Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-11-15
Pennsylvania Member of Con-
gress Answers Gompers.
REPLY OF LABOR LEADER
Head of Federation Declares Moon
Statement Misleading.
DISPUTE OVER 1NJUNcT1oNs
Attitude of President Taft and of
Congress Criticised at A. FL.
Convention.

PHILADELPHIA, November 1:..-Rep-
resentative Reuben o. Moon of this city,
who was assailed in ST. Louis yesterday
by Samuel A. Gompers, president of the
American Federation of Labor, in that
part Of his annual report referring to
antitrust and injunction" has issued a
reply to the labor leaders attack
Mr.. Moon says that Mr.. Gompers
statements ARE entirely unwarranted";
that the injunction bill embodies In it
the uniform practice Of the best federal
judges for more than a century" He
states further that the bill rs designed
| to protect the laboring man against the
abuse of the injunctive process without
| notice.
Representative Moon says:
"These same objections and others,
emanatins from certain associations and
| manufacturers, were sent broadcast to
| members of Congress during the last ses-
sion. / prepared an answer to these at
tacks and accompanied 1t with a thor
ough legal ANALYSIS of the bill. These !
submitted to President Taft by letter,
and he replied to it, indorsing unequivo-
| cally the language Of the bill. and the
explanation OF the same prepared by me,
! Whtch Endorsement was published
| III SA6uOuS lilo COuuLTy Dy luS press.
Calls Statement Misleading.
ST. LOUIS. November 15.-samuel
Gompers when shown the statement Of
Representative Moon characterized it as
misleading. He said:
Representative Moons statement is
misleading in every respect. as it was in
| tended to be. as his bill is intended to be.
| III his bill were Law. N ~ had
law when Justice Gould of the Supreme
! Court Of the District of Columbia issued
| his injunction, there would not have been
one jot of difference in the case of the
American Federation of Labor, nor would
| there have been any difference in the
| status of the sentence imposed by Justice
Wright on Frank Morrison of imprison-
ment for six months. on John Mitchell
| months.
1T is not a question OF notice OF an
injunction, but the issuance of an i'm
Junction. denying to men the personal,
constltutionally guaranteed rights, that
is involved. Mr.. Noon refuses to recog-
nize the difference between the rights
and ownership In property and the rights
and ownership in man.
Il have no political intentions to serve
am engaged In the cause to protect
| the masses Of our people from devices
| to enslave them. Any such principle Mr..
Moon either fails to understand or seeks
| to hide
Attack on President Taft.
| The anti-injunction bill introduced in
Congress by Representative Reuben o.
3, Moon of Philadelphia was the point on
| which Mr.. yGompers made his first attack
! on President Taft and equally as bitter
an attack on the Philadelphia Repre-
sentative, in his address yesterday. The
y h fH<. toh
ont one bit Of relief for labor and simply
| put into law the use of the injunction
against which labor complained so bitter
| ly. This bill, he asserted, had President
Taft's fuil support, while that of Rep
resentative William B. Wilson. of Penn
| sylyania, carrying the real remedy de-
manded by labor, was opposed by Mr..
Taft
Mr.. Gompers also denounced the action
Of the President, as he said i'm forcing
| the lower house of Congress to recede
from its amendment to the sundry civil
| appropriations bill that would have pre-
| vented the use of the Sherman anti
| trust law against labor unions He as
serted that Mr.. Taft showed the greatest
| qualification at the defeat of this rider
| and declared that the President used
coercion to accomplish it's defeat.
Greater Than Party Platform.
The labor movement is greater
| than any party PLATFORM said Mr..
| Gompers in responding to the adj
dresses of welcome. because it is gov
| erned by a principle as true as nature
itself, and because it expresses the
discomfort of the masses
Mr.. Gompers referred with bitter
| ness to the bill introduced in the
House of Representatives by Repre-
sentative Moon providing legal au-
| thority for the Issuance of injunctions
He wrote to Mr.. Moon. he said. telling
| him there was nothing in the bill linn
| iting the jurisdiction Of the court and
| that If he had the advice OF the Ma
| tional Association of Manufacturers
| mo more effective measure could have
| been devised to defeat the growing
| conviction among our people to correct
the perversion of the injunctive pro-
cess
He said Mr. Moon did not reply, so
| he sent copies of the letter to each
| member of the House committee on
judiciary.