The daily critic., 1890-06-05
GR O. SALARY GRlBBER3.
The Public Printers Glaring Mscon.
siruci0n Of The Eght-Hour Law.


Edalr critic The editorial in TuE
CRrc several days ago calling atten
tion TO the violation of the Leave.of-Ab.
sence law by Public Printer Palmer at
raCied considerable attention, especially
among workingmen, who begin to think
that tits The settled policy Of the eN-
eruiive officers off ihe Government to
either f8grant'y violate or evade The
Jaws which are in the interest Of The
lahoIing classes
The first bin granting fifteen days
leave of absence with pay jo employees
of The Government Printing Office was
introduced i'm the House hy Mr. Ma'son
of Indiana, and was signed 10y President
Cleveland June 3O 1886 10 reads as
follows
Beft ya1cf,5. ,,e., that the employees OF
the Government Printing Office, whether
employed hy the piece or otherwise, be a.
lowed q leave of absence with pay, not cv-
Deeding fifteen DAYS ip any one fiscal year.
after the service Of one year, and under
such regulations and 90 such time as the
Public Printer may designate.
The arguments used to secure the
enactment of the above law were.
First That the employees of the Gov
eminent in the Printing Office were
Disseminated against In The matter Of
leave Of absence with pay.
Second. That inasmuCh as they were
the hardest worked employees Of the
Government in Washington land that
assertion comes very near the TRUTH
this leave Of absence was absolutely
necessary for the restoration Of their
shattered constitutions. and that, after
enjoying the bounty Of a generous en-
plcyer-the peuple-thcy could return
with renewed zeal 10 the discharge Of
their arduous duties.
Third That the passage of this law
would nccessitate the employment Of a
! considerable number of men and women
who otherwise might be idle as substi.
tutes or extras In the place Of the regu-
lar employees on leave; and this latter
argument secured for the measure the
! support Of organized labor not in Gov
eminent employ.
When the law went into operation Il
was discovered that fifteen days leave
was not sufficient for the purposes in
| tended. and an amendatory act was ap-
/ proved by President Cleveland August
I. 1SSS, extending the lcdre Of absence
with pay-not double pay without
/ lCavC-to thirty days In each fiscal year.
From the time OF the passage Of the
/ original bill to the passage Of the
/ amCndatory act the employees Of the
office were granted the full number of
| days (iftcen) allowed them by law with
pay After The time was extended 10
/ hjrty days rih pdy they received all
| they were entitled to under the law
until Mr.. Palmer was placed in charge.
| when the employees were told that tn"
/ law did not mean what 10 said--that
| thirty In this particular instance meant
hrfHy sic. The mildest term that can
| be applied 10 such Juggling with plain
| English II that Il Is o glaring misc IN.
| struCtion OF the law. II is claimed that
| the present Public Printer is not re.
sponsible for this construction, but Il Is
| absolutely true that the law was JHlly
carried ont until ho was placed in charge
| of the Office
The law says the employees shall have
'ihirty days leave of absence IN each
fiscal year"-that Is, that they shall
give to the Government 2S3 days labor
and then shall be allowed thirty days
| leave with pay. The intent OF the law
/ - AhA W AAAANNaA NAAN pay hhA W AliA-
prove the health Of the "overworked"
employees; and Public Printer Palmer
fagrantly violated the law when he first
invited and then allowed printers and
/ other employees OF the office to become
salary grabbers. The law says they
shall have twelve months pay for
/ eleven months work The Public
Printer decided that they could take
the money and decline the leave Of ali.
sence, thus securing what Congress
never intended land what was never
suggested while the bills were pending),
the grabbing Of double pay for one
/ month In the year.
When Congress appropriates the leave
money for the coming year the Public
Printer should be directed 10 rigidly
enforce ''the beneficent provisions. OF
| the Leave Of-Absence law
! PRINTER.