Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-09-02
G0MPERSFLAYS
INJUNCTION AS
!. OUTRAGEOUS
Should Be Treated as
Scrap Of Paper, He
,- .-s
Ayers.

Washington, Sept. 1.-Regardless OF
the injunction issuing at Chicago FIJI
day the American Federation OF
Labor will continue to raise funds and
supplies in aid of strikers, its presl-
dent, Samuel Gompers, declared FIJI
day night. and will seek every way to
help them to bring about IAN honor
able adjustment of their contro-
versy."
Mr.. Gompers declared the i%nJunc-
ton was Outrageous and IAN lnVac
sion of the constitutional rights OF
working men, and should be SO re-
carded. The federation's view, he
added, was, as expressed on previous
occasions, that injunctions invading
constitutional rights should be treated
as scraps of paper
Members of the senate and house
were slow to comment, but CHAIRMAN
Cumnins of the senate interstate
committee said he was one
of those who had been consulted about
the move.
He said that in the present circum-
stances. any move that will help keep
the railroads in operation has my ap-
prevail =.
With the filing of the injunction suit
in Chicago it became known that the
question of adopting such q course IN
an effort to restore industrial equilb-
rum has been discussed earnestly at a
cabinet meeting some time ago, with
Attorney General Daugherty strongly
fayoring injunction proceedings ana
with a group of other cabinet members
opposing 1t.
Discussed BY Officials
President Harding. after hearing the
arguments on both sides, decided
against the filing of such a suit at that
time, and it was indicated Friday that
he had approved the attorney gen
erals recommendation only after ne
gctiations for settlement of the raj
strike again collapsed, while scattered
groups of violence against the roads
continued throughout the country.
A member of the cabinet said that
although the presidents official family
of advisers knew of the intention oil
the suit. the subject was not mentioned
at the cabinet meeting Friday. MOI
would the cabinet officials or White
House attaches make any comment for
the present.
In asking for an injunction, the at
torney general is following a precedent
established in the famous Debs case
of 1895, in which the supreme court
held that the federal courts had juris,
diction to restrain by injunction OBJ
structions to interstate commerce. The
executive branch of the government
may, the decision stated, appeal tc
the civil courts for an inquiry and de-
termination as 70 the existence anC
character of distractions and if such
are found to exist or threaten to occur
to invoke the powers of those courts
TO remove or restrain them, the juris-
diction of the courts to interfere IL
such matters by injunctions being rec
ognized from ancient times and by in
dubitable authority"
In the Debs case an injunction was
granted against railway strikers and
the supreme court sustained it.
Chairman Cummins of the interstate
m committee said it would be
worse than futile to undertake to en-
gage the attention of congress in such
legislation at this time but he gave
notice that at the next session he in
tended to offer legislation making il
unlawful for men to strike in those
industries where the government at
tempted to establish justice for them