The sun., 1891-06-09
At the Department of Public Works.

A curious incident took place tho other
day In the office OF the Department OF Public
Works. A committee representing certain
unions of street PAYERS and rammers In this
town and Brooklyn. called upon Commis-
sloner GlLRoY to protest against the en-
ployment OF non-union men by the depart
mcnt, and to demand that all the employees
who are not Union men in good standing
shall be discharged. Deputy Commissioner
HoLAHAN, to whom the committee was re.
ferred. told them that there were now no
vacancies In the department, and that their
protest and demands should have been made
earlier What followed Ia thus reported in
the Tribune:
"Mn MrKH,r THE head OF the committed replied that
many non.nniou men now employed were ihcompetent
work men. and should hs discharged. The Deputy Com
missioner answersd that the committee could mako
examnaton Of the several sanGs employ ed and report
what Incompetent men. II any. on the folll The
department would inSesyats aud II were deem
cd advisabie this class OF mon wou!d bs dsrhatked.
THE reply fell Tar short of satstyinR the csnmit
tees dssrea It told Mr. uoLAuAS tina: It had concluded
that the Department OF Pubc Works was not IN accord
with ihs vie of the labor sncietiss and that 1t de-
cinrd TO make the examination proposed. This con
cusion about the hostility OF tho department TO en-
ployins union would. Il said be reported to
their respective o:taniIatons"
II this is correct report, the Deputy Com
missioner went as far as any reasonable
union man could ask. He gave the union
Representatives chance to show. II they
could, that any incompetent men were en-
ployed in the Department OF Public Works.
They declined to mako any investigation,
apparently supposing that they had only to
manifest their sovereign will and pleasure
aud the Commissioner would make it his
business to comply. They forgot that he
cannot delegate to committee OF union
men or Of non-union men the right Of dis
charging and employing workmen. They
forget, to,. that whatever be the merits OF
their unions, the city cannot with Justice
discriminate between union and non-union
labor to the extent OF driving the latter out
OF places which 1t holds, and the work
OF which 1t does satisfactorily. What
these unions ought to have done, and
would have done II they really had
been anxious to strengthen tho forces
OF union labor. would have been to seek
to persuade the non-union pavers and
rammers employed by the Department
of Public Works to Join the unions. But
tho union committee seem to have had
another object In view than the benefit or
the success OF union labor. MURRAY, the
spokesman Of the committee. was one OF the
speakers at the STEcKLER powwow last
Tuesday night The frlendliness to labor
OF Tammany. which Is composed In SO
large n degree OF workingmen, is not hon
estly doubted by any one, and cannot be
successfully questioned. It looks very
much as il NURRAY's committee was merely
the agent OF n dlscreditable and hvpocrltical
attempt to induce hostility between the
labor unions and Tammany Hail. Tho
Tribune chlckes in the hope that the re-
Hlsal OF Deputy Commissioner HoLAHAN to
lot the MURRAY committee walk on his neck
will "invo!ve Tammany In a pitched bat
tic with this labor organizations" but the
dodge Il loo weak