The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-08-25
MIR. GoMPERs IN SALT LAKE.

Mr. Gompers, after q brief visit TO
Salt Lake City, departed on his tour
Of the Pacific Northwest and Calfor
MIA. Before going he expressed him
self as exceedingly well pleased with
Salt Lake. impressed with its growth
and beauty, and with the conditions
that he found here, In all this Mr.
Gompcrs shows himself to he man
of observation and taste, and his good
opinion of Salt Lake City is so gen
orally endorsed, that it only needs
motion to make it unanimous.
While here Mr.. Gompers delivered An
address which was largely devoted to
the case, personal to himself, pending
before Judge Wright of tho Supreme
Court of the District of Columbia. He
went into that matter very thoroughly,
and announced the determination to
stand firm in his position.
In speaking of the concrete question of
organization. Mr.. Gompers reviewed the
general conditions of modern life and
activities, showing that organization,
combination. and union OF forces COM
prise the distinguished feature of mod
ern life in business, in professions, in
broad activities generally, AS well as in
labor. He was speaking especially with
regard TO the duty Of the labor unions
to see that the Mcnamara brothers re-
ceiye a fair trial in Los Angeles In
this, of course, every one will agree
with Mr. Gompers, The men are enti-
tied to fair trial, and without doubt
they will get it. The only point Of
objection is to those who declare on
the one hand that the McNamaras are
clearly guilty and ought TO be hanged,
and those on the other who with equal
strenuousness. affirm that they are in
nocent. The body of the public will
condemn both of these, and will say
that the guilt or innocence of these men
cannot be known until after the trial
We are glad to see that, so far as Mr.
Gompers and his hackers are concerned,
the frenzied protestations of innocence
that were first spread broadcast are
no longer insisted upon, but have
changed to the perfectly reasonable
plea that the McNamaras are entitled
TO A fair trial.
One part Of Mr.. Gompers's address,
however, seems to us far-fetched; that
portion where he says that "many Of
these injunctions, these charges of boy.
cottiDg, striking, conspiracy, sluggina
and murder, are all part of the gigantic
conspiracy to crush the labor move
ment. - This is a generalization too
broad to stand; every case must be de-
termined upon It's own merits. Whether.
labor unions or somebody else is guilty
In gwen case is matter to be de-
termined in that case; it is not ques-
ton where charges can be punched
together and decided in a mass The
fact that one labor man may be guilty
In one case is no proof that another la
Dor man is guilty of another offense
in different case. And the reverse also
is true, that if the oppressers of labor,
as they are called, are guilty in one
case, that is no proof that they are
guilty in another What the law re-
Qulres, and what candid Judgment re-
quires, is that each case shall be deter
mined for itself, and that what is
proved in one case shall In no wise
prejudice the next case to come on for
trial, The vice of generalization and
undertaking to combine offenses or of
Tenders is one of the great evils of
the time that a man of the intelligence
and national repute that Mr.. Gompers
enjoys should avoid.
Salt Lake City was glad to have the
visit of Mr.. Gompers. 1t wishes him
well in his mission of raising the where
withal to see that the McNamaras have
a fair trial And it bespeaks for him
and his opinion the same fairness and
justice that they are willing to accord
to others.