Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-11-08
NO WISH FOR SLAVERY
Samuel Gompers' Address
Before Federation of Labor.
VIEWS OF RECENT DECISION
Opinion of Contempt Cases Before
the District Courts.
APPELLATE TRIBUNAL ERRED
Believes He Is Justified in Voicing
That Conclusion-Other Mat
ters Discussed.
VIEWS OF RECENT DECISION
TRIBUNAL ERRED

~. UNI. ->UNeInDeE we
have come too far In the march OF human
progress for any set of influences TO
drive us back into slavery" said Samuel
Gompers. president OF the American Fed
GRAFTON OF Labor. in his annual report
today before the annual convention of
the organization. He was referring TO
the decision OF the Court of Appeals of
the District OF Columbia i'm the Gompers-
Mitchell Morrison contempt case.
After reviewing al some length the
noted injunction proceedings Instituted
against the officers of the American Fed
GRAFTON of Labor by the Bucks Stove and
Range Company President Gompers
added:
The language and manner OF Justice
Wright in delivering his opinion upon
the guilt OF the men charged with dis
obeying the terms OF the injunction. the
fact that he had given his opinion. or
permitted 1T 10 be given, out in advance.
the whole mockery and Formally OF ask
Ing us whether we had any reasons TO
assign why sentence should not be pro-
wHcn lie Ildu uettGlIllIfu Dll IIG
sentences in advance: all these, as well
as the matter and manner OF the arrange
ment for the scene and the delivery os
the opinion and sentence. indicated the
unfltness Of the man 10 wear the .udi-
cial robe and occupy the judicial posi-
ton.
What are the offenses for which
Mitchell. Morrison and | are sentenced
to long months OF Imprisonment. and the
ignominy Of being classified as criminals? ?
We have dared to defend our constitu-
tional rights as men and as citizens, de-
spite the Injunction of court which
sought TO invade the rights of free speech
and free press secured to the Anglo
Saxon people centuries ago by Magma
Charta and clincfed by the adoption of
the first amendment TO the Constitution
of the United States.
Believes the Court Erred.
THE Court of Appeals did not take any
original testimony in the case, and / am
justified in saying that the judges were
somewhat in error in their estimate OF
the actual facts in relation TO the boy
colt Of the Bucks Stove and Range Com
pany. This Is understandable from the
fact that the American Federation of
Labor at no time entered detailed de-
fense to the allegations of the Bucks
Stove and Range Company, although the
charges were untrue in many important
particulars.
"On account Of the fundamental issues
of free press and free speech, which were
involved in the original injunction. We
preferred TO stand upon the unconstitu-
tionality of the injunction rather than
obscure this great issue by going into the
details of the original trouble with the
Bucks Stove and Range Company.
Judge Wright's prejudiced and mis-
leading extracts from the original testi-
mony, and his ignoring OF testimony, also
tended still further to becioud the facts.
The Court Of Appeals said that the
only reason the publication OF the Buck =
Stove and Range Company was enjoined
from appearing on the We Don't Patron
ize' list was because they believed that a
conspiracy to boycott had been entered
into and that threats intimidation and
coercion had been used on innocent third
parties. On this wrong assumption the
modified injunction was affirmed.
1T was regrettable that the court
should have been so in error as to the
facts Of the boycott.
Even II We had been guilty OF unlaw-
full conspiracy and coercion and intimida-
tion-which We were not-surely there
should be some more adequate punish
ment than by process Of injunction. In
fact. existing laws do provide greater
punishments for these offenses, and we
respectfully submit that if we are guilty
Of them We should be tried by the due
process of law before jury Of our peers.
and II found guilty punished as the law
provides, rather than be subjected to the
caprice Of a judge who solely determines
the sufficiency OF the charge. the guilt OF
the defendant and who imposes punish
ment as his whim may prompt.
= Rights of the Press.
I'm the whole history Of our movement
no greater struggle has taken place than
that for the preservation and the main
tenance Of the right Of free press and
free speech. AS you we'll know. this arose
under the injunction proceedings and
court decisions In the case of the Bucks
Stove and Range Company against the
American Federation of Labor, December,
1907
THE technicalities Of the case were
soon lost sight of in the battle to preserve
the great principles of human liberty
which were involved.
THE people of our country have with
the men Of labor made it clear to the
whole world that no curtailment of the
rights Of free press and free speech will
be tolerated.
The herculean efforts OF the men OF
labor to arouse the people of the country
to a realization Of the danger which
threatens our constitutional liberties will
go down in the annals of history as one
of the great crusades for the maintenance
and advancement of human rights
lit is matter of history and OF COM
mon knowledge that OH December .1,3 1903
Justice Wright sentenced Samuel Com
pers, John Mitchell and Frank Morrison
TO one year, nine months and six months
Imprisonment. respectively, for alleged
violation of the injunction. and that the
decision accompanying the sentence was
most virulent and unjust i'm its terms.
II repeat and emphasize this fact"
President Gompers continues, that the
doctrine that the citizen must yield obe-
dience to every order Of the court, not
withstanding that order transcends in
herent natural human rights guaranteed
by the Constitution of our country, is
vic mt to