Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-10-13
GREETING TO GOMPERS
Labor Hosts Give Welcome
Home to Leader.
81. IT,. :. - "a,
MARCH IN MIGHTY PARADE
Twenty Thousand Workers in Es-
cort to Convention Hall.
HURLs Def AT COURT RULING
Declares in Speech That Justice
Wright Not Only Erred, But Was
Prejudiced in Contempt Ruling.

81 say that Justice Wright not only
erred, but he was prejudiced.
Samuel Gompers. president. of the
American Federation of Labor, last
night returned to his home in Wash
ington after an extended tour of Eu-
rope, and in his address in response to
the ovation Of welcome rendered by the
hosts of labor he commented, as
quoted. on the ruling of Justice Daniel
T. Wright of the Supreme Court of the
District Of Columbia, by which Com
pers. John Mitchell and Frank Morri-
son. president. vice president and Sec
rotary. respectively, Of the Federation
Of Labor, were adjudged in contempt of
court in their trial year ago. Even
now the result of the appeal from that
decision of the court, with the sem
fences of Imprisonment for one year for
Gompers. nine months for Mitchell and
six months for Morrison. is about to
be announced by the Court of Appeals
Of the District. Undoubtedly this
charge of the existence of prejudice in
| the trial court was the most significant
of Gompers utterances. 1t was hailed
the thousands of workingmen assem-
| bled at the reception in Convention
Hail..
The return of Gompers was last night
| made the occasion for great demonstra.
| ton by organized labor Thousands OF
| trades union men were at the Union sta
ton to welcome their leader, and his ap-
pearance at the exit from the big train
| shed was the signal for round upon round
| of cheers Bands played See the Con-
ouering Hero Comes MY Country. Ills
Of Thee" and other inspiring and patriotic
| airs, and in every respect the entrance
| into his home city by the president of the
| American Federation Of Labor was as
near to being a triumph as his fellow
workers in the cause knew how to make
| il. The thousands who met Mr.: Gompers
| at the station united in an Illuminated
parade from the Union station to Conven-
| ton Hail. along Pennsylvania avenue and
New York avenue, passing in review be-
| fore their chief on the balcony of the
Riggs House In 18th street-and all OF
the streets in the line Of march were
crowded with other thousands of the men
and women of organized labor and hosts
of other citizen spectators.
Meeting at Convention Hall.
According to prearranged program
the formal reception to Mr.. Gompers
was held in Convention Hall, and here
an audience, composed mainly of selected
DELEGATIONS from the scores of trade
bodies affiliated with the Federation of
Labor, united to give him hearty wei
come home" Several speakers voiced
this welcome, and there were cheers
when Mr.. Gompers and his family took
their seats on the platform. cheers when
he arose to speak and cheers at every
telling point in his address. He described
many of the interesting events of his
tour through the old world dealing par
ticularly with the conditions of the work
ing people of the lands which he visited,
and emphasized the Importance of a
closer union between the workers of all
countries-an object closely identified
with his trip. In dealing with the con-
tempt of court case in which he is con-
cerned, Mr.. Gompers declared the prin-
ciple of free speech Is at stake. and he
was firm in stating that the infection of
any penalty, "be it a fine of one cent
or imprisonment for one minute" would
be but the signal to organized labor to enter
upon a renewed fight for Its consti
tutional right"
Following the decision of the labor
leaders to withdraw the invitation to the
COrcoran Cadets to participate in the
parade as guard OF honor to the Amer
lean Federation of Labor and President
Gompers. this organization was missing
from the ranks of the marchers. Coinci-
dent with this absence of the representa-
tives Of the military 1t was particlarly
noticeable that the civil government also
was without representation in the recep-
tton. 1t had been variously announced
that Commissioner mcfarland or Com
missioner West would make an address