The Washington times., 1912-01-11
.GOMPERS ATTACKS
GOVERNMENT FIGHT
ON LONGSHOREMEN
lntimates Suit Is Persecution
Before Senate Commerce
!. Committee.

Before the Senate Interstate-. Com
nerce Committee this afternoon Presi-
dent Samuel Gompers, OF the American
Federation Of Labor. practically
charged the Department of Justice with
prosecuting an organization OF long
shorelnen in Florida for the purpose of
settling precedent as to the applica-
\ tion Of the Sherman law to labor
unions. to intimidnte unions In the fu-
ture in their contests with their employ
ers.
President Gompers read a letter to the
committee and made comments of his
s,~r own there theron with respect to prosecSH,
Organization Of longshoremen by the
United states attorney in Florida.
Mr.. Gompers gave 1t as his opinion,
e an he sut s ss that
defendant Off with light fines. but at
the same time set a precedent that
would give trouble TO local unions Of
longshorcmcn. all the way from Bait-
more to Florida
Cause of Trouble.
President Gompers read a letter 20
the committee In which 1t was said that
the prosecution by the Government was
the outcome of controversy between
the longshoremen and one w. NJ. Ma
son. contracting stevedore. Mason.
It appears. complained to the District
United States Attorney and got him
to take. hand in the matter.
President Gompers spoke before the
committee for only short time this
morning. He will resume in the course
Of the afternoon. He was accompanied
council Of the American Federation Of
Labor.
Mr.. Gompers explained that he ap;;
peared II his eapaeitX shor as an on Official
pursuance Of a resolution Of the re-
cent Atlanta convention, Mr.. Gompers
told the committee that the Fedora
on oa tTa Tas IN ss5
terpreted by the courts, modified. He
referred to the decision in the Dan
bury hatters case, by. which labor
man law.
Wants Restoration.
This made voluntary organization Of
working people amenable to the civil
and criminal prosecution of the anti
trust statute. Gompers urged upon the
committee the need Of restoration to the
working people Of the right Of organi-
zation- which they were supposed to
nave prior to the decision in the Dan
President Gompers then briefly dis
cussed the question and laid before the
committee the correspondence he had
with reference to the prosecution Of the
Admitting that the Sherman law and
the idea Of Government regulation of
monopoly or combination are incongru-
Of the Outlook. appeared today before
the Senate Committee on Interstate
Commerce and gave that body his ideas
on control Of the country's industrial
Special interest attached to what DR..
Abbott said. because 1t was felt his
ideas were In close Juxtaposition to
those Of . certain prominent resident of
stan. And. as a matter of fact, what
he said on the question was not far re-
mote in essentials to the recommended
tions of Colonel Roosevelt when he was
President. ..-.".
Abbott's Position.
DR.. Abbott did not want the Sher-
man law repealed. He wanted It to re-
main on the statute books But, at the
same time. he would give power to a
Federal commission or to some bureau
of the Government to control corpora
tions, either limiting their profits or
He was not positive whether the limit.
ing or the fixing Of prices should be
adopted. pointingout that one method
was indirect and the other direct.
Asked by Senator Cummins IL he did
not recognize that to put into effect
the sort Of control he advised, would be
to repeal the Sherman law, DR.. Abbott
would keep the present law, use 1t to
prevent and punish all efforts to crush
out competition and through the COM
mission or bureau bring corporations
into harmony with, law. II in time
change Of the old or the new law was
necessary, he would make 1t.
Advocates Commission.
"I would create a commission or bu-
reau' said DR.. Abbott. II would give 1t
power to bring before it any corpora
tion IN interstate commerce, either on
its own motion or on complaint.
would give the commission or bureau
certain powers to determine whether