The sun., 1908-02-22
FROM Washington 70 Gompers.


This is not the Supreme Court of the
United States laying down in the critical
times Of 1908 the fundamental American
principle Of respect for the written law; it
is GEORGE WAsHINGToN--and no jurist
he-speaking one hundred and twelve
years ago in his Farewell Address
This Governments, the OnspnnE of our own
choice unlnnuenced and unAwed. adopted upon full
investigation and mature deliberaton, completely
pure In It's principles. In the distribution Of It's
powers uniting security with energy and combln-
ing within Itself provision for It's own amendment.
has Just claim 10 your confidence and support.
Respect for its authority, compliance with Its laws
Acquiescence In Ito measures are duties enjolned
by the fundamental mAxims OF true liberty. The
basis OF political systems is the hight OF the
people TO make and alter these Constitutions OF
Government Bus the Constitution which % any
time exists. till changed by explicit and authen
tic act Of the whole people. is sacredly oblgatng
upon all. Tho very idea OF the power and right OF
the people to establish Government presupposes
the duty OF every individual obey the established
Government"
GEORGE WAsHIN0ToNi Why, it might
JOHN MARSHALL HARLAN; or again, it
might almost be THEODORE ROOSEVELT,
pledging himself in the spirit Of WASH
INGTON'S precept to an equal and inn
partial administration Of the law as it is,
not the law as he or anybody else thinks
it should be:
Whenever either corporation. labor union or
Individual disregards the Law or acts in n spirit
Of arbitrary and tyrannous interference with the
rights of others, whether corporations or indi-
viduals then where the Federal. Government has
Jurisdiction II will see TO it that the misconduct
IS stopped. paying not the slightest heed to the
position or power OF the corporation the union or
the Ind,N Ial. but only 20 vital fsct-that is
the qu.s-.nI whether or not the conduct OF the
Individual aggregate OF individuals 10 In accord
ance with the iaw Of the land"
Not too soon or too strong, when an
American newspaper il openly urging the
representatives Of labor to a defiance of
the courts and notification of the law:
President GoMPERs Of the American Fedora
uon OF Labor has dened the injunction OF the Fed
eTAl Judge against printing unfair list, including
the Bucks Stove Company for which the Injunction
was issued. Now. has the Judge the nerve to en- 70
force his edict' Does he dare do 1t! I venture
that he will not. and that the tyranny OF muzEln
the press of America will prove bigger boomerang
than any that the capitalists have yet thrown.
That is one Of the best things that GOMPERs has
ever done. and the American labor movement will
be with him. There are times and conditions
when tyranny must be dened. and this Is one OF
them. Come on. Judge. with your wind made
law
This interesting comment on the sup
posed vitality of the honorable pledge
so recently recorded by President RoosE-
WELT in the spirit Of WASHINGTON s
teachings Of a century ago appears in
the Appeal to Reason, a journal printed
in Kansas in the alleged interests of
labor and for the promotion Of sOcialistic
ideas; and the newspaper date Of this
utterance Of encouragement to GoMPERs
to defy the law. even against RoosEvELT's g
equal and impartial administration Of
it, is February 22, GEORGE WAsHrNoToN's
birthday.