Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-01-02
ASKS BOTH TO OUT PLAYING DEEP GAME'DENED BY CD
Proposal One Estimate OF Rooseves Did Not Stand on
to Taft and La Toilette. Attitude Politics. Flag at 0akIa
RFvERDGE OR THE
the>Puty as Significant Crowd Could See and
INTENDED TO BE
Been n
were Never
Did Not Stand on American
Flag at Oakland.
BUT DID STAND ON TABLE
Did So, as Did Other Speakers, So
Crowd Could See and Hear Him.
SAYS PHOTOGRAPHS ARE FAKES
Shows Letter From g. A. b. Post
Members Saying Resolutions
Were Never Adopted.

! Samuel Gompers, president Of the
American Federation Of Labor in a state
ment to the press today denounces the
story widely published this morning in
which he is described as having stood on
an American flag while delivering a speech
at Oakland Cal. last Labor day. He
charges that the photographs which
have been published and which represent
Mr.. Gompers as standing with both feet
planted on the flag, are nothing more nor
less than frank fakes" or composite,
"double-printing'' pictures.
In a statement this afternoon Mr. Com
| pers says:
! of the two addresses I made in Oak
land. Cal. one was on Labor day. in
connection with the San Francisco
demonstration and mass meeting. and
meeting was during the evening. and
was some days later in a hall
My recollection of the meeting at
Shellmound Park, Oakland. was that it
grandstand and a large field. tempo
rary stand was erected in the middle of
the grounds, the speakers facing the
grandstand. and in this instance there
standing between the speakers tempo
rarv stand and the gTandstand.
THE crowd was so great that many of
| them overfOwed and stood on the tenn
could not have been seen by any one
other than those on the temporary speak
ers stand. There was table on this
stand. intended for the speakers notes,
and having a pitcher of water and a
glass on 1t. The table was festooned
| around by an American flag No part
of it, except possibly an inch. was over
| tapping the table, and this simply for the
purpose of holding it in position.
Simply Stood on Table.
when the meeting was called to or
der the disadvantageous position Of the
| speakers was observed. and the public
officers (school superintendent. mayor.
supervisor. etc., as we'll as the speakers
who addressed the assemblage, were
| called to by the crowd to ascend the
| table. The crowd manifested its discon-
| tent because 1t could not see those who
were to address it. and it shouted
it's disapproval. and those nearer
shouted to us to get on the table
| chair was furnished and we stood on the
table. They did not one Of them. nor did
l. stand upon the American flag.
would as lief insult the memory Of my
| revered mother as to insult the flag Of
my country. But anything and every
| thing is good enough to charge me with
and try to bring me into contempt with
the American people. But my life Of
more than sixty-one years has been so
straightforward that my good name and
the work that 1 have tried to do in the
interest Of the people of our country will
live long after my traducers will die
and their names be coupled with the con-
| tempt Of the people of the United
States
Says Experts Declare Them "Fakes."
Tn Ii,
photographs are not genuine, but that
they are composites-that is, pictures
| made UP from printings Of two or more
| negatives-Mr Gompers showed corre-
| spondence with Orion T. Thomas. a men,
ber Of Staunton Post. No. IS, G. A. R.,
| in which Mr.. Thomas asked for Mr.. Com
pers' version OF a story printed in the
Los Angeles Times. and asked further
| for an explanation Of the photographs
used with the Times story. Mr.. Gompers
wired his answer to Mr.. Thomas. his
statement being practically the same as
that made today.
In reply. Mr.. Thomas wrote that he
had had the photographs closely ex-
| amined by expert photographers, in
Guiding staff photographers Of several
| San francisco newspapers. and that
all of these experts declared the pic
| lures were composites and not genuine
| representations OF the scene alleged
to have been photographed. Mr..
| Thomas further stated that he had
| called the entire matter to the atten-
| ton Of the adjutant Of Staunton Post,
and that resolutions which had been
| formulated condemning the act of van
dalism and calling for its punishment
| had been rescinded.
Knows Nothing of N. Y. Affair.
In regard to an alleged incident In
which it was said that a huge American
| flag carried in q Labor day parade in
New York city last fall had been filled
with contributions to the Mcnamara de-
fense fund. and that the nag, sagging
with the weight of the contributions. had
been dragged along the streets for sew
| eral blocks. Mr. Gompers said he had
never heard Of the incident and that he
didn't believe single syllable Of It,"
Two Photographs in Evidence
Photographs Of the fiag-carpeted table
| at Oakland. Cal, one showing Mr.. Com
pers with both feet on the flag facing his
audience, the other showing John A. Kelly
also standing on the flag in the act Of
making a speech, have been forwarded to
the War Department. The photographs
are understood to have been duly au-
thenticated. and have been published in
D.
| The incident occurred September s..
There was a parade, followed by the
meeting, at which Mr. Gompers and Mr.
Kelly. president of the building trades
council and supervisor at San Fran
cisco, were the orators. The photo
graphs taken on the occasion show
Mr.. Gompers with one foot planted on
stars in the field and the other resting
on a red stripe Of the nag. He holds
/ in his hands a monster bouquet
Mrs. Isabel Worrell Ball, chairman
Of the national committee on the pre-
ventiOn Of the dissertation of the flag
received copies of the photographs, and
with them resolutions said to have
been adopted by Staunton Post, No. IS,
Department OF California, H. A. r.
These are the resolutions which Mr.
Gompers today denied were adopted.
The resolutions declare:
'.Our cOuntrys matchleAs nag Is the
adored embodiment OF the spirit of our
institutions and symbolic Of tho beneh-
cent principles OF human rights and hu-
man brc therhood that have led this repub-
lie nearer to the fountain OF justice truth
and righteousness than any other govern
ment has reached In all the mighty tide
of time. and therefore any indignity Of
, , fered to the flag is an indignity offered
to the nation"
II The resolutions protested against the in
famous acts of Samuel Gompers and John
A. Kelly In SO shamefully defiling the fla
we struggled to save and for which un-
told thousands of our comrades gave the
] NSndnned On seoeod PssAl