The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1911-04-24
Arrest Vicious Blow.

Arrest Vicious Blow.
Characterizing this latest arrest las
the most vicious blow ever struck at
organized labor" Mr.. Gompers said he
had known Mcnamara as a painstaking.
conscientious, and efficient official. con-
sentative and thoroughly in sympathy
with the higher aims of organized labor
always
Mr.. Mcnamara has been secretary OF
the steel workers for seven years." said
Mr. Gompers. Before that he was a
structural iron worker at Chicago and all
through the West.
Il can say furthermore that Mcnamara
has had a hard fight against the huge
steel and bridge building interests, with
their many millions as a backing, but he
has done good work, and the American
Federation of Labor has aided the Iron
Workers Union in many ways, morally
and materially and with its organizers,
but no union has ever been more bitterly
attacked
Mr.. Gompers said that an afternoon
paper, issued yesterday, has misQuoted
him, inasmuch as 1t printed a statement
quoting him as saying nothing except
the Haywood, Meyer, and Pettibone case
history of attacks upon organized labor. "
Il did not refer to those cases in any
way" said Mr.. Gompers last night. land
the statement was originated in the
brain of my interviewer. Neither did
say that McNamara's extradition was
legalized kidnapping I said it was un-
lawful and high-handed kidnapping. It
could not possibly be legalized-"
Frank Morrison, secretary of the
SCOTS at Allegation.
American Federation of Labor, issued
the following statement last night:
Il do not believe John ]. Mcnamara,
secretary of the Bridge and Structural
Iron Workers Union, has ever had any
connection whatsoever. with the Los An
geles Times catas phe or the de-
struction of proper at any time.
The forcible abduction of Mr. Nc
Namara from indianapolis without ac-
cording him an opportunity for hearing
upon the charge made against him can
not fail to meet with the utmost cundem-
nation by all citizens who honestly desire
that every man, woman, and child should
receive equal consideration and protec-
ton by the officers of the State. High
handed procedure should not be permitted
merely because those making the arrest
assert they have sufficient evidence to
convict, for II they really have such evil
dence they could easily convince the
proper officers at a hearing and thus Sc
cure possession of their prisoner in a le-
gal and lawful way.
Labor has been bitterly fought along
the western coast, and because we have
been winning out, all sorts of tricks have
been resorted to by our opponents. There
is no dOnht In NV MIND &c ON
other one. 1t is an infamous outrage and
will be resented by every member of the
unions in the United States
There is nothing to show that Nc
Namara has ever been to Los Angeles,
yet he is charged with completely in a
crime that killed twenty-one men, among
them union men. The suspicion of COM
plicity is based on the fact that he held
meetings with James B. Mcnamara, his
brother, who is accused of having had
internal machines in his possession
William ]. Spencer, secretary of the
building trades department of the fed
GRAFTON, also characterized the arrest as a
direct attempt to discredit the organiza-
ton of unions.
Dynamite was "Planted.o
He, as well as Mr.. Gompers and Mr..
Morrison. believes that dynamite was
planted" in the barn in Indianapolis
and hidden in the storerooms Of the iron
workers union building by opponents
of unions" with malicious intent and with
a view of fastening on the arrested men
evidences OF guilt.
Speaking of Mr.. McNamara's work as
secretary, Mr.. Spencer said: He was
elected to the responsible office largely
because OF his exemplary habits and
StudfOlg iS
retiring man-one Of the last persons
enc would expect to be accused of such
a crime. I know him well, and I am
confident he is innocent Dynamite and
Internal machines might easily have been
placed in the isolated barn and in the
union Office by opponents of the union,
who would stop at nothing to gain their