Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1908-12-23

ALL ARE RELEASED ON BAIL
Action That Of Bucks Stove &
Range Co. Which Federation-
ist Put on "Unfairy List.
Injunction Was Issued Forbidding This
But Was Disrcgarded and Above
Defendants Became Guilty.

Washington, Dec. 2S-The famous
contempt case OF the Buck stove
g. Range company against President
Gompers, Vice President Mitchell and
Secretary Morrison of the Amerr-
can Federation of Labor was decid-
ed to-day by Justice Wright OF the
supreme court of the District of
Columbia, adversely to the fedora
ton officials. President tiompers
was sentenced to - months impri-
sonment. Mitchell was sentenced to
nine months and Morrison to siN
months. The case grew out Of the
alleged boycott of the companyss
products and the putting of that
company on the unfair list and the
federation's alleged violation OF
Judge Gould.s recent tnandamu.s has
attracted wide attention.
The Bucks conipany's prosecution
of the officials of the federation
bgan in August 1907. The original
action was d test case, wherein il
Wns so.haht to enjoin the labor
unions from using the unfair and
we don't patronize," lists in their
tight against firms and individuals.
Justice Gould OF the supreme court
OF the district OF Columbia, issued an
injunction Which later was made I'ef--
2nanent forbidding the publication OF
the companyS name In these lists.
President Gompers in an editorial In
the Fedora ZIONIST OF January last, made
known his intention not to obey the
courts order, contending that the in
junction issued was in derogation OF
y ,,t.r te-I ,I1x. Il
the injunctive power of the courts,
lGompers. Mitchell and Morrison sub
sequently were cited for contempt and
this phase of the case has been be-
fore the court for many months, the
proceedings taking the form of a hear
ing of testimony before an examiner
and many arguments
GRANTED BAIL sS:35s
Pending an appeal to VI the United
States court OF appeals Of the Dis
.trict Of Columbia. all three defend
ants were released on bail, the amount
being fixed as follows:
Gompers. $1,000; Mitchell, $4,000
Morrison, $4,000. A local surety com
pany furnished the bonds.
Each of the defendants before sem
tence was passed upon them made
inquiry il they had anything to say.
7 Judge Wright's decision was a
scathing denunciation of the defend
ants. He recited the conditions am
teceding the Injunction and referred
to the fact that for 70 years the Buck
and always had maintained an open Y
shop. He also spoke of the numerical
strength of the American Federation
of Labor, with its 100000 members,
and OF its repeated endorsement of the
boycott Of tho Buck Stove d Range 4
th6a ny. i'm t,4 nEi
erationist, the federation's official or
gan. speeches by the defendants, let
tiers, circulars, etc. The court referred
to the use of the 1--WE don't patronize''
list and unfair list of the labor or
and said that members
OF labor unions were forced and ooerc-
ed ;nto supporting it whether irdiyi
dually willing or unwilling, approving
or disappearing" by various methods.
The court read extracts from numbers
of resolutions of labor organizations
bearing on the Buck case as tending to
show the methods of influencing mem
bers of unions and these methods
the court remarked, seem TO be as
persuasion. -
The customers of the stove company,
the court said have been intimidated
and coerced out of their
business relations with their customers
'.by direct Interference with and boy
colt of their tthe customerso trade re-
Iations with their own customers and a
the public generally
LEADERS STAND ENDORSED.
During the convention or the Ameri-
can Federation of Labor in this city
last month, President Gompers i'll
speaking of the possibility of Jail
sentence being imposed upon him in
with the injunction pro-
of the Buck Stove s. Range
then pending in Washing
ton. declared from the rostrum that
ne would go to jail rather than pay
any fine for his action. Vice President
and Secy. Morrison made
statements of q similar nature. While
t was the sense of the convention that
every legal step should be taken TO
5 , me fe t1 oIile,ais out OF 1aii-
nous In the endorsement of the stand
AIKEN by their leaders
IS