New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-06-25
GOMPERS AGAIN HELD
GUILTY OF CONTEMPT
Labor Chief, with Morrison and
Mitchell, Convicted a Second
Time and Will Fight On.
ATTACKS THE DECISION
Federation Head Asserts That 1t
Was Withheld Until After the
Republican National
Convention.

Washington June 4-Samuel Gompers
Frank Morrison and John Mitchell. the
labor leaders. were held guilty of contempt
Of court by the Supreme Court of the Dis
trict OF Columbia to-day in connection 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 Wright sentenced GOmpers to one
year. the same as upon his previous con-
viction. Morrison received sentence OF
six months, as before. John Mitchell was
not present and sentence upon him was
deferred His first sentence was nine
months.
Justice Daniel Thew Wright announced
the decision of the court. IT covered sew
enty-two closely typewriter pages and
took about two hours to read. Bondsmen
were on hand, and attorneys 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 proceedings were at once begun.
The charge was that the three men, as
officers OF the American Federation of La
Dor. through the organizations official pub
Mcation. had disregarded Justice Gould
Injunction against the publication Of the
Bucks Stove and Range Company's name
IN it's boycott list"
After Gompers had been sentenced he at
tackled the decision. declaring that, while
Justice Wright lives in our time his de-
tision and sentences disclose a mental con-
cept Of more than two centuries ago, when
the workman was either a slave or sert.
Information Just came TO me- he added,
that the decision was completed more
than a month ago, but was withheld until
after the close of the Republican National
Convention. If true, the inference is obVi-
GUS"
Court Denounces Gompers.
In passing sentence on President Gompers
the court characterized his conduct as the
most dangerous and destructive OF con-
tempts" After a recital of the functions Of
the law and judicial power the court said:
The evidence shows for these respondents
an assiduous and persistent effort 10 UNI
dermine the supremacy Of the law by un-
dertaking insidously to destroy the conn
dence Of the people in the integrity OF inc
tribunals which maintain II by inoculatnS
the minds Of their followers and the people
with virus of mischevous falsehoods and
MISREPRESENTATION concerning the court ana
Judges seeking and hopeful that the sup
port Of the people might be withdrawn
from these tribunals. and by this means
their power undone, their judgment rem
6ered valuelesS and forCeless.
Z The defendants are here at the court oai
10 answer They have been AFFORDED full
opportunity to hear the evidence against
them and to say what If any, reasons can
Exist against their punishment Every part
n their response for they offer no defence.
Is measured by the words Of their leader,
Gompers ~,
The things ] am charged with did
60 10 - with your injuncuons'
The Bucks Stove and Range Company OF
Ct Louis was selling stoves and ranges
throughout the United States when the
putt dismissed by the Supreme Court began
and was doing a business II asserted, OF
S250.OOo a year. It complained that the
American Federation of Labor and its
members were conspiring TO ruin its bust
ness by means Of boycott. II asked for
an Injunction against these efforts, and
particularly TO restrain the American Fed
Grafton Of Labor from printing in It's Of
fetal organ the name of the company as
being on the I've don't patronize list. ="
The opposition Of the federation was al
legged 10 be due 10 a strike of metal pol
fishers in the company's shops
The Supreme Court of the District Of Co
lumbia granted the injunction but the
Court of Appeals of the district modified
the decree in several ways, the principal
change being that the injunction against
the publica ton Of the company's name on
the federations list should be effective
only when the publication was 'in further
ance Of such a boycott" Both sides ap-
pealed from this decision The Buck COM
pany held that it did not go far enough
and the defendants asserted that 1t went
too far
Before the injunction had been passed on
BY the higher court the Buck company
complained that President Gompers. Vice
President Mitchell and Secretary Morrison
Of the American Federation OF Labor had
violated II by commenting publicly on the
effect Of the injunction. They were brought
into court and held 20 be in contempt.
From this decision they appealed to the
United States Supreme Court.
The boycott suit was dismissed on Janu-
airy %, 1911 BY a decision Of the Supreme
Court that the litigants had settled their
differences out Of court. This did not settle
the contempt case, however. In November
of last year the Supreme Court of the Dis
trict Of Columbia decided that Gompers,
Mitchell and Morrison must be tried again.