The Norfolk weekly news-journal. (Norfolk, Neb.) 1900-19??, 1908-12-25
ROOSEVELT URGED
TO TAKE ACTION
Appeals Made to Him in Behalf
Of Mine Officials.

Washington Dec. 24-Samuel Com.
pers today issued messages denounc.
ing the decision of Justice Wright
President Roosevelt received similar
messages. A mass meeting of all
union in the principal cities of the
country are planned for Sunday.
Washington, Dec, "a - Twelve
months in Jail for Samuel Gompers.
president; nine months for John
Mitchell one of the vice presidents.
and six months for Frank Morrison,
secretary, all of the American FEEDER.
alton of Labor was the sentence i'm.
posed by Justice Wright of the su.
preme court of the District Of Colum.
bla for contempt Of court for violating
an order enjoining them from placing
on the unfair" or I'VE Don't Patron
lie List" the Bucks Stove and Range
company of st. Louis.
All the defendants were in court
when sentence was pronounced and
notice of an appeal to the District of
Columbia appellate court at once was
filed, Gompers being released on So.
600 bond, Mitchell on $4,000 and Nor.
rison on $4,000.
With tears coursing down his
cheeks, President Gompers heard the
order which condemned him to prison
for a year. Both Mitchell and Morri-
son seemed stunned, although Mitchell
appeared to be the least concerned.
Gompers Addresses Court.
Asked if he had anything to say
why sentence should not be pro-
nounced, President Gompers declared
that he had not consciously violated
any law. There was much he would
like to say, but he could not do it now
He added, however that This is a
struggle of the working people for
a right. 1t is a struggle of the ages
the struggle of the men of labor to
throw off some of the burdens which
have been heaped upon them, to abol-
ish some of the wrongs and to secure
some of the rights too long denied"
Mitchell and Morrison told the court
they Endorsed what Gompers had said
Justice Wright's decision was a
scathing arraignment.
Everywhere" the court said "all
over, within the court and without, ut
ter, rampant insOlent defiance is her
aided and proclaimed; unrefined in.
suit, coarse affront, vulgar indignity
measures the litigants' conception of
the tribunals due, wherein his cause
still ponds. The laws command has
been to stand, hands off, until justice
for this matter can be ascertained,"
but, he said, there had been a studied
determined, defiant conflict, "precipI-
tated in the light of open day, be-
tween the DEGREES of a tribunal or
dained by the government of the fed
eral union and of the tribunals OF an
other federation grown up in the land.
One or the other, he declared, must
succumb, "lor those who would unlaw
the land are public enemies
Urge Roosevelt to Act.
Whether President Roosevelt will
take any aCtio, as he has been urged
to do in kilograms from different labor
organizations throughout the country
in connection with Judge Wight de.
CiSiOn, has not been decided it was
stated at the White House 1t was stat
ed there that the president has not
read the decision and cannot say il
he will take any action. There was an
intimation, however, that some action
might be taken If the president is con.
vinced the senteLC' is UNJUST The la
bCr organizations rye the president
to prevent the Incarceration OF the
labor leaders. The Illinois United
Mine Workers sent this telegram,
I'm the name of $4,000 nine workers
in Illinois we desire to protest against
the recent decision committing to
penal servitude those great common.
ers and representatives of the Amer.
lean labor movement. These men may
be guilty Of breach of law, but a law
that denies the use of a free press ard
full speech Is breach of the funda
mental principles OF our country Such
decisions only tend to create enmity
and class hatred We respectfully so
lcit your influence to prevent the in
generation Of these men"