The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-11-24
LABOR WORLD
IS AG0G OVER
MONEYS
San Francisco Bomb Case
Threatens National
Disturbance.
ALL APPEALS'ARE DENIED
Only Governor Of California
or Prosecutor Can Save
Condemned Man.
ALL APPEALS.ARE DENIED
Special Despatch to THE srx.


San FRANCISCO, Nov. 23.--The case of
Tom Mooney, the San Francisco labor
leader convicted OF the bomb explosion
which killed ten persons in that city
July 90, 1915. is rapidly nearing its
climax. Gov. Stephens, who granted a
reprieve to Mooney until December 10
that he might review the case, has re-
,eived letter from Judge Franklin A.
Griffin, who presided at the trial. in
which the Judge reiterates his belief that
there Is grave doubt as to the truth OF
much of tho testimony. And meantime
union labor men of the coast are meeting
to decide whether they will call general
strike to protest execution of the SEN
tence.
So the next few days will see an an
swer to the question Shall Tom Mooney
hangT' which has been the uppermost
thought in the minds OF labor unionists
for two years, 1t made California. the
seat OF a bitter battle the echoes of
which reached even into Russia when
Lenine was lifting his head from the
waste of revolution and caused a demon
stration at the doors of the American
embassy there. For labor men gener-
ally It has been the centre of the struggle
between capital and labor with Moneys
life as the prize.
SIty SCeut Oh b1tteE fIKhv8s
There have been many bitter labor
fights waged in San Francisco, and per-
haps nowhere in the country Is there
such open hostility on both sides. Labor
and capital we're equal Offenders against
city and state. One led to the viciously
brutal Transfers strike. the other to. the
partnership which developed>the shame
less graft of the Schmitz- Rnef admins
traton. The two factions were always
at each others throat until Hiram John
son beat them into apparent quiescence
Added to this smouldering hostility was
the pacif1st element in 1915 which led
union labor to remain out of the pre-
paredness demonstration. There were
threats and mutterings of something
about to happen. San Francisco was
ripe for the Mooney case.
So when the bomb exploded the city
divided sharply into two camps. The
crime was charged to the door of union
labor. and Tom Mooney. his wife, and
three other men were arrested. On one
= side were men crying for their convic-
ton: on the other unionists claiming
that they were the victims of con-
spiracy founded on fraud and perjury.
Mooney was convicted, and then ap-
peared the unusual legal aspect Of the
case which centred on District Attorney
Ftckert.
Fickert is a big. good natured man.
who was a football star for Stanford.
He IL described by men who know him
as one who wouldn't hurt fly. man
who had always expressed the greatest
admiration for those who were fighting
crooks in public life. He ran against
Frank J. Heney. with the support of
papers believed to be controlled by the
United Railroads. and was elected.
strangely enough. much of his support
was from union voters. sore at Heney
because of his successful prosecution of
the SchmitZ-Ruef gang. And 1t fell to
his lot to prosecute Mooney.
New Trial Is Refused.
short time after the conviction
Judge Griffin ordered that a confession
Of error be made by the State and a
new trial asked by the prosecutor
Charges OF perjury had been made
against the main witness. a cattleman
named Oman. Fickert refused TO ask
for the new trial on the ground that
he was absolutely convinced of MONEYS
guilt Attorney-General Weeb was Their
asked tn plead for a new trial, but his
applica ton was refused by the Supreme
Court, which said that the petition must
come from ''one Official" generally be-
lIeved to be Fickert
when the appeal of Oxman on a writ