Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1909-12-03
A CRY FOR FREEDOM.

A petition for an appeal to the SUI
preme Court of the United States has
been filed by Samuel Gompers, John
Mitchell and Frank Morrison, the labor
leaders, who so offended certain lot of
gown wearers in Washington-by some
statement in newspaper edited by
Mr.. Gompers. These judges called
these labor leaders before THEIR court
and read a wonderful moral lecture to
them, toplofty, and full of the wrath
to be visited upon them, proceeded to
fine these labor leaders, and add a Jail
sentence for theirshaving had the au-
dacity to even so much as think they
that is the labor leaders-would not
buy any more Buck Stoves, after those
three great men forming the court for
the District of Columbia said they
should buy some more. This case is
probably the most limitless assumption
of power on the part of Federal Judges
yet occurring in the United States, and
if not reversed or staid in some way by
the Supreme Court, will do more to
bring into general contempt the Fed
eral bench than any other one thing
up to date. In the first place these
labor leaders have done nothing that
any person of ordinary common sense,
and decent understanding of human
rights under the laws of the land, would
not do. The Buck Stove Company
went whining into the Washington
court claiming boycott of their bust
ness. The Washington court threw
the perspective of their iliunlined WIS.,
ion on the case. They used the Judicial
telescope instrument with wonder
full effect, and discovered in the planet,
known as the Sherman antitrust law,
many new phases not discovered by
other scientists of the same school. 1t
so happened that in the case before
them their discovery affected not the
Standard Oil, nor the Beef Trust, nor
the Steel Trust, nor the Sugar Trust,
nor even the Buck Stove Company,
adversely, all of whom have no doubt
detied national laws ever since such
laws were made, and at no place pos
sibly more than under the noses of
these judges right in the District of
Columbia. But on the one side here
was corporation. On the other were
laboring people. The case as usual, |
went against the laboring people |
These people always seem to be on the
wrong side when controversy with
capital arises The court made sweep |
ing decision. 1t held that the Fedora |
ton of Labor is a Trust in RESTRAINT of |
trade, and, we believe, dissolved it.
The first and only dissolution of the
kind up to the present time.
Mr.. Gompers said something about
this decision not pleasant to the ears
of that court in his newspaper. Then
the court got busy, it brought them
before it, and of all the Billingsgate in
the shape of an opinion we ever read
that opinion delivered to these men
tops the market. 1t is absolutely too
to be classed as an opinion.
Our characterization of the epithets
and English employed there might
put us where Gompers and his friends
are, were we to indulge in just and
proper criticism of this bit of judicial
But it lacks almost every
a judge ought to employ, and .
every element a judge, in our opinion,
would employ, if he derived his power
rom the people. The people of the ;
country outside those connected with
federated labor are watching the out .
come of this decision. The last Dem
'cratic platform declared for jury trials
n such cases when the alleged con- q
empt was committed outside the .
curt. 1t is needless to say the coun-
ry has been greatly aroused over it, I
nd most justly so. 1t is another step +
oWard CzariSm which will meet re- h
luke in the near future if not now. h
We have all due respect for courts of
1stice, but none which is not due.
Vhen they overstep bounds they are o
he first that should be called down, =
ecause their powers are very great, and
heir trend is toward tyranny. :,
4 . - 4