Willmar tribune., 1908-12-30
RESULT OF BUCKS STOVE CASE
Labor Chiefs Alleged Boy
colt of Eastern Firm
Brings Down Ire.
ALL Three SECURE BAIL
Appeal from District Court Is Taken,
Proceedings Beginning Right Aft
er the Decision Is Given.

Washington, Dec. 24.-The famous
contempt case of the Bucks Stove and
Range Company against President
Gompers, Vice-President Mitchell and
Secretary Morrison of the American
Federation of Labor was decided
Wednesday by Justice Wright of the
supreme court of the District of. Co.
lumbia adversely to the federation
officials. GOmpers was sentenced to
twelve months imprisonment, Mitchell
to nine months and Morrison to six
months. The case grew out of the al
legged boycott of the company's prod
ucts and the putting of that company
on the unfair list, and the federation's
alleged violation of Judge GOuld's re-
cent mandamus has attracted wide at
tention.
Trio Released on Bail.
Pending an appeal to the United
States court of appeals of the District
of Columbia all three defendants were
released on bail, the amount being
fixed as follows:
Gompers, $4,000; Mitchell, $4,000.
and Morrison, $4,000. A local surety
company furnished the bonds.
Each of the defendants before SEN
tence was passed upon them made
statements in response to the usual in
Quiry if they had anything to say.
Defendants Are Denounced.
Judge Wright's decision was q
scathing denunciation of the defend
ants. He recited the conditions ante
ceding the Injunction and referred to
the fact that for Is years the Bucks
plant had operated as ten-hour shop,
and always had maintained an "open
shop" He also spoke of the numerical
strength of the American Federation
of Labor, with it's 100000 members,
and of its repeated Endorsement of the
boycott of the Bucks Stove and Range
Company through the American Fed
erationist, the federation's official or
gan, speeches by the defendants, let
ters, circulars, etc.
Slam at Labor Officials.
The court referred to the use of the
I'VE don't patronize" list and Unfair
list of the labor organization, and said
that members of labor unions were
forced and coerced into supporting it
whether individually willing or un-
willing, approving or disappearing"
by various methods. The court read
extracts from numbers of resolutions
of labor organizations bearing on the
Bucks case as tending to show the
methods of influencing members of
unions land these methods" the court
remarked, ''seem to be known as per.
suasion.'
Says Customers Were inundated.
The customers of the stove COM
pany, the court said, had been intimi.
dated, browbeaten and coerced out of
their business relations with their GUS
toners ''by direct interference with
and boycott of their (the customers }
trade relations with their own custom.
ers and the public generally"
Following an exhaustive discussion
of cOnspiracies in restraint of trade,
Justice Wright said:
From the foregoing it ought to
seem apparent to thoughtful men that
the defendants to the bill, each and
all of them, have combined together
for the purpose of:
Il. Bringing about the breach of
plaintiffs existing contracts with
others.
e. Depriving plaintiff of property
(the value of the good will of it's bust.
ness) without due process of law.
"3. Restraining trade among the sev.
eral states.
q. Restraining commerce among the
several states"
The ultimate purpose of the defend.
ants, the court said in this connection,
was unlawful, their concerted project
an offense against the law, and, it
added, they were guilty of crime.
Wright on Court Injunction.
Coming to the question of the viola.
tion of the courts injunction, Justice
Wright said:
THAT Gompers and others had in
advance of the Injunction determined
to violate it if issued, and had in ad.
vance of the Injunction counseled all
members of labor unions and of the
American Federation of Labor and the
public generally to violate it in case it
should be issued appears from the fol.
lowing, which references point out
also the general plan and mutual un-
derstanding of the organizations and
their various members"
Editorials Are Read.
The court here read a mass of ex.
tracts from reports Of proceedings Of