New-York tribune., 1911-12-03
TIE TEARS OF Mr.. GOMPERS.

Mt. ShUluci GOIUpeTs, We uic toit,
wept when he heard of the confession Of
the McNamaras. The precise cause Of
his grief is left To speculation. Per
baps no injustice will be done In assunl-
ing it to be more subjective than OBJ
jective. He probably wept more for
his own distress and that OF the close
corporation which he arrogantly calls
"labor" than for the fate OF those two
friends Of his whom he was only yes
terday cOmmiSerating rs the victims or
a hellish conspiracy and whom he was
quite prepared tomorrow to mourn as
holy martyrs. In that he Is surely right.
They simply carried to its logical con-
clusion. according to their own apt In
depreciation. the propaganda suggestive
Of hatred and lawlessness of which he
has long been the most conspicuous pro-
tagonist.
1t is not. of course. to be intimated
for moment that Mr.. Gompers was
priyy to the McNamaras crime, or
that he directly suggested or melted IT,,
or that he approves il or regards it
otherwise than with horror and de-
testation. Alr. Gompers is a law-abid-
ing citizen. He would never counsel
violence. lie would not throw brick
bat at "scab." If lie saw some I'M
petuOus friends Of his manhandling one
of their fellows he would probably beg
them not TO nail his ears TO the pump !:
and when, next day, he saw the ears
nailed 10 the pump he would protest
II am astounded beyond expression" !"
and then 90 away and weep. Doubtless
we should weep with him, because the
cledulity Of this good man has been so
wickedly imposed upon. Did not these
men personally assure him that they
were innocent? And did not that prove
beyond all question that. In his own
well measured words, the Interests If
corporate wealth" were contemplating
the assassination of organized labor
and that "the whole thing was deep
seated frame-up. an outrage?
To the law-lOving mind Of Mr.. Com
perS. amid his tears Of distress, It
may. However, be well TO suggest GER
tain pertinent inquiries. He would 10
we'll to consider the moral responsibility
of a leader Of men who persistently in
cites his followers to regard their fel-
low men with hatred. He might profit
ably look forward TO discern the logical
effect Of the preaching Of social war
When riotous strikers have destroyed
property and assaulted independent ia
boring men he has been quick TO defend
or TO excuse them. or TO pretend that
like the McNamaras, they were the IN
nocent victims Of ''frame-up." Has
he not the perception to see to what
that must lead, and that men thus
screened in minor misdemeanors will he
tempted to expect similar protection III
the commission of major crimes? The
whole trend and tenor Of Mr.. Gomperss
teaching for many years has been
toward the condonatiOn of lawbreaking
when done in the name of organized
labor" and now. having sown the wind,
he weeps at the reaping Of the whirl-
wind.
Amid his tears, however. perhaps he
may find opportunity and inclination to
inform the world, if be can do So upon
one point of pertinent and intense in
terest. He denies that there was any
such sum as a million dollars raised by
organized labor" for the defence of the
McNamaras. though he did promise that
the American Federation Of Labor
would leave nothing undone and would
spare no means in defending them.
There is now no need Of such eX-
penditures and such defence. But what
the world would like TO know is who
provided the McNamaras with the
means needed for the commission OF
their crime. 1t cost much money 10
travel as far as they did and to pay
for the storage Of the dynamite until
il could be used, and what not else.
Who financed the crime? From what
treasury did that blood money come?
II would be gratifying TO have Mr..
Gompers abate his grief sufficiently long
to tell us if he knows anything about it,
IL he does not, who does?