The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1911-03-03

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tion, at its meeting in Bellingham in
1910, did bring in a report, which was
Immediately stifled by the president of
the association, Gose, another member
of the Gose family is supreme court
justice.
Here is what the Spokane County
grand jury reported:
After carefully investigating the
case of w. II. Harris vs.. the Great
Northern Railway company, the grand
jury finds that during the spring of
1908, while the case was on appeal in
the supreme court, NJ. J. Gordon settled
the case by paying the plaintiff the
amount of his judgment and costs, and
that the judges of the supreme court,
did not know that the controversy had
ceased; that decision was given by the
supreme court affirming the judgment
of the lower court, and petition for
rehearing was filed. Gordon on several
occasions discussed the case privately
and in confidence with Judge Milo T.
Root, of the supreme court. That Judge
Root was assigned to write the opinion
of the court on the rehearing; that he
wrote an opinion on the rehearing
which was never filed, and mailed
copy of same to Gordon; that this opin-
ion did not meet with Gordon's approva
and he drafted an opinion himself
which he mailed to w. r. Begg, general
solicitor for the company, at st. Paul,
requesting Begg to wire if the opinion
was satisfactory; that Begg o. KID
Gordon's opinion by telegram, and that
thereafter this opinion drafted by Cor
don was filed by Judge Root as the
opinion of the court.
eve do not find that Judge Root re
ckived Il money consideration for per-
mitting the railway company, through
its attorneys, to write this opinion for
the supreme court, but we find that at
this time he was a candidate for re-
election to the supreme bench, and he
was relying very largely upon Gordon
to look after his campaign in Eastern
Washington, ana that about the same
time Gordon agreed to raise a campaign
fund of 100000, which was to be paid
to Root by Gordon in furtherance of
his campaign for the supreme bench.
That the letters from Root to Cor
don which were published in the re-
port of the committee of the State Bar
association and which plainly refers to
"A money transaction between the par
ties probably had reference to this mon
ey, which Gordon had promised to raise
for Judge Root in the interests of his
candidacy for the supreme bench.
The grand jury then goes on to state
that it was hampered and obstructed
in every conceivable manner by Gordon
and his attorneys, and that several
times, when important witnesses were
ON the point of telling the jury the
whole truth, the prosecutor and the jury
were summoned into court, on applica-
tion of Gordon's attorneys and by the
time the jury was able to resume its
work, all opportunity to get the truth
was gone.
The Interruptions and harassing occa
stoned by Gordon's attorneys finally be-
came so mbearable that the prosecut-
ing attorneys finally appealed to the
supreme court. This latter court, which
practically passing on its own case, fin
ally ruled that it could not interfere
with the rulings of the Spokane county
Judge, and thereafter the Spokane
county prosecutor and his deputy were
convicted of contempt of court for hav-
ing kept shorthand notes of evidence
given by witnesses in the grand jury
room, the attorneys for Gordon being
the prosecutors in court.
1t is courts whose members permitted
such a state of affairs as above report
ed by the grand jury from Spokane
county, rendered Oct. 81, 1909, who
would have the power to set aside and
disregard the laws 'of the people.
The Great Northern railway permit
ted to write the opinion of the supreme
court of Washington, and the judge who
connived at it and permitted such dis
graceful scandal; Milo H. Root per-
mitted to go scot free, as was also Nh
]. Gordon, attorney for the Great
Northern and former supreme court
justice of this state.
Then, to cap it all, the prosecuting
attorney of Spokane county, endeavor-
ing to bring the guilty to justice, is
convicted of contempt of court for do
ing his sworn duty. And such court