The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-12-02
COMPERS STUNNED !. BY THE CONFESSION My Credulity Has Been
 Imposed On" IS MUCH AFFECTED Was Thunderbolt to Head of Ameri- can Federation of Labor-Has
 No Comment to Make
 on Burns

New York, December 1.-'l am astound- ed! I am astuonded My credulty has been imposed upon.' These exclamations were those of Samuel Gompers, presi- dent of the American Federation of La. hor, when advised tonight of the pleas of guilty in the McNamara cases
 MT. Gompers, on his way from Wash ington, was dozing in Pullman car on the Pennsylvania railroads Congressional Limited, when he was awakened at a New Jersey station by an Associated Press representative. He retired to the rear of the car where there was a con- venient light, and read carefully the ac- counts of the sensational developments in the Los Angeles dynamiting cases.
 The veteran labor leader was visibly affected as he read about the mems con fessions in whose behalf he had spoken. Tears came into his eyes, and the hand that held the page shook. He said noth- ing however, until he had finished the item, and then he broke forth with his exclamations of astonishment and indig- nation.
 Credulity Imposed On
 If this Is all true, my credulity has been imposed upon,' he declared. "I am astounded at this news. We have had the gravest assurances given to us by everyone connected with the trial, either directly or indirectly, that these men were innocent"
 MT. Gompers asserted with great em- phasis not the slightest intimaton of any such change in the plans of the de- fense of the McNamaras as developed had been communicated to him. Abso- lutely the first news of the startling de- velopments at the trial had been given him on the train, he said
 Asked if he would have anything to say about the prisoners personally the labor leader replied:
 "No, shall not add to their miserable condition by condemnation of them'
 What effect will this have on labor uniors?'
 MT. Gompers snapped his fingers and calculated "Nonep'
 When the fund raised by the American Federation of Labor was mentioned, Mir Gompers said s190,O0O had been turned over. to the chief attorney of the de- fense and added the collection was still going on. He said that in view of the developments the money probably would be refunded. MT. Gompers displayed temper when shown the statement of W. J. Burns at Chicago.
 :, , Nothing of Burns s.'T don't wish Ito mention Burns he said. ss
 s MT. Gompers denied that he had even charged Burns with planting the dyna- mite at Los Angeles. MT. Gompers, con- tinuing said:
 We have discouraged acts like these. We are patriotic and peace loving men and have the one wish, that of calling out the best interests of man. Those two men must have been crazy. It is an act condemn with all the force that is in me-
 Asked if he believed the developments would injure the cause of labor, tears came into MT. Gompers' eyes, and he answered.:
 They are not going, to do it any good The cause of labor has suffered" said Mir. ,Gompers.i "Laborine men were led to believe the McNamaras were innocent and they acted on that belief I received letters from them protesting their inno- cence. Last September visited them In jail and they asked me to deliver to the labors world the message that they were innocent men. The cause of labor can not win by such methods as these men pursued. Damage of property and de- struption of life we have denounced. Such methods, AS these have to be stamped out When we find out that there is something wrong we ntry to correct it before the public denounces and attacks us. The federation is a law abiding in- stitution.D
 Nh. Gompers said that he had known John J. McNamara for several years.
 John, was a self contained man with great fund of humor and he was a good fighter" he sald I would never have suspected him of this. I always believed in his sinnocence, but l would condemn the acts of the two men even if they had been able to get away with it with out being convicted. This unexpected self conviction is nothing more nor less than a failure of two individuals to live up to the high principles of organized labor and. cannot. reflect just condemna- ton uponthe cause of labor as a whole"