The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1908-12-31
SENTENCED
TO ONE YEAR In JAIL
IN CONTEMPT CASE
While John Mitchell Draws
Nine Months and Secretary
Morrison Six Months.

Washington, Dec. 25.-The
famous contempt case Of the Buck
Stove and Range company against
President Gompers, Vice President
Mitchell and Secretary Morrison,
Of the American Federation of La
Dor, was decided today by Justice
Wright Of the supreme court OF
the District of Columbia, adverse
ly to the federation officials,
Mr.. Gompers was sentenced to-.
IL months Imprisonment, Mr.,
Mitchell to nine months and Mr..
Morrison to six months.
The case grew out of the alleged
boycott of the company's products
and the putting of that company
on the unfair list. The fedora
tons alleged violation Of Judge
Gould's recent mandamus has at
tracted wide attention.
History of Case.
The Buck company's prosecution Of
the officials of the federation began In
August, 1907. The original action was
Il ICoI ScsoC "llClCih i "65 oOdSlt W
enjoin the labor unions from using
unfair and I'VE don't patronize" lists,
in their fight against firms and indi-
viduals. =
Justice Gould issued a permanent
injunction forbidding the publication.
of the company's name in these lists.
Mr.. Gonpers, in an editorial in the.
Federationist of January last, made
known his intention not to obey the.
courts order, contending the Injunction
iCcIIa1 wa in 6c,,~ngo r1,p ~ thu ri OH G
of labor and to abuse the inJunctive,
power Of the courts. Messrs. Gompers,,
Mitchell and Morrison subsequently"
were cited for contempt. This phasef
Of the case has been before the court
for many months.
Denounces Defendants.
Judge Wright's decision was a scath-
ing denunciation of the defendants
He recited the conditions antecedins~
the Injunction and referred to the fact
hat for 25 years the Bucks plant had
been operated as a IO-hour shop and
always had maintained an "open shop
He also spoke of the numerical
strength Of the American Federation
of Labor with it's 1000, 900 members, of
its repeated Endorsement of the boycott
OF the Bucks company, through the
American Federationist. Speeches by
the defendants, letters and circulars.
etc.
The court referred to the use of,
I'VE don't ~patronize" list and unfair"
list of labor organizations. He said.
the members Of the union were forced
and coerced into supporting it "wheth-
er individually willing or unwilling.
approving or disappearing" by various
methods. The court read extracts from
a number of resolutions of labor or
CARNATIONS bearing on the Bucks case
as tending to show the methods of in
huential members of unions and these.
methods" the court remarked, Seem
TO be known as persuasion"
Had Been Browbeaten.
Customers of the stove the
court said, had been intimidated, brow
beaten and coerced out of their bust
ness relations with their customers "by
direct interference with and boycott OF
their customers trade relations with
their own customers n the public,
generally"
Following an exhaustive discussion
of the conspiracies in restraint of trade,
Justice Wright said: From the fore
going, it ought to. seem apparent to a
thoughtful man that the to-
the bill, each and all of them, have.
combined together for the purpose of
bringing about a breach of the plain
tiff's existing contracts with others
'.depriving the plaintiff Of property
lvalue OF good will of it's businessl
without due process of law" restrain
ing trade and commerce among sever
} al states" The ultimate purpose of the
~ AAS SSNAS SNAAA ~ SShi
t nection, was unlawful. Their concert
ed project an offense against law, and
it added, they were guilty of crime.
: Coming to the question of violation
1 of the courts injunction, Justice
Wright said: THAT Mr.. Gompers and
3 the others had in van of the in
junction determined to violate it if is
: sued, and had in advance of the injunc-
, ton counselled all members Of labor
t unions and the American Federation
r OF Labor and the public generally to
violate it in case it should be issued,
appears from the following, which ref
erences point out also a general plan
and mutual understanding of organiza-
J tions and their various embers
The court here read a mass of ex-
tracts from reports of the proceedings
of the conventions of the federation,
o reports and editorials from columns az
: the American Federationist, and the
labor press generally, in support of his
statement that there was predetermined
g ton to violate.
: "Contemptuous Violation
: The judge pointed out wherein each
> defendant had persisted in "contemp-
:. tuous violation" of the injunction
!, which infringed the constitutions
! guaranty of freedom Of press ant
: speech He says this defense doesn'i
a fill the measure of the case, that the
Injunction interferred with no legiti-
mate right Of criticism or comment
that the law has ever sanctioned ane
the respondents intimation that i
: does so is mockery n pretense."
| The court added that the constitu-
ton nowhere conferred h right tt
speak, print or publish.
? Pending appeal to the United State.
: court of appeals for the District o
- Columbia, all three defendants wer,
: released on bail. Gompers on $4,000
y Mitchell or $4,000, n Morrison OF
y $4,000. A local surety mpa fur.
y nished the bonds.
n -
q $4,000 FOR is CATIONS.
e Manchester. England, Dec. 25.-s
: Manchester paper states that J.. Pier