The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1914-05-11

OF LABOR
are FREE
Supreme Court Holds that Statue
Of Limitations Bars Contempt
Action Jail Sentence and
Fines Knocked Out
BY United Press.


Washington, May 1.-THE convic-
tion of Gompers, Morrison and Mitchell
officials OF the American Federation
OF Labor, in the celebrated Bucks case.
was set asiue by the supreme court
in decision today
The statute OF limitations barred the
contempt of court prosecution. said
the supreme court. A jail sentence of
thirty days against Gompers and fines
OF $500 against the others were set
aside.
The supreme courts decision today
in the celebrated contempt charge
against the American Federation of
Labor chiefs was the second It has
given in the litigation began seven
years ago between the labor leaders
and the Buck Ctove and Range Co. Of
St Louis. The contempt case ended
today has been in the public eye dur
ing three administrations. starting
= with Former President Rooseyelt's, IL
continued through President OATS s.ss;. <.
into president Wilson's. Right Of
free speech" and free press was the
-@prfnciple for which the labor leaders
have fought all these years. They
were once before convicted of CON
tempt. Gompers being sentenced to
one year In Jail, Mitchell to nine
months and Morrison to six months
Imprisonment In 1911 their convic-
tions were set aside BY the United
States supreme court. The decision
today resulted from new contempt
charges Instituted on the day follow
Ing the dismissal OF the original prose-
cntIons. Contempt for alleged viola.
tion Of an injunction against boycott
ting by organized labor Of the products
OF the Buck Stove and Range Co. was
the gist Of the first and present prose.
cutions.
On May Is. 1911. the United States
supreme court reversed the decree OF
conviction. set aside the sentences.
but remanded the case without pre-
judice' TO the right and power Of the
supreme court Of the district to pun
ish, by proper proceeding. contempt,
il any. committed against IT," The
high court In substance held that the
court had proceeded enormously. Less
than "A hours after the high courts
decree. Justice Gould and Daniel Thew
Wright, who had succeeded Gould in
the litigation in the lower court moved
to ronew the contempt prosecution.
Gould referred the United States SUI
preme court mandate TO Wright, who
appointed prosecuting committee
o. attorneys to inquire whether there
was reasonable ground to believe
that the labor leaders had been guilty
OF contempt The attorneys appoint
ed we're Daniel Davenport, James M.
Peck and j. J. Darlington, all of whom
were counsel for the Buck concern in
the original litigation.
In the meantime, the Federation and
the Buck company had settled their
differences Van CIeave had died and
the new owners had capitulated to la
boris demands. Representatives OF
labor and the company met at cincin
natl July 10, 1910, and agreed upon a
settlement. The following day the
anti.boycott injunction and the orig
inal suit was dismissed On July 26
1911, new contempt charges were filed
against Gompers. Mitchell and Morri
son before Judge Wright by the pros
ecuting committee" Sixteen counts
were In the indictment against Comp
ers.
The prosecuting committee" ant
Judge Wright proposed to the three
defendants that they confess theil
guilt and apologize. offering promise
to dismiss these contempt charges. Th'
defendants refused to apologize, deny
/. ing their guilt. They contended tina
they had no intent to act in contemp
of court. They insisted that their sol
offense II any was disregard Of al
order of the court and not contempt o
the court iself That they had pure
ed themselves of all possible contemp