Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-12-30
LABOR AND COURT DECISIONS
A NORWEGIAN CITES SEW
ERAL RECENT RULINGS.
A Tendency Toward the Suppression
Of the Union Discerned
in Them.

To the Editor Of The Star:
The recent decision of Justice Wright
in which he sentenced Samuel Gompers
and his colleagues to prison for an al
legged violation of an injunction has done
more to discredit the judiciary and spur
the masses to future radical political
action than any other event that has oc-
CURED in recent years. To me 1T seems
On par with the famous, or infamous,
bred Scott decision. and perhaps its in
fluenceS may be just as revolutionary.
Both of the decisions presumably We're
based on the written law, but to work
ingman who is weak on legal lore, but
strong on human rights, these decisions
stand out as the labored effort Of the jul
dietary. to so interpret and Construe
law as to protect property rights at the
expense of human rights. In this hum
BILE protest there is no intended refiec-
ton on. the sincerity or honesty of the
learned Justice Wright. Man is but the
product of his environment. The bour-
geoiSe environment of Justice Wright
makes possible conception of justice
entirely at variance with that held by
the working class.
Said President Baer: 1.-The rights and
interests of labor will be protected and
cared for, not by the labor agitators. but
by the Christian men, to whom God in His
property interests of the country With
a judiciary surrounded by the atmosphere
of a benevolent feuda!ism. whose environ
ment teaches them that the workers are
simply the social ciphers. that make pos
sble the larger denominations. is it
strange that its decisions invariably re-
fleet a greater solicitude for property
rights than for human rights? Not only
do the judges seem TO use their powers to
demoralize the workers. but from their
nf nj
in the most Incorporate language and
mercilessly browbeat labor representa-
tives branding as public enemies of the
social order upright. honest men. whose
only offense was their steadfast devotion
and loyalty to the material welfare of
those whose labor makes civilization and
progress possible A system which per-
mfts one man sitting as judge to issue an
order, try, judge and condemn another for
the violation of his own order is sub
versive of all principles of free and
democratic form of government.
Trial by Jury.
Every person, before being punished for
The violation of any law or order of the
court, should have the right of trial by
jury of his peers. Unless this principle is
recognized in our Jurisprudence the courts
will before long become legal despotism.
exercising such absolute and autocratic
turn green with envy. "a civilized peo-
wealth should be intelligent. honest.
thrifty, prudent and to the fullest extent
possible cultivated and well hammered 1t
is impossible that these advantages should
be secured and the economies which they
invariably affect secured with them un-
less the wOrkngman is adequately re-
munerated for his labor and encouraged
to hope (Thorod Rogers.
Mr.. Gompers and his colleagues have
asSiduously devoted their entire lives to |
the betterment of human conditions for |
the toiling miilionS-haVe taken a proml- |
nent part in raising the worker from the |
position of a meek, submissive beast of
burden to the dignity of man. and have |
endeavOred to surround the toiler with |
those healthy and beneficent conditions
which will enable him to realize to the |
fullest extent the possibilities of life and !
foster the development of those sterling |
qualities for active and intelligent par |
ticipation in all social movements aim
ing for a higher and better civilization |
Surely men engaged in this noble work
should not languish behind prison bars. |
Every civilization is judged by the eco |
nomic condition of its tOiing masses. No
civilization can be lasting which denies |
to the toiling masses that material basis |
absolutely necessary for social advance |
ment
The action of our judiciary in constru |
ing and interpreting the law to limit the
effectiveness of trade unions in a manner
never contemplated by its trainers has
aroused among the working class deep
seated and, to them, we'll founded dis
trust Of the courts. Theoretically we are
all free before the law, but do the follow
ing decisions bear out the theory: Judge
lfurasky of the supreme court granted
the Seattle Company an injunction for
bidding the workingmen of San Francisco
to combine not to buy the Seattle Com
pany's beer. The same judge perhaps in
dorses the prohibition movement-a COM
bination in restraint of trade and inter-
state commerce. actively engaged in d
systematic, persistent agitation by coer-
cion, intimidation and persuasion to boy
colt the product of the breWeries and dis
tfleres, limit their output and drive
legitimate business into bankruptcy. An
other court declared that Il union shop
agreement was an illegal contract and its
enforcement ground for damage suit
not against the capitalist who consented,
but against the union that had asked for
it, A New York court declares a union
has no right to assess its members or
pay strike benefits. The supreme court of
Massachusetts declares trade union
cannot discipline its members for a viola
ton of its laws.
A Philadelphia Case.
The Employers Association of Philadel
phia combined to refrain employing trade
unionists in the building trades. One of
the affiliated firms drew out of the COM
bine and started it's work with union men.
The Employers Association expelled the
firm for an infraction of its rules and
sued for the collection of a fve-hundred-
dollar bond. Judge Clarke decided in
favor of the association holding the en-
forcement of the fine legal and rendered
Judgment against the offending firm for
S642 The National Association Of United
Hatters Of North America was fined
| $500 as the result of suspendinS Frank
Winkler of Orange N. j., from the union