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About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 1, 1909)
.. -vwtwst jjwwpnww)(ff"!.! WW UHJ' pii,piffPWW" ' ' JlWWWWWWffWWWB The Commoner, f'6 VOLUME 8, NUMBER St -VJr T ?" " y .m .- i" The Commoner. Jail Sentence for Gompers, Mitchell and ISSUED WEEKLY. 'WjU'JAM J. UUVAN CIIAJU.I'H W. lillVAN Kdltor nml Proprietor. ni)ltoler. ificiiAiii) 1 Mi7jaj.vh Kdltorlftl Hooms nml Uusincss Awwlnto ICdltor. OJIIco 121-320 South 18th Street 'EiitcKdntlhoJ'OBtomco nt Lincoln, Neb., ns nceond-clnss matter One Vcnr 81.0O hix Months 00 3i. CltLt r,f Tlvo or more. Per Year 75 25o So ?hrcu iMontliB - -SIiirIu -Copy - - - Fninplc ConlcB Free. rorclRM roMnneC2 Cents Kxtr. ' . flUDSClUPTlONS can bo sent direct to The Com moner. They can also bo sent through newspapers Which have advertised a clubbing rato, or through local agents, whoro sub-agents havo been appoJni cd. All remittances should bo sent by postomce monoy order, express order, or by bank dfo.it on New York or Chicago. Do not send Individual checks, stamps or money. DISCONTINUANCES It Is found that a large majority of our subscribers prefer not to nayo their subscriptions Interrupted and their lues broken In caso thoy fall to remit before expiration. It Is therefore assumed that contlnuanco Is dcsiroa unless subscribers order discontinuance, eitner when subscribing or nt any tlmo during the year. Presentation Copies: Many persons subscribe, ror friends, Intending that tho papor shall stop at the ena of tho yesar. If instructions aro glypn to tuac efTcct thoy will recelvo attention at tho proper time. RENEWALS Tho dato on your wrapper shows tho tlmo to which your subscription Is paid. Thus January 31, 08, means that payment has been re ceived to and Including tho last Isnuo of January, 1908. Two weeks are required after monoy has been received before tho dato on wrapper can bo changed. wnuCMANGin OF ADDRESS -Subscribers requesting Wohnngo ot address must give OLD as well as NEW address;. l -'' ADVERTISING Rates furnished upon applica tion. -ft -Address all communications to 'i. THE COMMONER, Lincoln, Neb. i '. , t ' Ui .' Minority Loader Champ Clark' and. Speaker rJoseph' 'Cannon use tho sarho word's,, hut Mr. rClHfk uses them with finer discrimination and not quite so much profane emphasis. j a Perhaps we would do well to refrain from criticisms of tho public utterances of President Castro until such .time as wo are not in a posi tion to bo called Kettle Black by some Pot Black. rilooir'' ' , , , "America is tho throne of the world!" ex , . claims Senator Bcvoridgo. . Perhaps but that's . .no. sign the man who.Jninks ho is occupying tho .throne should bo too fidgety, to keep -his crown ,i.,n straight. . . ,',! n . ! If an African lion will just be wise enough to 'make a noise like a '-Panama canal when '-the proper time comes,' it can escape safely while .tho intrepldihuntor is unlihibering his vocabulary of invective; ... ' us. ria 'r',' ypf We hazard the prediction that the truly "goo'd Rov. Dr. Lyman Abbott, is going to be "'shocked by some of the things he sees in the proof sheets submitted by his future, associate and advisory oditor. A dangerous $5 bill is in circulation D47963782, says the Chattanooga Times. Wo had a $5 bill tho other day, and remembering, tho Times' warning, started to examine it. Just aB wo got to the "6" wo had to let it go. The job landed by Dan Keefo pays better in" money than tho one to which Samuel Gom- H,pors was re-elected, but there are not enough (.official positions in all this land to induce' Samuel Gompers to act like Dan Keefe acted. - v : Sifted down to facts, "Mr. Harriman's prop- osition tospend. $2,000,000 on improvements on -;tho Southern Pacific is basefd on the understand-' !ing'that he can increase freight rates to a point tfthdt will add $10,000,000 to the road's receipts. c'a ) ' ''." ' Mr. Dan Keofo has "got his'n," and very itfew people-who aro acquainted with tho facts Twill deny that the gentleman making the ap pointment and the gentleman who took it under all the circumstances are quite well qualified J for the transaction of that sort of business. The suggestion has been made that when . the territory of New Mexico is admittod to the, t union its name shall. be .changed., .to. .Lincoln. It certainly ought not come in Avith .its present - x namoH-rrSalt .Lake Herald, - . Morrison What is generally conceded to be the most important labor decision in history was delivered by Justice Wright of tho supreme court of the District of Columbia, December 23. Justice Wright sentonced Samuel Gompers to twelve months in jail', John Mitchell and Frank Morri son, all officers of the American Federation of Labor, to six months each. These men wero so sentenced for an alleged contempt of court for violating an order enjoining them from plac ing the Buck Stove and Range company of St. Louis on the unfair list. The following is an Associated Press report: All the defendants were in court when sen tence was pronounced and notice of an appeal to tho District of Columbia appellate court at once was filed, Gompers being released on $5, 000 bond; Mitchell on $4,000, and Morrison on $3,000. The wife and daughter of Gompers heard the sentence and were visibly affected. With tears coursing down his cjieeks, President Gom pers heard the order which condemned him to prison for a year. Both Mitchell and Morrison seemed stunned, although Mitchell appeared to be the least concerned. GOMPERS MADE A STATEMENT Asked if he had anything to say why sen tence should not be pronounced, President Gom pers declared that he had not consciously vio lated any law. There was much he would say, but ho could not do it at that time, he added, hdwever, that "this is a struggle of the working people for their rights. It is a struggle for wages the struggle of men of labor to throw off some of the burdens which have been heaped upon them, to abolish some of the wrongs and to secure some of tho rights too long denied." Mitchell and Mdrrisori told the court today they endorsed what Gompers had said. Justice Wright's decision, Which consumed two hours and twenty minutes in reading, was a scathing arraignment. ' , "Everywhere," the!' cotirt said "ail over,' within the court, without, utter rampant, inso lent defiance is heralded and proclaimed; unre fined insult, coarse 'affront, vulgar ignominy measures tho litigants' conception of the tribur nals due, wherein his cause still pends." The law's command has been, he said, "to stand hands off until justice for this matter can be ascertained," but, he said, there had been a studied, determined, defiant conflict, "precipi tated in the light of open day between thq de crees of a tribunal ordained by thte government of the federal union, and of the tribunals of another, federation grown up in the land." One or the other,, he declared, must suc cumb, "for those who would unlaw the laud are public enemies." APPEAL TO THE PRESIDENT f Whether President Roosevelt will take any action as he has oeen urged to do in telegrams from different labor organizations throughout tho country, in connection with Judge Wright's decision, has not been decided, it was stated at the White House. It was stated there that the president has not read Ihe decision and can not say if he will take any action. There was an intimation, however, that some action might be taken if the president is convinced the sentence is unjust. The labor organizations urge the president to prevent the incarceration of the labor leaders. The Illinois United Mine Workers sont this telegram: "In the name of 75,000 mine workers in Illinois we desire to protest against the recent decision ' committing to penal servitude those great commoners and representatives of the labor movement. These men may be guilty of a breach of law, but a law that denies the use of a free press and full speech is a breach of tho fundamental principles of our country. Such decisions only tend to create enmity and class hatred.. We respectfully solicit, your influence to prevent the incarceration of these men." HISTORY OF THE CASE .The-Buck company's prosecution of the offi- -cials .ofntihe Federation began in August 1007 Tho original action was a test cast, wherein it was.squght to enjoin the labor .unions from usinir .: the, Unfair:? and "we don't patronize" .lists in their.. fight against firms and individuals. Justice Gould of the supreme court of the District of Columbia issued an injunction which later was made permanent, forbidding the publication of the company's name in these lists. President Gompers, in an editorial in the Federationist of January last, made known his intention not to obey the court's order, contending that the injunction issued was in derogation of the rights of labor and an abuse of the injunctive power of the courts. Gompers, Mitchell and Morrison subsequently wero cited, for contempt and this phase of the case has been before the court for many months, the proceedings taking the form of a hearing of testimony before an examiner and many arguments. Justice Wright's decision was a scathing de nunciation. 'Coming to the question of the violation of tho court's injunction Justice Wright said: "That Gompers and others had in advance of the injunction determined to violate it if issued, and had in advance of the injunction counselled all members of labor unions and of the American Federation of Labor and the public generally to violate it in case it should be issued, appears from the following, which references point out also the general plan and mutual un derstanding of the organizations and their va rious members." The court here read a mass of extracts from reports of proceedings of conventions of the Federation, reports of President Gompers, edi torials from the columns of the American Fed erationist and the labor press generally in sup port of his statement that there was a pre destination to violate. INTENDED TO VIOLATE LAW Discussing the actions of the defendants since the issuance of the injunction, Justice Wright said: "Having in mitid what may be In. the fore going delineation which indicates that either of .the three respondents did before the Issuance of the injunction deliberately determine, to" wil fully violate it and did counsel others to do the same, let me now turn to their sayings and doings since the decision of Mr. Justice Gould was formally announced, and the order of in junction Itself put into technical operation by giving of the injunction bond. On December 17, 1907, the opinion of the court was filed in the case; the order of injunction was entered on December 18, the giving of the undertaking required by it was consummated on December 23, and I am disposed now to look at the sep arate conduct of. each respondent with a view of recording his individual responsibility in suffi cient detail." The court quoted at great length the atti tude taken by Mr. Gompers since the injunc tion was. issued, his writings, interviews and public addresses and remarked: "All of which was done, all of which was published, all of which was circulated in wilful disobedience and deliberate violation of the in junction and for the purpose of inciting and ac complishing the violation generally, and in pur suance of the original common design of him self and confederates, to bring about the breach of plaintiffs existing contracts and others to de prive plaintiff of property (the good will of its business without due process of law) ; restrain trade among the several states; restrain com merco among the several states." ALL HAD KNOWLEDGE OF. ACT As to Secretary Frank Morrison, the court declared that he had full knowledge of all that was being done, took part in.. the. preparation and publication of the American- Federationist of April, 1908, with complete knowledge of its contents. "With knowledge and approval of the other writings and . speakings hereinbefore specified against .Gompers, he (Morrison), took part in the circulation and distribution in large num bers of each and every issue of the Federationist . containing them as hereinbefore speoified against Gompers and with tho same purpose and intent." Concerning Mitchell, the court pointed to various acts by him, which, he said placed him in the pale of the Jaw. He quoted from Mitchell's book on ''Organized Labor, its Problems. Pur poses and Ideals," cortain rv passages wherein Mitchell declared that it waa the duty of all patriotic and law-abiding citizens to resist or -- . -t&j, ... iJt. -taafaw,,, -v. MM4tmmi;AimiiMu,mJiMtKi
