The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-06-26
TROUBLE AHEAD FOR Villas.
The Origin of the Organization of Rail-
way Nail Clerks and Its Purposes.
Probability that It's Eight Hundred Members
Will All Soon Resign on Account Of the
Action of the Postmaster-General.

Tho announcement yesterday yesterday Y an Associated
Press dispatch from Washington that twenty
ninc railway mail clerks had been summarily
dismissed upon the order of the Postmaster gen.
eral for INSTRUMENTATION in conspiring to OBJ
struct the regulation of the service by the de-
partment and iniure efficiency" created same
thing of a sensation, and was the subject of
much talk. number of the discharged clerks
live IN Indianapolis, while nearly all Of them
have been employed the roads running to this
city.
In an interview Major Hit, the chief clerk at
this point, stated that the order was not much of
surprise, as the department had been in posses
sion of information regarding the organization
from the first He had advised many of the mon
to have nothing to do with the movement, as
nothing could be gained by it. The organization
had ninety eight members in this division, and
about seven hundred throughout the country.
He says the members We're all Republicans He
says the scheme was for all tho members to place
their designations in the hands of the ex
ecutive committee and send committee
to the Postmaster General to demand
from him information regarding his policy
affecting the Republican clerks. If the answer
was not satisfactory, all would leave the service
together. Major Hit thought there would be
dismissals as those who had been dis
charged were leaders, and their removal was
made necessary to check the movement. He
said that q number of the men were the best in
the service. Promotions would be made to fill
their places.
A railway mail clerk, who is a member Of the
organization which Postmaster general Villas re-
CARDS conspiracy last night told Journal
reporter gomething of its history. "a special
order he said, was issued by Postmaster gen-
eral Villas on the 3lst of March, 1885, in which
he stated that all railway postal clerks who had
become efficient and valuable men, against whom
no just complaint of neglect. inattention or want
of fidelity, honesty, or efficiency could be
brought, need have no fear of being disturbed
so long as they continued to render meritorious
and faithful service. As the Democratic party
had gone into power as the advocate of civil
service reform were led to believe, after this
order from the Postmaster general had been
made public. that an enoaAvor would be made to
keep faith with the people, at least so far
as the railway mail service was concerned. The
Postmaster generals promise had the effect to
restore confidence to the boys who had been
specializing upon the question or how the new
administration would proceed to remove them:
The service was then more efficient than 1t had
ever been before. 1t was not long, however, I'M
til the dismissal of faithful and experienced men
began, and feeling or uneasness was aroused
Efficient men were removed for no other reason
than that they were Republicans. No cause
however, stated and the officers could
not be induced to assign any,
that every man who was dismissed from the
service was compelled to go with suspicion
hanging over him. In the beginning, men with
bad records, who ought to have been dismissed
by any administration. were discharged. and
under the system of assigning no cause for re-
movals, the efficient nen who were dis
missed simply to make for Demo
charged, made to share their dis
grace. The objection to this resulted in the
formation of the organization, the purpose
Of which was to protest against the unfairness
of dismissing from the service without Civ
ing some cause--no matter what it might be, if
not damaging to characterize that there coud
be no suspicion left hanging over a man that ne
compelled to go for some other reason than
that he was Republican,
when was the organization formed"
"Its existence may be said to date from the
dismissal of Superin tendent Burke. about the
first of last March Employees in the mail serv
ice throughout the country members of it,
and no attempt has been made to keep from the
public information that there was such an organ
zation. A meeting of the Grand Lodge
was held on the 22i of May and
regular meetings of the subor dinate lodges have
been held The matter has been openly talked
about, and no one has thought of trying to keep
the existence of the organization from being
known to the public. There has at no tina been
any intention OF trying to keep the members in
their places against the wishes of the officers of
the service. If we had had any thought of do
ing anything of that kind we would have effect
ed the organization between the time of the
election in November and the Inauguration of
the new administration in March We woud
then have had every map in the service in the
movement and could have had things our own
way. The only object of the organization was
to protect the members against the unfair and
unjust treatment which have mentioned.
'What course will the organization pursue in
relation to the dismissal Of its members"
eve are placed in position whore it is now
necessary for us to do something to defend our
selves. A meeting of the executive committee
will probably be held next week, and some course
Of action will then be decided on"
Twill the men resigng'
"They nrohablv will :a.ind that, too, at an early
day. but they will be careful to do nothing that
cannot be approved by the public as warranted
by the treatment they have received. The
order of the Postmaster general will not turn
the organization aside from its purpose
From another source it is learned that the
association, as provision to protect its mem
bers, had created fund from which all clerks
dismissed without any cause being assigned
were to receive 500 month as long as there
should be money in the treasury.