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Show SMEL 60KPERS AND UNION MEN EXPRESSSURPRISE it $$ 'iSx '4 1 MrM ' -' SAMUEL GOMPERS. ' -T 4- 4- NEW YORK. Dec. 1, "I am 4- astounded, I am astounded; my 4 4- credulity has been Imposed 4- 4- upon. It Is a bolt out of clear 4- 4- sky " 4. 4- The exclamations were tbose 4- 4- of Samuel Gompers, president 4- 4- of the American Federation of 4 4 Labor, when advised tonight 4 4- of the pleas of guilty In the 4- 4 McNaraara cases. 4 4-4-4-4-4-44-44444 4-4-4 Mr Gompers, on his way from Washington, was dozing In a Pullman car on the Pennsylvania company'3 "Congressional Limited" when ho wa3 awakened at a New Jersey station by an Associated Press representative. He retired to the 'rear of the car whoro there was a corrvenlent light and read carefullv tho accounts of tho sensational developments at Los Angeles. An-geles. The veteran labor leader was1 affected af-fected visibly as he read how tho men in whose defense ho hud spoken and worked so untiringly had admitted their gullL TcarB came Into his eyes and the hand which held the typed pages shook. He said nothing, however, how-ever, until ho had finished the story and he then broko forth Avlth his exclamations ex-clamations of astonishment and Indignation. Indig-nation. Imposed Upon Hie Credulity. "If this Is all true, my crcdulltv has been Imposed upon," he declared. "I am astonished at this news. We have had the gravest assurances given 10 us by every one connected with tho trial cither directly or indirectly that theso men Avero Innocent." i Mr. Gompers said with tho Greatest 1 emphasis that not the slightest Intimation Inti-mation of such a change In the plans of tho defouse as developed today had been communicated to him The Hrst news of the startling developments de-velopments was given him on tho train tonight, he said. Asked if ho would have anything to say about the prisoners personally, the labor leader lcplled. "No, I shan't add to their misery by condemnation of them." "What effect do you Imaglno this will -havo on labor unions?" Avas asked. To this Mr. Gompers snapped his flngors and ejaculated: "Isone " Will Refund Money to Unions. When tho 'fund raised by tho American Ameri-can Federation of Labor for tho defense de-fense of the McNamaras Avas mentioned, men-tioned, Mr Gompers said contributions contribu-tions to date amounted to about $100,-000, $100,-000, which had been turned over to tho chief attornev for the defense, and the collection was still going on He added that te money probably would bo refunded Mr. Gompers bristled noticeably when shown the ratements by William Wil-liam J. Burns at Chicago "I don't wish to mention Burns," ho said decisively. He donied. howevor, that he had over charged Burns with "planting" the, dynamite at Los Angeles. An-geles. t Reverting to tho explosion, Mr. Gompors continued: "Wo . have discouraged net like these. We arc patriotic and peace-loving peace-loving men, and have only a wish to call out the best elements In human nature These two men must haA'o been crazy, it Is an act that I condemn con-demn with all tho force that Is in me." Not Going to Help Labor. Asked again if he believed today's developments would Injuro the cause of labor, tears camo Into Mr. Gompers' Gom-pers' eyes as he answered "They are not going to do It any good. But I want to repeat that the cause of labor has been Imposed upon by both supposed friends and enemies. ene-mies. The men of labor were led to bellovo that the McNamara boys' wore innocent and they acted on that basis. I read lettors from them my- solf protesting their Innocence. Only last Soptcmbor I visited them In the Los Angeles Jail and they asked me to deliver to the labor Interests a message that they were InnocenL "The cause of labor cannot win by such methods as these men pursued. Damage to property and destruction of life we have denounced and done all in our power to prevent Such methods as theso have got to bo stamped out. "If, after It Is known we have been Imposed upon, we are denounced and attacked for suppoiting the defense of these men, then let them denounce and attack. Tho American Federation Federa-tion of Labor is a laAV-abldlag Institution Insti-tution " Had Known John J. Many Years. Mr. Gompers said he had known John J McNamara several years, "John J. Was a very self-contained man with a great fund of humor and he was a good fighter," he said. "I would never have suspected him of this. I always believed In his Innocence, Inno-cence, but I would condemn the 'act of these two men even If they had beon able to get away with It or AVlth-out AVlth-out being convicted This unexpected unexpect-ed self-convlctlon Is nothing more than a failure of two Individuals to live up to the high principles of organized or-ganized labor and cannot reflect Just condemnation upon the cause of labor la-bor as a whole." Asked what action the American Federation of Labor might take, Gompers Gom-pers said the nev- -vas too recent for him to maKe any prediction. "The American Federation of Labor only closed Its annual meeting yesterday," yes-terday," he added. "As to a possible special meeting, It is too early to say." General Otis' Statement. LOS ANGELES, Cal., Dec. 1 Gen-oral Gen-oral Gray Otis, publisher of tho Times, Issued a statement tonight, declaring that he had nover denied the right of laborers of nil classes to organize and act laAvfully. and that the more enlightened en-lightened loaders among Socialists and labor unions "found themselves unnerved un-nerved and unmanned," and for this reason pressure was brought to bear upon the accused men to confess "The result may be and ought to be of great service to organized la- nor ltseil, wnicn, wiui uie crirmuui and monopolistic element eliminated, may go on In a career the like of which It can never achieve by making mak-ing Itself an ally of violence, proscription, pro-scription, monopoly and crime," says the statement. "With theso elements eliminated, there is no reason why organized labor may not take a defensible de-fensible stand In this country " The statement charges an alliance between the Socialists and trades unionism, un-ionism, and of the confession itself says: "The rosult of the confession": of the McNamara brothers in open court is a great triumph for truth and law. It Is proof of Avhat Ave Buspcctod fom the outBet that this unexampled crime Avas inspired by organized labor, la-bor, or Avas dono b- desperate members mem-bers of organized labor, who knew beforehand that thev would 1 c t'io sympathy of their lawless fellows their lawless, not their lawful, follows." fol-lows." Kansas City Labor Leaders. KANSAS CITY, Dec 1, Local labor la-bor leaders recoled tho news of the McNamara brothers' plea of guilty with astonishment. Several had just returned from Atlanta, where the American Federation of Labor made plans In convention for tho defonso of the acoused brothers. "J can't bellovo it," said John T. Smith, president of tho Missouri federation. fed-eration. "But If the McNamara brothers blew up the Time-, nuluing, thoy should be fully punished." J. A. Franklin, International president presi-dent of tho bollermakors' union, said: "It is Impossible." Mr. Franklin said If the report wero true, the labor unions should denounce de-nounce the McNnmaras. "There Is no place In labor unions for murderers murder-ers or law-breakers. They should be hanged." M. F. Ryan, president of tho International' In-ternational' Brotherhood of Railway Carmen, said: "It's awful. I must havo time to think it over." Socialist Mayor Surprised. BUTTE, Mont, Dec. 1. Louis W. Duncan, Socialist mayor of Butte, who took a prominent part In the Socialist Social-ist campaign In the Log Angeles primary pri-mary and who has taken one of tho leading parts in the agitation among the unions In Montana In connection with tho defense of tho McNamaras, tonight at first positively refused to credit the report that the McNamaras ( had pleaded guilt' Later Avhen the newspapers appeared, Mr. Duncan voiced his suspicions "that the confessions con-fessions were a frameup to which the McNamaras had lent thomsolves." Mayor Duncan sprang Into tho llmo- light by urging the unions to call a strike for a day to center attention upon tho defense of the McNamaras. Mayor McCarthy Talks. SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 1, Mayor P. H. McCarthy, who also Is president presi-dent of the State Building Trades Council, made the following statement state-ment concerning the McNamara confession con-fession "There soems absolutely no doubt about it- I can't understand it At first I could not think that It was anything other than a political plot, I Avould have taken my Bible oath that thoso men had notnlng to do with the destruction of the Los Angeles An-geles Times building. Tunings like that never bring good to any one. I cannot think what could havo made those men do anything like that." Andrew J. Gallagher, secretary of the San Francisco Labor council, declined de-clined to make any detailed statement. state-ment. "I am awaiting Information from Los Angeles," said Mr. Gallagher, "and until I hoar from there I prefer not to discuss the subject further than to say, as I have said before, that organized labor in no way condones con-dones nor approves of violence," Leaders Refuse to Talk, WASHINGTON, Dec. 1, Leaders at the national headquarters of the American Federation of Labor would not comment tonight on tho unexpected unexpect-ed turn of affairs In tho McNamnra case. oecretary Frank Morrison of tho federation refused todlscuss tho situation situ-ation Ho may make a statement tomorrow. to-morrow. That the temper of the American Federation of Labor has not changed toward the McNamara case was evidenced evi-denced late today, when, almost simultaneously sim-ultaneously with tho confession of the accused men In Los Angeles, there was mailed from federation headquarters headquar-ters a weekly news letter summarizing summariz-ing events of Importance in the labor world In the last several davs and ridiculing the proceedings in Los Angeles An-geles The letter says: "In order that further nowspaper notoriety may be secured to bolster up the prosecution in the MgNamara case, another 'scheme' has been unearthed, un-earthed, according to the press dispatches, dis-patches, by the lieutenants of the various vari-ous hostile employers' associations tn their effort to railroad the acciiHod men to the gallows. t The dispatches stated that a man employed em-ployed by the dofense to investigate tho character and Interest of Intended Jurors has been detected In the act of bribing prospective jurors, and the boneflclary has also been 'detected' with his pockets bulging with tho coin of the realm. "Interest for some tlmo has beon lagging at the prosecution. Newspaper Newspa-per space has been curtailed, and In order to continue the( trial In tho dally press the latest Innovation became be-came necessary, "With all the charges made, however. how-ever. Attorney Darrow, chief counsel for the McNamaras, says: " 'No monoy has boen used by tbo defense In the manner charged, and I believe tho Avhole affair avIII be cleared up.' "Attornoy Davis makes tho open statement 'that it wag a plant, and before we get through we will know who did It, and I believe Mr. Fredericks Freder-icks (the prosecuting attorney) will be as much surprised nB anybody.' "These sensational stunts can bo oxpocted to be pulled off from time to time In tho future as thoy havo been In th past" The sudden turn In the McNamara trial camo as an agreeable Burprlso to officials of tbo federal government, who wero Inclined to bolie'e tonight that tho outcome of the caso would have a direct bearing upon tho grand Jury Investigation at Indianapolis of the alleged unlawful transportation of dynamite. The hastv conclusion was reached that It would render easier tho task of the department of justice. A. I. McCormlck, United States district dis-trict attorney of Los AngeleB, arrived here today and probably will confer with. Attorney General Wlckersham regarding the Indianapolis case. He Is here, primarily to discuss the proposed pro-posed voluntary dissolution of the so-called so-called plumbing trust of the Pacllic coast Tho department of justice Ib not concerned directly in the McNamara prosecution, Its indirect Interest ro-latinj; ro-latinj; to any evidence that might be adduced bearing on tho Indianapolis Inquiry, The federal grand jury at Indlanap- j oils recently was excused until De- i cember 14, when it Is expected tho government's experts will have finished fin-ished their lnA-estlgation. 00 i |