The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1909-01-22
| ABOR LEADERS
MAKE STATEMENT
GoMPERS, MITCHELL AND NOR
RISON THINK SENTENCE
MOST UNJUST.
DENIAL OF FREE SPEECH
In Decision cf Justice r,eht in issu'
ina Injunction in Buck Stove
Case-Labor Men Ask no
Pardon.

Washington, Jan.21 Give have not
asked and will not ask, for clemency
and we hope our friends will not urge
us TO pursue such course. Loving
liberty as free men do--aS We dot
cannot be difficult to appreciate what
Incarceration in prison would mean
to us. To ask pardon would render
useless all trial and sacrifice which
our men Of labor ami our friends in
all walks Of life have endured, that
the rights and liberties of our people
might be restored.
Such a pardon would only leave the
whole race in confusion and 1t would
have to be fought over again from the
beginning"
This is. some Of the language used
n the remarkable statement signed by
Gompers, Mitchell and Morrison in the
current number of the American cd
erationist, i'll formal protest against
the action of Justice Wright in sen
fencing them to Imprisonment for con
tempt of court in the Buck Stove and
Range case, December %.
Denial of Free Speech.
Gompers heads mis- statement
Judge Wright's denial of free speech
and free press. I" and ne declares, we
will not bate a single word nor take
a single letter back" Gompers refers
to the ''intemperate and vindictive
spirit displayed by the justice" in a
separate statement but he joins with
Mitchell and Morrison in declaring
they woHad rot ENTER fnio.- eampeth.
tion with the honorable court in the
use cf inyectiyes, raucor and scathing
and that they should
protest against the courts unprece-
dented and unwarranted flaggalatior
of the cause of the people we have the
honor to represent"
Necessary to Dlsobey.
That the trio of labor leaders fully
the responsibility they as
sumo in making their statements Is
shown by their declaration that even
though they may be held in additional
I'VE are willing to accept
the consequences. It may be neces-
sary to the preservation of the liber-
ties of the people that a judge should
be disobeyed. Judges sometimes
usurp power and become tyrants,
Disobedience to a tyrant is obedience
to law"
Here Is another statement where
a judge issues an injunction like that
in the Bucks Stove and Range CON
pany case, il is the judge who delies
the law and not the citizens who re-
fuse obedience to his injunction man
dates, which would deprive men of
their constitutional rights
The statement enters in close
analysis of the famous Injunction case
and 1t is asserted that Mitchell was
not present at the labor meetings
which directed the circular letters at-
tacking the Buck Stove and Range
company; that he did not sign or
have knowledge of its circulation. II
is asserted that Gompers removed the
name of the firm from the I'VE don't
patronize' list as soon as the iniunc.
iton became operative and had no in
tent TO defy the order Of the cou q
by its discussion. Finally. In conclus
ion it is said, "wo are not disrcspect-
full to the courts when We protest
against a wrong decision, rather are
we helping the courts to maintainl
their proper dignity by pointing out
when a judge steps from the path Of
dignity and right and justice.
nuIuccC uhtI NIW vChDI