Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-04-25
COMPERS SEES
ANII-LAB0R PLOT
OF AMERICAN FED
GRAFTON SAYS ITS ANOTHER
LOCALIZED KIDNAPPING.

Washington, D. c., April 24.-Om.
cials of the American Federation OF
Labor are wrought up over the arrests
of Secretary Mcnamara of the Struc-
tural Iron Workers, his brother, and
Ortie McManigal of Chicago, for COM
plicity in the Los Angeles bomb plot
President Samuel Gompers, Secretary
Frank Morrison, and other leading Of
fcials OF the federation, denounced the
arrests and the secret transfer OF the
accused men as high handed and In
famous outrages."
How long are the American people
going to stand for legalized kfdnap-
ing?" was the outburst Of President
Gompers as he sat in his residence at
2122 First street. II say legalized
kidnapping because the manner in
which the extradition of Mcnamara
and the others was secretly arranged
and carried out constitutes an outrage
GUS piece Of legalized kidnapping. And
I'm not so sure that 1t was even leg
allied. We shall see about that In
good time.
"The only parallel to this outrage in
the history Of attacks upon organized
labor was the legalized kidnapping that
distinguished the Meyer, Haywood and
Pettibone case In Colorado and Idaho
Apparently the enemies of organized
labor have not abadoned the tactics
employed in that affair.
see McNamara as Martyr.
IT know McNarama. and know he
is the last man in the world to be sus-
pected OF such crime know he
would be able to establish his inno-
cence without difficulty. But that Is
just what they would not allow him to
do. They spirited him away without
giving him a chance to give prima
facie evidence of his innocence. It
looks as If they feared to give him
that chance.
"The whole affair smacks Of well
laid pre-arrangement. The stage was
all set, the properties arranged, and
then UP went the curtain with blare
of trumpets upon the first act of a
tragedy contemplating the assassina-
ton of organized labor.
ever since the Los Angeles Times
explosion the big money interests have
have been trying to fasten guilt upon
organized labor. Mcnamara has been
picked as the victim. It might just as
we'll be he as another For they were
bound to pick victim from our ranks
somewhere. We shall expose the
whole heinous plot. The representa-
tives of corporate wealth insistently
seek to crush the movement Of
organized labor and wherever they
can they strike at the leaders-the
men having the confidence of the
working people.
Lauds Work Of McNamara.
"McNamara has been painstaking,
conscientious, and efficient official,
conservative and thoroughly in SYM
pathy with the higher aims of organ
lied labor. He is q western man, was
structural iron worker in Chicago,
and for seven years has been secre-
tary and treasurer Of the international
union. I have known him long; my
faith and confidence in him remains
unshaken by the charges, and only
overwhelming proof of guilt Will
change my opinion.
"McNamara distinguished himself
conspicuously in defending his union
from the warfare Of the bridge and
structural iron manufacturing inter.
ests with all their millions. No union
has been more bitterly attacked by
the interests, but he has waged a
good fight. The federation has aided
him in that fght, as 1t will aid him
now
Morrison Sees Plot.
Secretary Morrison OF the federation
was equally indignant.
"Is this justice?" he exclaimed. III
organized labor wanted to get posses
sion Of capitalist. do you suppose