The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1911-05-15
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Washington. d. c.. May 15.-Settine
aside the sentences of Imprisonment
imposed by the supreme court of the
District of Columbia for alleged dis
obedience to the boycott Injunction
the supreme court of the United
States today held that Samuel Com
pers. John Mitchell and Frank Morri-
son. president. vice president and sec
retary. respectively, of the American
federation Of LABOR, had been erron
eously sentenced to Jail on the charge
of contempt of the local court.
The court unanimously held the on
" sentences that could be imposed up
on the labor leaders were fines. In so
holding the court found the court OF
appeals of the District of Columbia
and supreme court of the district erred
in treating the contempt proceedings
as n criminal case, and not a civil one.
The effect of holding the proceedings
a civil one was to make Jail sentences
impossible.
To correct the error the case is sent
tion that it he dismissed At the
same time the court makes II possible
for civil proceedings to be instituted
against the labor men by the Buck
Stove & Range Co, at whose instance
original contempt was brought.
Inasmuch as all the differences be-
tween the labor men and the Bucks
company have been adjudicated. in
Guiding boycott" case out of which
the contempt proceedings arose, to-
days decision is probably the last OF
this famous action.
Bitter Labor War.
The charges of contempt against
President Gompers, Vice President
Mitchell and Secretary Morrison arose
out of bitter labor war between or
ganized labor and the Bucks Stove
and Range company, of ST. Louis, Mo.
The st. Louis concern had come into
the Supreme Court of the District of
Columbia to prevent by injunction. the
American Federation of Labor and its
official from boycotting its own pro-
OT lilt buSiltSS WI hioot VIM
dealt with 1t. The questions involved
and the parties concerned attracted
widespread attention. The company
claimed that the Federation was try
ing to unionize the company's shops.
The labor leaders urged that the COM
pany was "unfair' to labor, The head
of the company was J. w. Van Cleave,
president of the National Manufacture
ers' Association, which had often come
into conflict with the Federation. He
was charged with having been opposed
to organized labor and with having
sought to put his nickel plate workers
on a ten-hour instead of nine hour
basis.
Defendants Are Sentenced.
Justice Gould. of the District Su
preme Court issued the injunction
prayed for by the company. An ap-
proval was taken to the Court OF APP
'peaIs of the District of Columbia but
before that court could pass upon the
validity of the injunction. The Bucks
Stove and Range company again came
into the District Supreme Court. this
time with charges of contempt against
President Gompers. Vice President
Mitchell and Secretary Morrison. These
men were accused of having violated
the injunction degree
Justice Wright found them guilty
and sentenced President Gompers to
one wear I'm jail: Vice President Mitch-
ell. to nine months: and Secretary
Morrison to. six months. An appeal
was taken from this sentence. first to
the Court of Appeals. which affirmed
IL finally TO the Supreme Court of the