Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-12-08
|RECREANT TO LABOR
GomperS and Others Officially
Denounce McNamaras.
NO KNOWLEDGE OF CRIMES
Declare Confessions Their First Init
nations Of Guilt.
IS NOT SIGNED BY RYAN
Names of Other Members of NC
Namara Ways and Means Com
mittee Appear on Statement.
Is NOT SIGNED BY RYAN

James e. and John J. Mcnamara are
branded as 'recreant to the good name
and high ideals of labor in the first for
NAL. authoritative statement from organ
lied labor relative to its attitude toward
the self-confessed perpetrators of the dis
astrous dynamite conspira cies. given out
late yesterday afternoon following a three
hour session behind closed doors by the
the American Federation of Labor
The contention of the American Fedora
ton Of Labor as set forth in the state
ment is that an explosion of gas wrecked
the Los Angeles Times building. The
Russian arrest and Siberian treat
ment' Of the ,McNamaras is denounced,
and Detective Burns is arraigned. The
signers protest they had no knowledge of
the guilt of the McNamaras until the con-
fession Of the brothers was published. and
declare they welcome any investigation
by any federal or state court. 1t is stated
that labor joins in the satisfaction that
the majesty of the law has been upheld
ed for their crimes. 1t also is stated that
all money contributed to the defense fund
Of the McNamaras will be accounted for
in Il report to the executive council in
washington, January 3.
The statement was signed by Samuel
Gompers, Frank Morrison. James A.
Short. William J. Spencer, James O'Con-
nell. A. J. Berries, John B. lennon and
thomas F. Tracey.
Frank NJ. Ryan, president of the Inter
national Association of Bridge and Struc-
tural Iron Workers, a member of the
committee, did not sign the report, which
is as follows:
Text If Statement
ITO the American public on theMc-
Namara case:
1.-The McNamaras stand before the
world self-convicted Of great crimes. They
have been sentenced to terms Of impris-
onment-J. B. during his natural life, J.
]. for fifteen years. The position of labor
in connection with the effort made to
afford these men an opportunity for ade-
Quate defense before the courts has been
attacked and misrepresented to such a
degree as to require a clear statement at
the hands Of the undersigned, who are in
the best position to make an authoritative
will be strengthened by some review of
the principal points of the case.
Was there an explosion Of gas in the
Los Angeles Times building when it was
destroyed? Immediately after the disas-
ter the press reports stated that men wno
had been at work in the building spoke
of an odor of gas for some time previous
to the explosion. Gas leakage in the
building, it came out later, had been
known to others. Many conservative
trades union officials newspaper writer's,
and publicists, on making an investga-
ton in Los Angeles soon after, were posi-
tive in assuring the public that they be-
lieved gas had destroyed the building.
Among the mine workers, not one
man, SO far as information has reached
us, has believed the destructive explosive
was dynamite. Prominent officials Of the
United Mine Workers, cautious, honor
able men whose word is taken as truth
by all who know them, who are familiar
with mine explosions, declared that the
effect Of the explosion was not that which
followed a dynamite explosion.