The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1911-11-13
President Compers' Annual
Report to American FEEDER
alton of Labor Convention
a Bitter One.
M'NAMARA CASE is
CALLED MERE PLOT.
Against Organized Labor
Endorses Initiative, Etc,
Laments Court Procedure.
Praises Harlan.
(National News Association

National News Association
ATLANTA, Ga. Nov. 13.-Exrress.
ious Of surprise were caused on every
hands today when President Samuel
Gompers, of the American Federation
of Labor presented his annual report
at the thirty-firs1 annual conventions
OF the Federation, in session here.
His report embodied a bitter TRADE
against capital and he virtually de-
clared war on several existing fea-
lures of the government.
President Gompers charged a plot
against union labor in the Mcnamara
dynamiting case; urged that the lnilia-
tive. referendum and recall, extending
even to judges, be adopted universally.
commended the late Supreme Court
Justice Harlan on his dissenting Stan
dard Oil opinion and declaration
against usurpation of power by courts;
advocated more stringent ANTITRUST
legislation and laws limiting use of in
functions: declared that organized Ia
Dor is becoming a power in politics;
decried employers tolerance Of such
conditions as were responsible for
the Triangle Shirt Waist Factory fire
holocaust in New York; related the
history of the Gompers- rs-Mitchell.Morri-
son contempt case. lamenting certain
features of federal court procedure
and spoke in favor OF the establish.
ment by congress of a federal Depart.
ment of Labor.
The McNamara Case.
President Gompers' sensational re-
port was lengthy one. covering six
! ty pages of fine print. ..---->~..~.@s-
Speaking Of the McNamara dynamit-
ing case and the explosion which
wrecked the Los Angeles Times build
ing on October 2, 1919, President Com
pers said in part:
while the debris of the wrecked
Los Angeles Times building was still
aflame, after the explosion which
caused the consuming fire. Gen Har-
! rison Grey Otis, proprietor OF the
Times, although many miles from the
spot, lost not a single moment In lay
| ing the cause of the disaster. in words
of fury and hatred. to the trade unions.
He had no facts whatever. except his
insane enmity, upon which to base his
charge against the unions. Had he
been a conscientious man, or q cool
and sensible man, he would have
awaited the developments OF forth
coming investigation. But Otis, in
bitter TRADE, exhibited to the world
his rancorous spirit towards trade
unionism, his violence of character,
and his thirst for revenge on union
men.
Matching Big Plot.
"As everybody knows, the dragnet
investigation of the explosion and fire.
after the lapse of months. left the case
simply one of mystery. For half a
year it was plain to all observers that
circumstances were favorable for the
Matching of a plot against such union
men as should be selected as the OBJ
jects Of Otis diabolical revenge. Time
; and again the thought must have oc-
. Cured to union officials: Which OF
us shall be the ones to have charges
framed up against us? With Otis mo-
!. ney, of which he has millions, to be
, used in hiring detectives, the biggest
| lot of black-mailing thieves that ever
went unwhipped by Justice. plot
could be concocted involving any man
: In the United States whose organiza-
/ ton or whose principles had ever at
tracted the poisoned pen of Otis. 1t
was not until nearly seven months had
expired that, in a series OF events in
: tentionally made theatrical, organized
) labor and the public were apprized Of
: the fact that Otis victims had at
length been found
E The dissenting opinion Of Justice
: Harlan of the Supreme Court in the
Standard Oil case brought words Of
: praise from Mr.. Gompers. THE learn.
ed Justice" he said, was not merely
j deciding or giving his opinion OF the
! law, but testifying to facts In that
D testimony he has been corroborated al
most universally, the only dissentienta
+ being President Taft and Attorney
8 General Wickersham. The ignorant
4 and unreasoning have heretofore re
e ceived with incredulity and scorn ou'
= complaints that the courts were usurp
ing legislative powers in labor dis
putes by issuing blanket tnjunctioni
where the law had provided lega'
remedies.
This judicial usurpation pointed out
by Justice Harlan is no more fiagran'
y and obvious than in each of dozens o1
ri instances to which we have from time
l. to time referred.
Il AZ TO injunctions-
i -As time passes, evidence accruea
i .A.> thu Injunction habit must xC
down before common sense and th<
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