The Irish standard., 1903-10-03
PRESIDENT GIVES
final DECISION
Roosevelt Delivers an Ultimatum
Refusing to Dismiss Fore
man Miller.
HOLDS IMPORTANT CONFERENCE
With UNION LABOR LEADERS
Declares He Cannot Disc riminate For
or Against Organized Labor and
That He Must he just to All iM the
Employment and Dismissal of Men
in Government Service.

In Government Service,
Washington, Oct IAN important
conference took place at the white house
Tuesday night between President Roose-
velt and five members of the executive
council of the American Federation of
Labor, including President Gompers and
Mr.. Mitchell, head of the miners union,
during which the case of Foreman w. A.
Miller, of the government printing Of
flee, who was dismissed because he had
been expelled from the local bookbinder's
union and afterwards was reinstated by
direction of the president, was the prin-
cipal topic of discussion. The confer
ence was granted at the request of the la
Dor leaders. The Miller case was very
fully presented by the members of the
executive council, at the close of which
the president made statement in which
he announced that his decision not to
dismiss Miller was final and that the
question OF his personal fitness must be
settled in the regular routine of admins
tration. The statement in full is as fol-
lows:
Cannot Discriminate.
II thank You and your committee for
your courtesy. and appreciate the op-
portunity to meet with you. 1t will al
ways be pleasure to see you or any rep
resentatives of your organizations OF of
your federation as whole. AS regards
the Miller case I have little to add to
what 1 have already said. In dealing
with it ask you to remember that am
dealing purely with the relation of the
government to it's employees. Unjust gov
ern my action by the laws of the land
which I am sworn to administer, and
| which differentiate any case in which
the government of the United States is
party from all other cases whatsoever.
These laws are enacted for the benefit of
the whole people, and cannot and must
not be construed as permitting discrimi-
nation against some of the people.
Must Be Just to All.
~ am president of all the people of
the United States, without regard to
creed, color, birthplace, occupation or
social conditions. My aim is to do equal
and exact justice as among them all. In
the employment and dismissal of men in
the government service / can no more
recognize the fact that a man does or
does not belong to union as being
for or against him than can recognize
| the fact that he is Protestant or q
Catholic, Jew or a Gentle, as being
for or against him.
Decision Is Final.
| I'm the communications sent me by
various labor organizations, protest.
! ing against the retention of Miller in
the government printing office, the
| grounds alleged are twofold: 1. That
he is nonunion man; 2. That he is
not personally fit. The question of hla
personal fitness is one to be settled in
| the routine of administration detail, and
! cannot be allowed to conflict with or to
| complicate the larger question of gov
ernmental discrimination for or against
him or any other man because he is OF
| is not member of union. This is the
| only question now before me for deci-
sion; and as to this my decsiion Ia
| final"
Evidently Not Satisfied.
From the manner Of the labor leaders
as they came from the white house II
was evident that they were not entirely
satisfied with the result of their inter.
view. They declined to be interviewed.
Mr.. Gompers referring the reporters to
the statement that would be given out
by the presidents secretary regarding
the Miller case. While he was talking
one Of his associates wished 1t to be i'm,
pressed on the reporters that the pres.
ident's statement should be understood
by them to be an entirely Independent
statement" and not as an answer to the
councils request.
Other Matters Discussed.
The committee also brought to the at.
tention Of the president several matters
Of legislation in which it is interested.
! Among these were the enforcement OF
| the eight-hour and the antiinjunction
bills which passed the house of repre-,
sentatives at the last session of con.
gress. The president, Mr.. Gompers
said, expressed himself as favorable to
the principles of the short-hour work
| day and his deep concern for the inter.
est of the wage earners of the country.
Riots mt Duda-Pcsth.