Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-01-22
DARES IDAHO SENATOR
TO FACE HIM IN COURT
Samuel Gompers Responds to
Charges by Hepburn Made
in Senate Debate.

Samuel Gompers, president of the
American Federation of Labor, in an
editorial in the current issue of the
Federationist, hurls his gauntlet in the
face of Senator Hepburn and dares the
Idahoan to make in a court of law the
charges and allegations he made few
days ago in the Senate of the United
States. The labor leader demands that
the senator from Idaho repeat his state
ments in place where he will have mo
privilege to wag an unbridled tongue"
and adds Senator Hepburn to the list of
those whom he has publicly defied to
show that he had any knowledge of the
Mcnamara dynamiting outrages prior to
the confessions of the McNamaras them
selves.
President Gompers editorial def is the
result of controversy in the Senate last
Thursday, when Senator Hepburn OBJ
jected to the receipt of a petition from
the American Federation of Labor, signed
by it's president and other officers. be-
cause, among reasons assigned by the
senator, President GomperS is not ctti-
zen of the United States.
Citizen Since 1872.
In his editorial rely to statements
made by Senator Hepburn and contained
in the Congressional Record. President
Gompers states that he has been a cisi-
zen of the United States since 1872; that
he came to this country with his parents
when he was thirteen years OF age. and
that Immediately upon attaining his ma
Jority he took out his citizenship papers
Quoting at length from the COMPRESSION
al Record, President GOmpers concludes
with the following:
And now a word with you, Senator
Hepburn. l ask you to read the editorial
in hir iGGrr Of ha fcor Enda n.
fst, under the caption. The Man Higher
Up You will observe there not only my
denial of any knowledge of or connec-
tion with any dynamiting or other I'M
lawful conduct but you will observe that
therein / challenge Burns and his spon-
sors and hackers to prove in court of
law any charge which any or all Of them
may bring against me: TO produce any
and every piece of evidence which in any
way shows that / have been guilty of
any crime CT offense against the laws of
the United States or any of the states.
j now and here include you, and ! defy
you and challenge you to produce in
court of law any such evidence. You will
observe that i specifically state in a
court of law, rather than under the con-
stitutional protection which surrounds
your privilege to wag your unbridled
tongue in indirection and insinuatiOn."
Basis Of the Controversy.
The incident which brings forth Presi-
dent Gompers' latest defiance was the
objection of Senator Hepburn to the re-
ceipt by the Senate of petition from the
American Federation of Labor, asking
that the hand-roller process of bill print
ing be not discontinued. and that the
paper money of the country be not print
ed on power presses. The petition was
prepared at the Atlanta convention of the
federation, and was signed by President
(SOmperS and other officers a the fodera-
ton.
When il was presented i'm the Senate
Senator Hepburn objected to il. declaring
that President Gompers Is not a citizen
of the United States, and that the right
of petition is restricted to citizens. The
objection of the senator from Idaho pre-
cipitated debate. the report of which
occupies several pages of the Record but
the petition of the American Federation
of Labor was finally received.
In concluding the editorial President
Gompers. addressing Senator Hepburn.
urges the gentleman from Idaho. to go
as far as he likes" He declares that ne
IS willing to have the American people
Judge between himself and Senator Hey
burn as to which of us stands for the
dollar and which for the manhood. the
country"
Detective Burns on Gompers.
Detective william ]. Burns. who ran
down the McNamaras and secured the
confession of their guilt. and who was
few days ago brought into the Iorimer
Investigation. today made another state
mept in reference to President Gompers.
Mr.. Burns say that some time ago he
addressed letter to President Gompers,
in which he asked the labor leader sew
eral questions. This letter. he says. has
never been answered. Detective Burns
said:
There is one question In particular
that l want Mr.. Gompers to answer.
have challenged him to do so. but / be-
lieve he will hardly dare to take the pub
lie into his confidence. 1 want Mr.
Gompers to print an itenized account of
his expenditures of the fund collected for
the defense of the Mcnamara brothers
When that is done the world will be
amazed
President Gompers is out of the city and
will not return for several days. A
short time ago he remarked that he would
have nothing further to say in reply to
statements or allegations of Detective
Burns, asking: why should / further
dignity this man Burns. or give him any
additional advertising, by replying to his
uilIv SfafeunenfS%