The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1907-07-13

most important. Certainly DIN exanlin-
ing Ruef every latitude should be al
lowed If we are to get at the bottom of
the case. But Ruef was put on the
stand, allowed to open his mouth once
Or twice, and then his lips were pad
locked by Dunno We dom: believe
that If the courts Of the world were
searched a similar outrage could be
found In ancient or modern times.
AS to Ruef's testimony, we must bear
In mind that it was the testimony OF an
1nformer. Not only was it the testi-
mony Of an informer, but 1t was abso-
lutely uncorroborated. We have moth
Ing against Ruef. We believe he has
been treated with barbarity and an
Illegally that all his alleged crimes do
not deserve. He has been broken on
the wheel. Would you believe any one
who testifes from the rack? An in
formers testimony is suspected in
every court, but the testimony OF
man that is tortured has stunk in every
age in the nostrils of justice. Camp
bell was right when he said you would
mt kick yellow dog across the street
on the testimony of Ruef.
But, then, there was jury! Indeed
there was, and such a jury! Let work
ingmen who believe in fair play keep
before their minds this fact, that San
Francisco is split wide open by class
war. On the one side is labor On the
other side Is property, Schmitz was the
symbol Of that war. No matter what
he did, the poor men stuck to him. He
was their leader. Now in American
law the jury franchise has Jagged be-
hind the electoral franchise Any citi-
zen can vote for the president of the
United States; you can't sit on a three
ha'penny jury unless you are a prop
erty holder. The Schmitz Jury was
| chosen out of a constituency ovsr-
| whelming prejudiced against him and
| his
Nature Of the Jury,
The nature of the jury may be judged
| by one specimen. Juror Cudworlh,
after the verdict, went home, and the
! papers say knocked his wife into the
| bathtub and then proceeded to jump on
| her, and then spent the night in JAIL
1t seems he saw somebody in the court
he thought had designs on his happi-
ness, and he was so excited he didn't
|
| Here is a man, evidently temporarily
! deranged, full Of suspicion about little
things, and he is set to weigh evil
dence. Is it any wonder that when the
| pivotal question was put, What caused
the change in Schmitz's mind?'' Juror
Cudworth's bad mind could only think
| of the bad answer.
! But why should we wonder at the
I jury when we consider what custody
Dunno put it in? If there was ever
a brother-minded man to Cudworth it
was Blggy. Biggy's reputation as a
traitor to everything and everybody is
we'll known. Years ago he BETRAYED
the examiner and Phelan to keep the
Spreckels laundry work. We wonder
| what the outside barbarians think Of
our beautiful system of justice in a.
case where a Spreckels is spending
100000 to prosecute Schmitz and the
jury that is to try Schmitz is put in
| charge of Spreckels' washer woman.
! Traitors to Everybody.
The more we think Of the case the
more indignant we grow at the dis
grace brought upon San Francisco by
Langdon and Dunno. These are the
two really responsible Individuals for
they have been elected to high and
honorable offices have seldom been de-
filed before. But even DUNES guilt
was less than Langdon's, for he owes
nothing to Schmitz, but Langdon owed
everything. They have had their WAY
and their little triumph. In a short
time no one will grudge it to them.
But Schmitz comes out Of the trial
every inch a gentleman. The verdict
Is not against him, but against Lang
don, the scab to his party, and Dunno
| the scab to his God, and Buggy, the
| scab to everybody.