| OCR Text |
Show LABOR IIS ARE AMEIUABLE TO LAW Indictments in Colorado Regarded Re-garded by President as Answer to Criticisms. DOUBT AS TO OUTCOME Department of Justice Looking Look-ing Into the Evidence Presented Pre-sented to Grand Jury. WASHINGTON, Dec. S. President Wilson looks on the recont Indictment of officers of tho United Mine Workers at Pueblo, Colo., as an answor to criticisms that the sundry civil bill exempts labor unions from tho operation of the Sherman Sher-man anti-trust law, Tho president made It clear today that the Initiative In tho prosecution camo neither from the department of Justice nor the United States attorney, but was taken by the federal grand Jury Itself. When asked If tho department of Justice Jus-tice would take a hand In the case. In view of the Bundry civil bill's provision exempting labor unions from nrosocutlon through the uso of a certain 5300,000 fund. President Wilson recalled to his visitors the memorandum he wrote when he signed tnd bill, and reiterated that the special fund affected waB only for employing special counsel nnd did not affoct tho ordinary processes of the department de-partment of Justice, Will Report on Case. The indictment against the Colorado strlkors and tho ovldenco on which the federal grand Jury acted reached tho department of Justice today and were Immediately laid before G. C. Todd, assistant as-sistant to the attorney general In charge of trust prosecutions and tho enforcement of the Pnerman law. He will look over the evidence closely and report to Attorney Attor-ney General McReynolds. who will decide de-cide whether It Is sufficient to warrant prosecution. In the meantime, warrants have been sworn out for the Indicted men. though they will not be sorved until un-til a decision Is given as to the merits of the- grand Jury's finding that tho Sherman act was violated. Although official comment upon the action of tho grand Jury wns lacking today, it was understood that tho department depart-ment was doubtful if the anti-trust act is the proper resort in this caso, and inclined in-clined to hold that the regulation of such a strike was a matter for the state authorities au-thorities and the stato courts. Proof Alight Be Lacking. While the department knows that one argument made to tho grand Jury was that miners were conspiring to tlo up Interstate commerce, it Is not Inclined to bellevo such a contention should be proven. When the Colorado cases first were brought to tho attention of the department depart-ment by United States District Attorney Kelly of Denver and there waB talk of indictments under the Sherman act, the department took the position that the grand Jury should not no asked to act unless tho ovldenco warranted and a strong case could be made out. Kelly Is a holdover, appointed by former President Presi-dent Taft In 1012, but thero was llttlo disposition tonight to criticise the action ac-tion of the Jury In his district. So far as officials know, he carried out Instructions In-structions to the letter, not pressing for Indictments on evidence which Washington Washing-ton was Inclined to bellevo after a preliminary pre-liminary look to bo insufficient. |
