The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1914-05-14
CONTEMPT CHARGE
AGAINST GOMPERS
AGAIN SET ASIDE

Washington, May 1.-THE contempt
sentences imposed by the district SUI
preme court on Samuel Gompers, John
Mitchell and Frank Morrison, labor
leaders Were set aside today by he SUI
preme court for the second time as
barred by the statute of limitations.
Justice Holmes said the case turned
on the point that the contempt pro-
ceedings should ave been started
within three years from the date OF
the committing of the offences. He said
proceedings for contempt should be
speedy and thus come within the pur-
pose of the statute of limitations which
require prosecutions within three years.
Justices Pitney and Vandevanter dis
Sented.
The contempts charged against the
labor leaders occurred in 1907 and early
IN 1908. about the time the District OF
columbia supreme court issued an in
junction prohibiting he federation of
ficials from boycotting the Bucks Stove
d Range company of st. Louis. then
in a abor war with organized labr.
The b leaders We're sentenced to
JAN, u the supreme court of the United
States in 1911 set the conyictin aside
because the labor leaders had been pro-
ceeded against as If the proceedings
were a part of the boycott suit. The
district court the dav after the rever-
sal, then began separate proceedings
against the leaders for the same Of
Tense.
Review of Case.
The contempt charges against Sam
uel Gompers, John Mitchell and Frank
Morrison grew out of the Injunction is
sued by the District of Columbia SUI
pfeme court to prohibit the federation
boycotting the Bucks Stove and Range
company. Proceeding as If the con-
tempt cases were part of the injunc-
Clon suit. the district supreme court
held the labor leaders in contempt and
sentenced Gompers to one year in jail;
Mitchell to nine months and Morrison
TO SIX months. The supreme court of
the United States on May is, 1911, set
aside those sentences holding tina pen
Ell sentences had been erroneously i'm
posed in u civil suit.
The day after the sentences were
set aside, the district supreme court be-
gan new proceedings against the labor
leaders A committee was appointed to
report whether there was reasonable
cause for holding the men guilty of con-
Tempt. 1t consisted of j. J. Darlington
DANIEL Davenport and James M. Beck.
attorneys of record for the Bucks
Stove q Range
Ihe comm1ttee reported that the
lnree men a been guilty of contempt
IT charged that Gompers in December
l9oI, had hurried out an issue of the
American Federationist, containing the
name [ the Bucks Stove &, Range cow
pany on the wv Don't Patronize List"
SO as to have it published before the
injunction took effect, and circulated
the edition after the injunction became
effective. 1t charged contempt for the
court III various utterances of conner
In speeches and editorially in the FED
e~ratlonlst- Still! another charge was
tTiat he printed and circulated a panar
known as An Urgent Appeal for III
lanclai AID IN Defensee of Free Press
and Free Speech" in which it was con
ended that he suggested mem ers ~
the federation might violate the iniunc-
tlon and defeat it's object provided thew
bia. @oiuih-
Morrison's Connection.
Frank Morrison was charged ry,+h
cooperating with Gompers, as secral
tary OF the federation, in making these
publications. Mitchell was likewise
charged with cooperation in the cir
cuiat1on of the F~ederationist and of the
ov urgent appeal" and with presiding
over a meeting of the United Mine
Workers on January rs, 1908, when a
resolution was adopted placing the
BUCKS stoves and ranges on the unfair
ilst, and providing for fines for mem
bers who purchased such a stove or
range.
The report was approved bv the dis
trlct supreme court and the identical
sentences of the first proceeding were
imposed.
Inc DlStflct OF Columbia court of ap-
peals reInanded the case with direc-
tlon that the sentence on Gompers be
modified to one months imprisonment
and the imprisonment of Mitchell and
Morrison be changed to a fine of $500
for each
The district supreme court commit
tee insisted before the supreme court
that the court Of appeals had no right
TO modify the sentences. Alton 3.
Parker, recent presidential candidate,
and Jackson H. Ralston, contended the
men has not been guilty of any con-