Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1908-12-23
TOday's Telegraphic News
Labor Leaders Sc ntenced.


Washington, ID. O., Dec. 2S.-Afler
one Of the most severe excavations ever
head from the bench, Justice Daniel
I. Wright. of the Supreme Court OF the
District Of COLUMBIA, today sentenced
samuel Gompers, president Of the Amer
lean Fedora ion of Labor, to one year in
jail for eontempi Of court in violating
The iDjanction secured by the Bucks
Stove aud Range Company, ofst Louis,
tom Justice Gould OF the same court.
With Gompers, we're also sentenced
John Mitchell, who wss vice president OF
the federation at the time OF the alleged
disobedience OF the injunction, aud
Frank Morrison, secretary. MitchelPs
punishment is nine months, and Nor
rison's six months. All three OF the re-
spondents were in court when the
lengthy opinion Of Justice Wright was
read. 1t contained about 30, 600 words
and was not only q personal arraignment
of the conduct of the three men, but q
general deuunclation of the methods en-
ployed by organized labor.
10 his opinion, Justice Wright char
acterE:d the various utterances of the
defendants, with respect to the court, IS
"utter, rampant, insoleni, defiance, I'M
refined insult, coarse, aaront, with u
vulgar indiguity."
The decision says 10 part: "When, with
the parties to this cause In attendance,
the dispute heard and the status OF the
subject OF The controversy examined into
the inhibitory process OF the tribunal is
sued forth, it was the laws command
to stand hands off uatil justice for this
matter can be aacer aimed Is not law
wide enough aud Its shield brad enough
10 avert for annihilation that which lis
tribunals lave taken in hand, for the
very sake of decreeiDg whether 1t shall
not be saved? Yet everywhere, all over
within the court ard out, utter, ram
pant. insolent defiance is heralded. and
proc aimed, unrs6ned insult, coarse al
front, vulgar indignlty measures the It'll
gants conception OF the tribunals due,
wherein his cause still ponds. Before
the Injunction was granted, these men an
nounced that neither they nor the Ameri-
can Federation OF Labor would obey III
since it issued they have refused to obey
| it; and through the American Federation
OF Labor disobedieDce has successfully
achieved, and the Law has been made tt
fail; not only has the law failed in III
fort to arrest q widespread wrong, buI
the injury has grown more destructive
since the Injunction than 1t was before.
There is a studied, determine, dehan
conflict precipi a!ed in the light of oper
day. between the DEGREES OF tribu0aI
ordained by the government of the Fed
eral Union, and of the tribunals OF an
other fedora ion grown up IN the land
one or the other must succumb, for those
who would unlsw the land and public
epemies. On the sociological aspect o
the situation, some faith In the ultimat'
rightness Of American men whether il
labor unions or out, to be entertained
| for believe that the habit of the lane
which satura.es them with readiness t
| yield TO authority has uDdon'
Them before now, through the errors o
misguiding leaders swollen by pigm!
power; it stands in the nature OF thing
that The uDlettertd LOO often shows iIsel
| in their modest sfflirs although highel
may exist to which their attention is no
every moment directed by some utter
ference with them but to which the!
stand ready to adhere upon the momen
that shows them that the lesson author
lily was in mistake, or leading then
swrong. 1t is written Ia this recort
that the labor unions and It's officer
NEEDLE into a members daily sfilr
deeper than does The law; restrict hin
| 10 matters that The Law l1aves free; ant
then so continually crowd their authorit,
upon his attention, that ipsensibly b
comes to rega:d them as of control II
bis affairs; this fact that he regards then
as authority, leads him to heed them
because of his readiness 10 yield to so
tboritY; his very resp'c. for authorlt.
assumes that all authority is respectable
aod so upon them he relies, by them b
is led. What knows the worker IL
Texas, Florida, Maine aud Oregon G
the merits of the original controversy Q
thirty-six metal polishers in Missouri.
At the conclusion of bis decision, JuI
tice Wright said: sit would seem no
inappropriate for such penalty as wi
serve to deter othtrs from following ats
such outlswed examples; will serv
1 physically to impose obedience, eve
!lhough late; will serve to vindicate tn
orderly power Of judicial tribunals, an
! establish over this litigation the suprem
acy of law"
) He lhereupon pronounced the ser
fences. Gomper, Mitchell and Morr
SOD, after their sentence, gave police {
. appeal 10 the District Court of Appeal
and we're released Oh bonds Of So, 00(
81, 900 AID SO, 600 respectively. :
The case grew out OF the publicatio
, 10 the American Federationisf, in Il
unfair list, of the name of the BucI
Stove and Range Company, oiSt Louii
, against which the union men bad
grievance. Counsel fOrthe company 81
cuted an Injunction against Mr.. Con
pers and his associates, to prevent an
further such references. After JustiC
) Gould tai issued the injunction, q
though the name was dropped from ih
"unfsir list" Me-. GJmpers made n
e peated references to the case 10 the msf
szine and In public speeches, in Whlc
> he criticized the court, and declared hi
willingness to go 10 jail, If necessary
3 rather than keep silent on what he b'
leved to be an invasion of the rights
organized labor.