The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1918-02-08
THE MEDIATION
COMMISSIONS
MOONEY REPORT


Thomas j. Mooney has been given
to the public. The report is too
long to print in The Journal at this
time.
The report confirms the charges
that the trials of Thomas J. Mooney,
Warren K. Billings, Mrs. Rena
Mooney, Isreal Weinberg and the
trial to come of Edward D. Nolan
were a diabolical frame-up, engineer
ed by Charles M. Fickert as the hir-
ed tool of the San Francisco Cham
Der of Commerce, which thirsted for
the blood of union agitators, guilty
or innocent. The report did not
say the things just said, but it left
no room for doubt in the minds of
those who have closely or even cas-
ually read the trials that the things
just said are true.
They appeared to the President to
be true or he would never have in
terested himself in securing a new
trial for Tom Mooney.
The report delved into every phase
of the case and recommended a new
trial for Mooney. The commission
then INDUCED in the remarks on the
international aspect of the case and
said:
at is now we'll known that the
attention to the situation in the
East was first aroused through
meetings of protest against the
Mooney conviction in Russia. From
Russia and the Western States pro-
tests spread to the entire country
until it has gathered momentum
from many sources, sources whose
opposition to violence is unquestion-
ed, whose devotion to our cause in
the war is unstinted.
"The liberal sentiment of Russia
was aroused, the liberal sentiment
of the United States was aroused
because the circumstances of Moneys
prosecution, in the light of his his
tory, led to the belief that the ter
rible and sacred Instruments of Grim
inal justice were consciously or I'M
consciously made use of against labor
by it's enemies in an industrial con-
flict."
In conclusion the report says:
However strange, or however I'M
expected it may be, the just DISPOSE
ton of the Mooney case thus affects
influences far beyond the confines of
California, and California can be de-
pended upon to see the wider impli-
cations of the case. With the mere
local aspects, with the political and
journalistic conflict, which the case
has occasioned, neither the commits
sion nor the country at large is con-
cerned.
"But the feeling of disquietude
aroused by the case must be needed,
for if unchecked, it impairs the faith
that our democracy protects the low
liest and even the unworthy against
false accusations. War is fought with
moral as well as material resources.
We are in this war to vindicate the
moral claims of unstained process of
law, however slow at times such pro-
cess may be. These claims must be
tempered by the fire of our own de-
votion to them at home"
The report was signed by VIM. B.
Wilson, Secretary of Labor; Col.
John L. Spangler of Pennsylvania,
coal mine operator; Werner z. Reed,
of Colorado; John H. Walker, Presi-
dent of the Illinois State Federation
of Labor; Ernest P. Marsh, the then
President of the Washington State
Federation of Labor and Felix Frank
furter, as members of the commits
sion and its secretary.
Comments on the Report
Judge Franklin A. Griffin, the pre-
siding judge in the Mooney trial:
"The report amply justifies my stand
that following the Oxman disclosures
Mooney should have been given
new trial"
Attorney General Webb: 81 still
stand by my former position" At
torney General Webb requested
new trial for Mooney from the State
Supreme Court and his application
was denied
Defense Attorney T. M. O'Conner:
"There is nothing surprising about
the report. We knew there could
be but one report. We felt per-
fectly sure in resting on the evil
dence before the commissioners"
Defense Attorney Maxwell McNutt:
"This is more victory for plain,
ordinary, everyday common sense
and fair-minded intelligence than
anything else"
Tom Mooney: eff l get another
trial before an impartial jury of my