The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-12-03

New 1Ork, DeceIlDeT 1.-- oii iioe 1'
 hound I am not hound; do not seek
 human blood in punishment for any crime"
 This was the angry retort of Samuel
 Gompers tonight on his return from Troy when shown dispatch from Spokane
 saving the General Labor council Of that city is planning country wide movement to obtain the maximum punishment for the Los Angeles dynamters "eI do not be- l lieve in capital punishment under any cir- cumstances," he continued. T do not be- lieve the state has right to take human l life. This is a very unwise movement. l am against it, It is like the populace in | the Roman arena demanding with it's thumbs down that the victorious gladiator plunge the sword into the victim. T do not believe in thumbs down for these, or any other self confessed work l ing men as criminals
 What punishment should be meted out?" the Associated Press representa- tive asked
 Suppose we let the judge decide that l he continued 'I am content to leave It
 with him..
 Has the American Federation of La- bor any authority over the Central Labor
 council of spokane?'
 "They are affiliated with us the same as a congress, but we have no authority over
 them. They have right to do as they please as long as they obey the law. l can only say that this is very unwise movement, a misdirected effort, and am
 not in sympathy with it.. xte.rx el1 ttf saving the federal investigation in Indian apols into dynamting cases would pro- ceed and asked if he thought there was any possibility of officials of the Amefl- can Federation of Labor becoming 1n- volved.
 Let them go ahead let them go as high as they like" he said IT there
 are other men above or below or beneath in this case the federal investigation ought to disclose them. Let the federal investi- gation go forward. If there was anybody
 behind these men their identity ought to be known. Personally, I cannot conceive of where they got their money to per- petrate their outrages. l cannot dream
 who was behind them
 Tt has been said that the McNamaras
 pleaded guilty to protect other persons, was suggested to MT. Gonpers. .'I don't know anything about that; l have received no communication from Los Angeles since the joint telegram from the McNafnaras thanking me for the sup
 port of the American Federation of Labor.
 If there is anybody that needs to be pro-
 tected I don't know Of it.
 MT. Gompers expects to remain here un- iii Monday and then leave for Washing ton
 A Different Idea
 New York, December 2.-"The fight hnsr first chapter What we want to fnd cut now, is who are the men behind the tMIcNamaras and this we propose to do."
 This statement was made today by Walter Drew, chief counsel Tor the National E,rectors association, which employed William J. Burns and his de- tectives to investigate the Los An geles dynamiting cases.
 "The McNamaras in pleading guilty have said that they were sent out there and acted for principle Mir Drew continued. "It is obvious the men rep resenting this principle have kept them well supplied with money. It Is to ind out who these men are that becomes the important issue from now on."
 MT. Drew emphasized the importance of the federal investigation now under way in Indianapolis.
 "Compared to this the prosecutions of the McNamaras is 6 side issue he continued. We of the National Erect ors' association have no personal mal- ice against the McNamaras and hope, that clemency will be given them We too are fighting for 8 principle, Just as they are.
 "The big principle behind 1t all, on our part, is the prosecution of the men who paid the McNamaras and coun- tenanced and instigated this outrage.
 t., hnI federal authorities will continue a rigid
 investigation of the ease. The Ma eional Erectors associatiob will. of course give every gid possible. There also will be cooperation with the Los Angeles authorities.
 "This whole thing is a national is sue and the sooner union labor frees itself of the criminal element the bet ter it will be for labor and the sooner the country realizes that it is such an issue the better and the sooner the problem will be put on its proper foot ing"
 MT Drew said that messages of con- gratulations have been pouring into his office all morning from all sec tions of the country.
 Charles F. Cheney, secretary of the association, said today
 "The Los Angeles authorities seen to be able to attend to that end of the case. The broader aspects of the case are in charge of federal author ities in Indianapolis The association
 hopes, of course. to see all the wrong doers prosecuted"
 Detective Burns was retained by tic association in September, 1910, after that organization had determined to spare no expense in running down sne perpetrators of dynamite outrages that had been increasing where structural iron building operations were in prog ress. At that time Burns was given a list of 35 of such explosions that oc-
 cured in 1909 and 1910
 The National Erectors' association is an organization of 10 of the largest firms dealing in iron and steel all over the country, primarily to help the trade es- tablish itself on an open shop basis. It was organized in January. 1906, just be- fore the termination of the closed shop agreement under which it's members for merly had operated. Its headquarters are in this city and MT. Drew is counsel anh chief executive officer He added the use of dynamite against opposition com panes began almost after the announce
 ment of open shops Since Detective Burns and his associates were employed by the association, Mr. Drew said. the list of dynamite cases had increased to
 more than hundred
 The McNamaras,' continued MT. Drew, were merely the tools of lot of men who attempted by force to influence
 builders of steel bridges into maintaining closed shop and, as hirelings, they had no interest whatever in committing mur- der and blowing up property further than to do their work so as to draw their