new
thing in this country. In England they
reached the stage we are now at and in
time passed it, until they are in splendid
shape to-day. The corruption among the
labor unions In only reflection Of the cor
ruptiOn that permeates civil government
How often are the men that are put up as
the candidates Of the people for Office the
rea choice of the people? Rarely. The
honest member of the labor union should
not suffer too much for the faults Of the
CRATER. The laborng man is entitled to
all he can get in the way Of short hours and
big pay. Every man will hire labor as
cheaply as he can and get as much work
as he can out of IT, On the other hand, every
laboring man wants AZ much pay as he
can get for as little work as possible, Each
fights for his own interest, and as long as
they use economic force they are entitled
10 fight But the moment they try violence
or criminal methods, that moment they
should be suppressed.
This corruption in the labor unions, as
] said, is simply reflection Of what we
find in public life. Every one who has
studied our public life is appalled, by the
corruption that confronts him on every
side, 1t goes through every department
of the National, State and local govern
ments. Does anybody suppose for moment
| that the deliberations Of our State Legislat-
ure are influenced by considerations of
the public good?
And this. corruption in public life is a
mere reflection of the sordidness of private
| nni hat Gy,I atI Ia x.e