Wheeling majority. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1907-192?, 1912-03-07
(By Marlen 3. Pew

.Unitde States supreme bench by
President Taft-who was named SO
suddenly as to give his SO,O0O,0OO
fellow citizens no opportunity to
learn anything about him. much less
discuss his qualifications.
He is the son Of Henry C. Pitney..
formerly vice chancellor Of this
state. His father was famous for
straight backed decisions handed
over the bench OF the supreme court
of this state, most Of which were
decidedly in favor Of property rights
when they competed with human
rights.
/. Henry G. Pitney was known as q
judicial enemy Of organized labor. He
was the first Judge In the country to
decide that contempt OF court might
be committed out of the presence Of
of the little town Of Dover. There he
the court This decision affected
strikers who were arrested for con-
tempt for alleged violation Of an in
junction Issued by the court in ia,
vor of the corporation. -
/. He Gets Legacy.
Mahlon Pitney was born at Nor
ristown, N. J., 81 years ago. He was
graduated from Princeton in 1879 and
admitted to the bar in 1882. His first
public office was corporation counsel
got the friendship Of George Rich
ards, the richest man in Dover, and
acted to some extent as his legal adj
wiser. There was great surprise
when Richards died. that he left his
only son, a cripple. the income of
$4,000, distributed about as much
more among other relatives, and left
| the residue of his million dollar es-
tate to Miss Mary Greer. friend, a
Mrs. Heather, a distant cousin of his
wife, Albert Richards, his hall
brother, and to Pitney.
/, ,Pitney was called a strenuous cam
paigner. When he sought office he
made friends with the farmers Of his
district, walking from farm to farm.
He carried a normally democratic
district for his republication several
times. He was elected co congress
| in 1894 and reelected in 1896. s<'a
|. Then happened strange thing.
He resigned the national office after
serving throughout the fiftysfourth
and part of the fifty-fifth congress,
to become a state senator. He was
made republican leader Of the New
Jersey senate, then an associate jus.
,tice of the New Jersey supreme
court, then chancellor of the court
of chancery. f@se
A Friend of Kean.
| For several years every politician
in New Jersey has known that Pit
ney was closely allied to the inter
ests represented in the senate until
recently by John Kean, that stalwart
defender of trusts, soggy with water
ed stocks.
When Pitney rose to the chancel-
lorship he displayed some of the
characteristics Of his father, especial
" in reference to antagonism to la
Dor unions. Some Of his decisions
are remarkable in this respect. No
table in the case of the George Jonas
Glass Co., which. during a strike Of
members of the glass bottle blowers
ion men from exercising almost ev
union got injunctions restraining UNI
cry human right, with the possible
exception Of breathing through their
nostrils.
The case came up in appeal be-
fore the court Of chancery and Pit
ney wrote the decision which affirm
! ed that Of the lower court April 8,
1902. Some Of the statements CON
tanned in that decision were:
He Forbids Persuasion s
"The defendants were properly re-
strained from using either coercion
or persuasion In order to bring about
breaches of the contracts Of personal
service existing between complainant
and its employers.
That it was proper to restrain the
union men from practising coercion
or persuasion for the purpose Of
terminating the relation between the
master and servant in cases where
there was no binding contract Of
l.service, but mere service at WILL
1T is unlawful to use force or an
noyance to prevent persons willing
to work from keeping employment
1T is unlawful to picket work for
the purpose Of preventing or annoy
ing those willing to work.
1T is unlawful to conduct q boy
colt. asF
IIndar Nav. Tarrav law vrhfch