Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1902-11-29

Washington, Nov 2G.--There is to be
thorough inquiry of the relation of
the Letter Carriers union to the defeat
of Representative Loud of California,
chairman of the house committee on
postottices. The civil service com.
mission has sent for all TIE correspond.
cncc which passed between President
Keller of the Carriers union and the
department. No subject is just now t
more importance than the relation of
and the sooner this relation is cstab-
lished the better. President Roosc-
welt issued an order some months ago
against lobbying III congress on the
part of postal and other federal enl-
ploycs.
This was greatly misunderstood ana
widely criticised. Representative Eos.
ter, one of the new members from Nrr-
mont, not Il great trade union state,
took occasion to announce in the house
in formal speech at the time that he
should not he Influenced by any su Ii
request. and that his constituents in tie
federal service might come to him al
that they pleased. These utteranccS
were but typical of the prevailing mis-.
apprehension of the presidents order,
or at least of failure to realize the
gravity of the problem which il was at
tempted to attack.
In the case Of Congressman Loud, the
facts seem to be these: lie opposed
any increase in the salary of letter car
riers on the ground that they were al
ready much better paid than other
postal employees who were not so m,lcn
in the sight of the public, and who
were less effectively organized. He
could nos consent consistently to an in
crease in their salaries unless an i'll
crease was made along the line, and this
the present postal revenues would not
stand, even with due allowance for tho
felicitous ways in which the actual
postal decifit is regularly concealed.
Mr.. Loud made no secret of this oppo.
sitiOn, and the carriers We're equally
open in opposing him.
When the campaign opened the prcsi.
dent Of the Carriers union obtained Il
six months leave of absence from, VII;
regular work, and soon appeared in
san Francisco. 1t was reported here
that he had gone there for the PURPOSE
of working against Mr.. Loud The de-
partment. at all events. promptly or.
dered him back, cAncelling his leave of
absence. 1t was three weeks before he
started, according to current reports,
ana then instead of returning to his
work, came to Washington to confer
with the postal authorities on the 1.-TWO
great presidents" theory. Why ShouM
hot the president of union of federal
employees. which by AtfiliatiOn with
other labor unions could make and un-
make statesmen. confer with the Iresi-
dent Of the United States, who was
obviously dependent on popular sup
port?
Keller, it is said, promised to submit
to the department written statement
of his relations to the Loud canvass. If
so. such report has never been 70
ceived. Mr.. Loud, who had been
elected two years ago by GOOO ma.
jority, was defeated this time by 6OOU.
Mr.. LOud's defeat will prove an elfec-
tive warning in congress TO any mem
bers who think of resisting the de.
mands of federal employees, and
especially so at Il time when. through
the development of rural delivery. the
Carriers uniOli may be made Il power IN
every district. The department has
decided to stand against any increase of
the rural carriers salary, which is now
double the rate upon which the original
estimates were made few years ago.
But it is doubtful if congress can be
held ba * by the wishes of the depart
ment when a wcll-ccmentCLl union Of
urban and rural carriers, controllin.
votes everywhere, begins to work 1t
would be much simpler, from the poll
ticians' point Of view, to increase the
postal deficit. Who cares about that?
Meanwhile an investigation of the Cali.
fornia case is in order