Wheeling majority. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1907-192?, 1911-07-20
Crush Labor
With Law Fees
Samuel Gonpers Tells Senate Com
mittee Investigating Police
Methods.
%
LABOR WILL STOP
PAYING LAWYERS.
80
And Workers Arrested viii Simply Go
To Jail and Stay
There.
LABOR WILL STOP
PAYING LAWYERS.
National Socialist Pressl

NNaI1Onal SOc1al1SI FF6SS)
Washington. growing amount
of litigation involving union labor will
soon make it impossible FOR the or
ganized workers to raise money to de-
fend themselves. We will then have
to quit hiring lawyers and stand
strong in our defenseless position"
Thus spoke President Gompers of
the American Federation of Labor be-
fore the special committee of the
Senate, which is Investigating the
third degree" methods Of the police.
After telling the committee about the
McNamara case and of the contempt
cases growing out of the Bucks COM
pany boycott, Gompers declared that
organized labor was getting tired pay
ing big fees to lawyers.
The labor leader intimated that in
the near future all victims of the
enemies of organized labor. would go
to Jail and put their fate in the hands
OF a jury composed Of all the people.
The state would then have to pay the
bill for both defense and prosecution.
Gompers made this statement at the
conclusion Of his testimony relating to
the kidnapping of John j. Mcnamara,
which is now being investigated by
the Senate committee on third de-
gree" The evidence presented was
practically the same which has been
brought out at the hearing on Repre-
sentative Berger's resolution before
the House Committee on Rules.
In opening his testimony Gompers
referred several tins to the House
hearing, but always omitted the name
of Berger as being responsible for, or
in any way connected with that hear
ing. Senator Brandegee, chairman of
the committee, noticed this strange
omission and asked Gompers the name
Of the person who laid the McNamara
evidence before the House Committee.
Attorney Rappaport." replied
Gompers.
"But what was the name Of the
Representative who introduced the
resolution for a Congressional inves-
tigation of this alleged kidnapping?"
persisted Brandegee.
The question was plain. Gompers
replied:
"Mr. Berger, Of Wisconsin"
Getting down to the story Of the
arrest of Mcnamara on April %,
Gompers gave in detail an account of
the seisure Of the labor leader and
his being spirited out of the city in
an automobile without an opportun-
ity of consulting with counsel. despite
the fact that such an opportunity was
demanded by the suspect, manacled,
taken at breakneck speed to Terre
Haute, held in a garage u1til train
tim and rushedto California, being
placed on three different trains dur
ing the trip"
Declaring that such q an outrage
would not have been committed
against any person outside Of the
working class, Gompers mentioned
the Haywood case as another instance
Of kidnapping workingmen. This state
ment brought q smile on the face Of
Senator Borah. member Of the COM
mittee and who was one Of the prose
Icuting attorneys In that case.
Borah, however. agreed with Comp
ers that Mcnamara had been denied
his legal rights. "As to the Haywood
case" Borah said. whatever may be
said from the moral side. We lived VI
to the law technically. But in the
Mcnamara case. police judge who
| had no jurisdiction, turned him ovel
- <iso ftalfenFaSa authorities