Watertown leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1909-1911, 1911-05-19
GOMPERS FREED
BY HIGH COURT
Decided That Labor Leaders
Were Not in Contempt.
TRIO LIABLE TO FINE ONLY
Ruling In Famous Bucks Stove Boy
TT Is That Proceedings Wee
Civil and Not Grim
inai.

Washington. - Samuel Gompers,
John Mitchell and Frank Morri-
son, president, vice-president and
secretary, respectively, of the Ameri-
can Federation Of Labor, will not have
to serve terms in jail for contempt of
court. The Supreme court of the
United States set aside as erroneous
the sentence imposed on the labor
leaders by the supreme court of the
District of Columbia for alleged dis
obedience of the courts Injunction
forbidding a boycott of the Bucks
stove and Range company OF ST. Louis.
Justice Lamar delivered the courts
decision.
The justices unanimously held that
fines were the only sentences that
could be imposed on the labor lead
ers.
In SO holding, the Supreme court
of the United States found that the
court of appeals of the District of Co
lumbia and the supreme court of the
district erred in treating the contempt
proceedings as a criminal case and
ing the proceedings a civil one was to
make jail sentences impossible.
Hence the jail sentences had to be set
aside.
To correct the error the case was
sent back to the local courts. with di-
rection that it be dismissed. At the
same time the court expressly made
it possible for civil proceedings to be
instituted against the labor men.
The court was led to hold that the
contempt proceedings in this case
must be civil in nature because Grim
inal punishment is exercised by courts
to force persons to do acts command
ed. In the present case the court took
the view that the labor men were be-
ing sent to Jail not to make them do
something the court ordered but be-
cause of something they had done"
Inasmuch as all the differences be-
tween the labor men and the COM
plainant have been adjusted, including
the boycott" case out of which the
contempt proceedings arose, the deci-
sion is probably the last heard of this
famous aCt1On.
The charges of contempt against
Messrs. Gompers, Mitchell and Nor
-isnn arose ont of bitter labor war
between organized labor and the
Bucks Stove & Range company of St.
Louis
The concern had come into the SUI
preme court of the District of Colum-
bla to prevent by injunction, the
American Federation of Labor and it's
officials from boycotting It's own prod
ucts or the business of those who
dealt with it.
The company claimed that the fed
GRAFTON was trying to unionize the
company's shops. The labor leaders
urged that the company was unfair"
to labor. The head of the company
was J. w. Van Cleave, president of the
National Manufacturers association,
which had often come into conflict
with the federation He was charged
with having been opposed to organ
lied labor.
Justice Gould of the district SUI
preme court issued the injunction
prayed for by the company, and con-
dnued publication of the Bucks firms
name in the federation eve do not
patronize" list led TO the contempt
charges.
Justice Wright found the union Off
GERS guilty and sentenced President
Gompers to one year in Jail; Vice
President Mitchell to nine months,
and Secretary Morrison to six months.