The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1912-06-26
LABOR LEADERS SENTENCED
eompers One Year, Mitchell Nine
Months, Morrison Six Months

Samuel Gompers, Frank Morrison
and John Mitchell, the labor leaders, |
we're yesterday held guilty of con-
tempt of court by the supreme court
of the District of Columbia, in con-
nection with a courts injunction in
the Bucks stove and range boycott
case. They will attempt to appeal
again to the supreme court of the
United States, which reversed their
former conviction Justice Daniel
Thew Wright announced the decision
of the court. 1t covered " closely
typewriter pages and took about two
hours to read
Bondsmen were on hand and attor-
neys for the labor men gave notice
of an intention to file an appeal to
have the supreme court review the
Judgment In its previous review OF
the case, the supreme court reversed
the conviction on the ground that
the contempt proceedings had been
| improperly instituted. New proceed
ings were at once begun. The SEN
fences under the first conviction were
Gompers. one year; Mitchell, nine
months; Morrison, six months.
The charge was that the three men
as officers of the American federation
of labor, through the organization
official publication had disregarded
Justice Goulds injunction against the
publication of the Bucks stove and
range companys name in its boycott
list Justice Wright sentenced Com
pers to one year, the same as upon
his previous conviction, and sentenc-
ed Morrison to six months. John
Mitchell was not present and sen
tence upon him was deferred.
After Gompers had been sentenced
Yesterday he attacked the decision
T declaring that while Justice Wright
lives in our time, his decision and
! sentences disclose mental concept
of more than two centuries ago when
the workman was either a slave OF
serf. information just came &c
me that the decision was completed
t more than a month ago, but withheld
until after the close OF the Chicago
republican national convention. Il
!. true, the inference is obvious
In passing sentence on President
Gompers the court said For the
rngleader and chief offender, tn,
duty of the court is to be ascertain
ed by its obligations to admklistel
the justice of the land, without res
pect to persons, requires it in deter
mining a penalty appropriate for thii
the most dangerous and destructive
of contempts, at least to parallel thu
extreme penalty which is fixed b.
:, good presidents.
After long recital of the funC
y tons of the law and judicial power
= the opinion concludes: THE evidence
> shows for these respondents an as
= siduous and persistent effort to IN
a dermine the supremacy of the law b.
= undertaking insidiously to destro.
= the confidence of the people in tn
= integrity of the tribunals which main
|, tain ii by inoculating the minds o
: their followers and the people with
\ virus of mischievous falsehoods AM
q misrepresentation concerning tn
!. court and judges. seeking and hope
!, full that the support of the peopl
!. might be withdrawn from these tri
bunals. and by this means thei
power undone their judgment rer
dered valueless and forceless.
The defendants are here at tn
court bar to answer; they have beef
. afforded full opportunity to hear tn
! evidence against them and to sa,
h what II any, reasons can exis
against their punishment. Ever,
part of their response. for they offe
: no defense is measured by the word
of their leader, Gompers: The thing
am charged with, did. Go to
with your injunctions'