The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1908-12-27
WILL MAKE NO
PERSONAL APPEAL
GoMPERS, MITCHELL AND MoRRL
SON, CONVICTED LABOR LEAD
ERS REMAIN SILENT.
TEDDY MIGHT STEP IN
Department of Justice is Certain That
President Has Power to Issue
Pardons For Convicted
Men.

Washington, Dec. 26-Presldent
Gompers, John Mitchell and Frank
Morrison of the American Federation
of Labor, who have been sentenced
to long terms of Imprisonment by
Justice Wright for contempt of court
will make no personal appeal or by
attorney for pardon by the president
Of the United States.
The department of justice is abso.
lutely certain that President Roose.
welt has the power to pardon all of
the defendants either before they are
actually committed to Jail or at any
time after the passing of sentence
by the court
The question for the president, In
case he should exercise the pardoning
power, is what would be the ground
of Interference with the judgment of
the court 1t is held here by high off
cials in the department of justice that
the president as he possessed abso-
lutte pardoning power, would not have
to assign reasons for the act of par.
don. II would, however, remove all
questions of "irregularity" and re-
lieye the act of undue" Interference
if the grounds for pardon were set
forth in the act of executive elem
ency.
At the White House there has been
no direct statment from the president
as TO his intentions 1t is, however,
stated in the usual official way that
he has taken the case of Gompers and
the other defendants under advise
ment and has asked the attorney gen.
eral to see what can be done in the
premises
No Appeal Made Yet
All this, it Is stated has been with |
out any appeal to him by any of the
defendants or by any of the attorneys |
in the case who reside here The |
president has however had great |
many protests against the righteous
ness of the decision of Justice Wrigh' |
from officials of labor organizations
throughout the length and breadth OF.
the land.
The statement was made at the
White House on the receipt of those
protests that the president had not de
cided what answer to make, and IL
was in order primarily, that an an
swer should be made that he asked
Mr. Bonaparte to look into the sub
ject carefully and report.
LAe department Of justice, it is
stated by its officials, has in its rec
ords at least a half dozen contempt
cases in which a pardon was granted
to persons in contempt. One of these
is known as the Forst case. which
originated in Alaska. In this proceed.
ing the attorneys were adjudged gull.
ty Of contempt and were sentenced by
the tourt, but pardoned by the presi.
dent.
The department of justice officials
say that there have been four or five
similar cases within the past six years
al Of which occurred during The
Roosevelt administration. II is inter
sting to note that Francis j Heney +,
was the attorney in the Frost case ,
mi secured the pardon II
The legal heads Of the government
ire therefore clair that the president ,
.an intervene in any stage of the pro
.eedings in the Gompers case. The
PRESENT interest in the ease from a 7
cgal standpoint concerns the grounds +,
N Which the defendants will base
heir appeal The attorneys fer the a
efendants are unwilling to express "a
heir opinion as to future action. an a
specially on the details of their ap-
zeal. which they have forty DAYS u
Irepare. Senators and representa- 7
ives are 10th TO express their opin-
ons about a case in court. but il can
.e stated that a very large percent
ge Of congressional opinion holds the &
ction OF the judge TO be very extrav- =
giant. harsh and excessive in the MAJ s
pr of Judgment r