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Show GOMPERS HOT COMPELLED TO GOJNrJJ.IL Supreme Court Sets Aside Jail Sentence: Imposed by Lower JDonrt LAB0X LEADERS WIN v : t toint AT ISSUE Lower Court Erred in Mailing Mail-ing Contempt Criminal ' Instead of Civil. 1 ;' ' . . III. I. V- ' WAiHINOTOJf,-. Mar IS. AWttUf Sld th sstrteaest f Imprlsonnssct 1m-seed 1m-seed by th nprm tout of th XMa-trict XMa-trict of Colombia for allg4 disobedience disobedi-ence t boycott Injunction, th sn-prinour sn-prinour of lb United State kld that Hamasi Oempert, John Mitchell and rrank Morrison, president, vlo aral-dnt aral-dnt tad Bscretary, reepectivaly, f th 'aav a. j C - t, ' i vr Amsrlcan rdratloa of labor, bad ba noaaoaily ntencd to : jail aa - a eaarga af oontsaapt of a local court. Ths court unanimously held that th only sentences that could b impossd oa tb labor leaders wer fine. In so holding hold-ing the supreme court of ths United Stste found that tb court af appeal of the District of Columbia aad the sn-prsme sn-prsme court of the district erred ia treating th contempt proceediasa aa a criminal ease and not' a civil on. Tb effect of holding th proceedings a eivil on wss to mak jail sentences impossible- . Hence the Jail ssntences bad te be set asida. . . . To correct th error th ease was ssat bsck to th local courts with direction that it be dismissed. At th same tim th court expressly mad it possible for eivil proceedings to . be . instituted gainst th labor men by th Back 8tav and Bang company, at who is-stasee is-stasee ths origiasl contempt cass was brought. Ths eaort was led to hold thst tb contempt ease proceeding ia this ess must b civil ia nstur be-eauae be-eauae criminal punishment . is exercised by eonrt to fore persong te do-acts eommssded- i . ' . ' la tks present ease tb eonrt took tk view that ta labr men wars being seat to Jail, not to mak then de se teething the court ordered, tout tecsase of "something thev had dose." Inasmuch as all the differences fietwd th is oof men and th Buck Ptov end Bange company hav bees adjudicated, including includ-ing tb "boycott" ease, out af which th contempt proceedings reee, today ' decision is probably tketaaf t b ksard of this famous actios. . , .i ... MAT OOMPEX OOBPOBATTOKB TO PBODUCB BOOKS WAIHWOTOlt, May Is. The supreme court of the United Ststee today approved ap-proved the recent sentence of contempt tmpooed In the New York court on Chrts- ' (Continued en pegs ) COMPERS (Continued from page 1.) topher C. Wlleon. president of the United wTreleaa Telegraph company, because of refunal to permit tha examination of the company's' books. By thla decision the federal government won a far reaching controversy, in that officials of the corporations cannot refuse to give up poeseseton of corporation books for examination by grand lurles. lest they themselves be incriminated thereby. The aentenca of contempt imposed In New York courts on Wilson was based ''on his action In defeating the attempts of a grand Jury to examine the books of hla corporation. In 1110 a subpoena addressed to the United Wlrelees Telegraph company and not to any Individual, as Is usually the lease, waa served on officials of tha company, com-pany, directing that certain books of the company be produced for examination by the grand jury which was Investigating an alleged violation of the statutes of the United State by Christopher C. Wilson." Wil-son." It la said that the Investigation had to do with alleged violation of the postal laws. Wilson himself appeared In court to answer an-swer to tha subpoena, but he declined to allow the grand Jury to examine tha books or to turn them over to the dlrec- tors of the company for production In court. The ground for hla refusal was that the booka would tend to Incriminate blm. The court also approved the contempt sentence Impoeed on William Preier of New Tork. secretary of the Llehtensteln Millinery compeny, who had also refused to produce book under clrcumstancee -I. lla, . . tli.. . tm ih. WMl.iM tmmm |