Labor Leaders Defy Court Power
A fiery speech by John Mitchell of the United Mine Workers at the A. F. of L. convention sparks a debate on the constitutionality of the federal judiciary's power to silence activists.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
No more dramatic scene was ever enacted in any convention than that in which John Mitchell of the United Mine Workers figured as the principal in his speech before the A. F. of L. convention. In his well-balanced and patriotic speech, he told of his love of country, but as at present ruled, he proclaimed his defiance to the courts, and declared his intention, as long as he was at liberty, to declare for the rights guaranteed by the constitution. In this sentiment, he was seconded by the best thinkers of the day. W. D. Mahon, president of the Street Railway Men, wrote: 'The decision of Judge Wright in the sentence of Gompers, Morrison and Mitchell, in my opinion, goes far beyond any rights that the constitution gives to the courts of this land, and causes one to fear that the predictions of Jefferson are coming true, when he said, that if our liberties were ever lost, it would be through the usurpation and encroachments of the federal judiciary.'
“If our liberties were ever lost, it would be through the usurpation and encroachments of the federal judiciary.”
This 1909 editorial captures the historic tension between organized labor and the judiciary—a debate that persists today regarding the role of injunctions and court intervention in labor disputes. It highlights a recurring American theme where the 'rule of law' is argued as either a protection of rights or a mechanism for suppressing collective bargaining.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.