The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1909-01-23
Maryland Court of Appeals Re-
verses the Decision of
Il Lower Court.
BLACKLISTING OF MEN
HELD TO BE ILLEGAL
Interfering With Ones Means Of
:" Subsistence is Condemnable
and Actionable.

! NEW YORK, Jan. 21.-B. A. Larger
general secretary Of the United Gar
\ ment Workers Of America, Bible
& House, has received a telegram from
General Executive Board Member A.
4 Gordon, Baltimore, Md, to the effect
+ that the Garments Workers in that
city have won the case against the
firm of Silverstein & Sons for black
listing. The facts in the case are as
4 follows:
Il" The firm Of Silverstein & Sons had
notified one of the members Of local
4 union No. 6, a Mr.. Joseph Wilmer, to
aTcall at the office, when he was paid
off and discharged. The reason given
was that he had told another cutter
he could get more money by asking
for it; that he was working below
the standard. A few days later a
member of local Union No. 6, Of Bal
timore, found the following letter and
z handed it to Mr.. Wilmer:
Baltimore Clothiers' Board of Trade.
Sylvan H. Lauchimer, secretary.
''Tc all, Clothing Manufacturers of
49, Baltimore:
2 Dear Sir-I am in receipt Of the
following letter from Messrs. Harris,
Silverstein f Sons, clothing manufac-
turers, of this city, which explains it.
self:
.$a,,.s Asked to Blacklist.
: ~" We desire to call your attention to
. Mr.. JOS. Wilmer, a union cutter, VINO
was formerly in my employ. WE
WOULD REQUEST YOU TO SEE
! THAT HE IS REFUSED EMPLOY
q MENT IN ALL ASSOCIATION
HOUSES IN WHICH HE MAY AP-
PLY FOR A POSITION. He was the
shop chairman of my cutting room,
3 and, in addition to this, he has been
I; a source of trouble. In other words,
4he has been trying to disorganize my
rule. We took on a cutter yesterday
at a certain price, and when he went
to work this morning he told MIN to
insist on more money, otherwise we
Il suppose they would have made it un-
pleasant for him. He came down and
stated his demand, to which we ac-
zceded, but thought we would be bet
! ter off by discnarging Mr. Wilmer who
was the cause of the disturbance. We
think it no more than right that the
!; association should back us up in this
matter AND REFUSE THIS MAN
EMPLOYMENT, as we would like to
make an example of him.
E Very truly yours.
= 80. Sylvan H. Laucheimer"
lS4 In the meantime Mr.. Wilmer sought
"a work in other places and was refused
by all of them. A suit was brought
against Silverstein & Sons, which
was tried. and at which it was proven
that the secretary of the Manufac-
& turers' association had sent out the
bla cklist while Wilmer was still in the
! employ of the firm of Silverstein &,
{. Sons. Two Of the best attorneys in
Baltimore were engaged to prosecute
: the suit.
&2E IWhen the case was tried, Judge FL
lit, IN charging the jury asked that
$ rhere be a non-suit, holding that a
letter written by Silverstein and his
co-members in the Baltimore Clothing
manufacturers association did 1lut do
injury to the plaintiff. The jury, there
lore, brought in verdict of not guilty,
and the case was dismissed The case
was Immediately appealed to a higher
I. court.
Judge Against the Union.
~ AFTER some delay the Court Of An
peals, which sat at ANNAPOLIS, Mi
heard the case, which lasted several
days, and on Wednesday Judge Henry
reversed tine decision of the lower
court, declaring that the letter sent
out by Silverstein & Sons did inf1ict
Injury on Wilmer, and further. that
the epistle indicated malice.
The judge further maintained "that
IN his opinion employees and employ
#ers may combine in unions and asso-
Citations, but said associations like in
dividuals, must employ lawful meth
DDS for the settlement of lawful pur-
poses That neither employe or en-
fplpyer has the right to interfere
without cause, with the business Of
occupation of the other, That the US,
of malicious means and interference,
with mans effort to obtain a liveli-
hood is condemnable and act1onable.
zlt5 The tatus Of the case, at the pres
u ent, is that it will have to go bach
q. the lower court and. be again triet
by jury. who will decide the amount
AZ cfoi