The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1907-08-20
|NVOKES LAWS AID
AGAINST B0YCOTTS.
VAN cLEAVE SEEKS TO ENJoIN
LABOR FEDERATION.
IN FIGHT FOR OPEN SHOP.
President Of National Association OF
Manufacturers Begins Test
Case In a District Of Column
bia Court.


Washington Aug. 2O.-A significant
legal action was begun in the su
preme court of the District of Column
bia Monday by James W. Van Cleave
president of the National Association
of Manufacturers, to enjoin Samuel
Gompers, John Mitchell and other Of
ficers of the American Federation OF
Labor and several of its subsidiary
organizations from using the boycott
and so-called unfair llst' Mr.. Van
Cleave Institutes the suit in the name
of a large manufacturing company in
st. Louis, of which he is president,
whose products are alleged to have
been declared unfair by the labor
unions.
The significance of the action lies
in its being a test case wherein Mr..
Van Cleave as head of the Manufac-
turers' association seeks to perma-
nently enjoin organized labor from
using the unfair" or I'VE don't patro-
nize" lists in its fight against firms
and individuals. The papers were
filed here in order that personal serv-
ice might be Immediately obtained
against a large number Of the labor
leaders named In the complaint who
are in Washington in attendance upon
a general conference.
The complainant is the Bucks Stove
and Range Co., of st. Louis.
The plaintiff asks that the defend.
ants be enjoined on nine special
points, first alleging a conspiracy un-
lawfully to injure its business.
The complaint states that the Amer.
lean Federation of Labor has repeat
edly declared boycotts against the
business and product of the custom
ers OF numerous individuals and con.
Germs, and has actively prosecuted
them by using its power for that pur-
pose to wage destructive attacks upon
any person or business under its
ban" and that this power Is now be.
ing directed maliclously against the
business of the plaintiff.
The steps leading up to this action
are set forth In the complaint to be
the outcome of a strike According
to the complaint August 20, 1906,
without previous notice the members
of Metal Polishers' Union No Is, OF
st. Louis, in the employ of the stove
company struck In body and without
notice to the company or waiting for
an adjustment of grievances, which is
set forth to have been I'm violation OF
an agreement between the Interna
tional Union of Metal Polishers and
the Stove Founders National Defense
association, OF which the Bucks Co. is
a member, and under which all differ.
ences have been for IA years success.
fully adjusted by a conference com.
mttee.
On the failure of the strike, the In.
ternational Union of Metal Polishers
declared a boycott against the Bucks
Co. and its product, inserted the com
pany's name in its unfair" list and
published 1t in the union paper the
Journal. The local union No. 13 also
Joined in the boycott and procured It's
endorsement by the Central Trades
and Labor union Of St. Louis and the
metal trades council of st. Bouls, both
subordinate unions of the federation.
In November, 1906, at the annual
convention of the federation in Min.
neapois, the products of the company
We're placed on the I'VE don't patro-
nize" list of the federation, and was
published in this list in the "Ameri.
can Federatlonist" in the June and
July, 1907 issues.
The complaint says that the feder-
alton has greatly diminished and in
many places destroyed the company's
trade.
The sweeping nature of this action
is indicated by a partial list OF ma
tional and international unions and
state federations that will be directly
affected If the injunction, which in
cludes 175 names of organizations, is
granted.