The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-01-20
VACATIONS FOR ARTISANS.
Leaves of Absence for Employees in
Navy Yards and ArsennIs.

Navy Yards and ArsennIs.
a bill granting an annual leavesOf alb
| sence for fifteen days to employees in the
| navy yards. gun factories. naval stations
and arsenals of the United States wa
passed by the House of Representative
late yesterday afternoon. Representative
Mudd obtained unanimous consent for the
consideration of the BILL which had been
reported from the Committee on Naval
! Affairs with an amendment striking out
| the words "and arsenals.' thus limiting
| the application of the bill to employees il
navy yards. gun factories, and naval sta
tions. Mr.. Mudd explained that the
| amendment was suggested by the com
mittee because it considered that it haG
| no right to recommend legislation which
would affect arsenals, these not being
| within the naval establishment. Mr.. Mudd
| sal significantly that the House could vote
down the proposed amendment but he urged
| the passage of the bill. saying that whecl
| ii was remembered that il has been fc
| years settled by law that clerical en-
ployes of the Government, letter car
riers. and persons employed in the Reve-
| nue. Service and in the Government Print
| ing Office should and do receive thirty
days each year of leave with pay ana
| thirty days sick leave. no good reason
could be given why the skilled laborers
in the navy yards and the gun factories
should not be given a similar leave, and
when they express themselves as satisfied
as they have, with such leave being bu,
hfieen days each year, il would seem tina,
their request should be granted
Mr. Glynn of New York. in whose dis
| trict the Waterviiet Arsenal is, took the
floor in opposition TO the committee
amendment and in advocacy of the pas
sage of the bill in the form in which it
| was introduced, saying in part: Il want
TO ask tir' members of this House in all
| fairness to vote down that amendment of
| the committee and to pass this bill as
originally submitted. And l think that in
| view of the premises, in doing that the
4 members of the House viii do but an act
| of justice and wipe out the invidious dis
| tinction that is drawn by the members of
| the committee in reporting the bill
against these employees. They tell us the
| only reason they struck out the word
arsenals is because of the fact that the
Naval Committee has no Jurisdiction over
the arsenals of the United States That
! may be so, Mr. Chairman but the House
of Representatives certainly has and If
the House proposes to give an annual
leave of absence of fifteen days to these
| employees of the naval station. the naval
gun factories and the navy yards. there
can be no good reason under the sun why
they should not give the same leave Of
absence to the employees in the arsenals
of the United States. To do anything else
would be to make fish OF one and fowl of
the other.
I'VE all know that in the departments
in Washington the employees have leave
of perhaps sixty days each. All that we
ask, on the contrary. in this come nection,
for the employees at the arsenals. is
leave of fifteen days, ana surely there can
be no justice in refusing it. Now, Mr.
Chairman, the employees of the arsenals
are more entitled 10 an annual leave than
are many of the clerks engaged in the de-
partments here in Washington The men
in the arsenals have to use just as much
brain power as the clerks in the depart
ments here. So particular is their work,
sir, that the failure of the smallest in
hnitesimal part of an in"h = tne -laaI-
fs-'1Fe o. one oi our large guns 1urii
result iu The dest.-.I ION of thousands
upon thousands uf dollars worth o. noes.
The loss lf all fac labor -hat hai been l1-
piled 10 ite work r.i1rc c-. ~
1fsirneiio- . ;he vaIge at the saa i---
I 70 requires t1G gtmJg ll and ae
utmost rary luf attention GA thel- gar
t 4- sngALHNi-t u ttat. iA. -H-aE 4-..y -
! lion tney are in a position where they
are liable to serious injuries. They are
/ injured and hurt in hundred different
ways for which they can receive no re-
dress from the Government. They have 10
work longer work harder. and have
smaller pay than the clerks in the de-
partments at Washington who receive an
annual leave of sixty days. These men in
the arsenais have harder work. they have
TO work longer hours, they perform a
more important work. and yet they re-
| ceiYe-or we ask only that they shall re-
ceiye-one- fourth as much leave OF ab-
sence the clerks in the departments
| here. What reason is there why We
/ should grant a leave Of fifteen days for
| the employees in the naval arsenals and
| refuse that same request to the employees
of the army arsenals. The only reason 10
my mind is this: There is in Washington
| a navy yard. The men employed there are
| near to the members OF Congress; they
| can see them in the mornings when they
go out, and they can see them at noon
| time and at night and hood them with
| petitions and harass them with applica-
| tionS to give them vacation. That IS
| just because they are in Washington and
| find the members accessible to them
The amendment was defeated without
| opposition, and the bill was passed with
| ont dissenting yoice