Evening star., 1903-07-23
PRINTERS MAY QUIT
What Bookbinders Say About
Miller's Return.
CASE FURTHER STATED
PREVIOUS RELATIONS WITH
CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION.
Statement by President Feeney-Sec-
retary Cortelyou Has Not Exam
ined the Protest Yet.
CASE FURTHER STATED

|
A report that three delegates from the
local union of the International Brother
! hood of Bookbinders last night went to
| Oyster Bay to make protest to President
| Roosevelt against the reinstatement as as
| Sistant foreman of William \. Miller, has
been denied by the officers of the union
and The Evening Star is authorized to say
| that such action has been at any time
considered.
| The bookbinders appreciate that the Presi
dent acted strictly within the rules of the
civil service In ordering the reinstatement
of Miller after the civil service commission
| had received the admission from Public
| Printer Palmer that the man had been dis
charge from the government printing office
! because of his expulsion from the local
union of the bookbnde1s' organization.
| They say that they have neither wish nor
| right to expect him to reverse his decision
until such facts have been presented TO
him through the proper channels as VIII
| enable reconsidera ton. This step has
| already been taken by the union and the
! papers are now in the hands of Secretary
| Cortelyou Of the Department of Commerce
| and Labor.
| 1t Is said that there is not the slightest
| question as to the result of Millers return
| ing to his old place. The men will quit
| work in body. for they claim they have
] no other recourse. But they cannot stop
| work Immediately upon the return of Mil
| Ter. If he comes back to take the place to
! which the order of the President has rein
| stated him. the officers of the union VIII
| meet and order strike
| In the event of such action every man and
| woman in the hindcry. il is asserted, Will
| walk out until such time Miller is dis
| missed. If it should become necessary II
| is said that the entire force of the printing
| office Will quit work in sympathy with the
| bookbinders. Neither of these actions. how
! ever is thought by these members of the
| union who are informed to the contents
| of the protest sent to the President yes
| terday, likely to be taken.
| 1t Is contended that the contents OF the
protest of such a convincing nature
| that there will be not the slightest possibil-
| ity of the civil service commission uphold
| ing any opposing argument that might be
| advanced by Miller.
| Miller Expected to Return.
A prominent member of the local union
said this morning to a reporter for The
| Evening Star that he knew Miller, and that
| he would return to work.
| He will not be satisfied with a moral
| victory" said this member but will come
! back and force the issue. 1t makes no diff
ference to him whom he in jureS if he can
| succeed in his own designs and the loss TO
| the government by the strike of the book
binders would not appeal to him in the
least degree. He has been advised of his
| reinstatement by the public printer, and it
| Is my belief that he is on his way to Wash
1ngtOn at this moment 1t would not sur
prise me to see him before the protest gets
into the hands of the President"
| The bookbinders distinctly disavow any
| intention to ask the President to rescind his
| order until he has had the proof placed
| properly before him of the untness of
| Miller to work in the government service.
They realize that an error has been made
| in the discharge of the man, but at the
UNFOLD public in
! action. and say that it was taken with the
| best interests at heart of the employees who
worked under Miller.
President Feeneys Statement.
| Former President J. l.. Feeney of the To-
cal union of the bookbinders' organization
this morning made the following statement
| to d reporter for The Evening Star:
I'VE regret very much that several news
papers have seen fit to criticise the public
printer for dischargng William a. Miller
on account of the expulsion of the latter
from the Bookbinders Union. Mr.. Palmer
Is thorough union man, being a member
of the Typographical Union, and has al
ways been. In Miller's case he simply
acted as II he were a private employer. We
have been recognized as a union by every
public printer since the government bought
| the plant in 1861. Public Printers Wendell,
Defrees. Rounds and Benedict have recog-
niZed the BookhinderS Union, and | can
cite many cases wherein the union was
consulted and its rules and laws upheld by
predecessors of the present public printer
Difference With the Commission.
'The civil service commission also recog-
| nzed the union. The following case will
Illustrate that point. We have a very strict
rule In constitution that no person can
become a member of our union who has not
served at least four years apprenticeshfp
to the trade of bookbinding. The civil serv-
ice rules were to the effect that any person
VINO has served three years is eligible for
appointment in the government printing
office. During the past eight years we
have rejected several new appointees from
the civil service commission who could not
prove that they had served four years and
our action in each case was sustained by
both the public printer and the commission.
About a year ago We rejected a man
who had been appointed in the bindery
who was only a paper cutter. having dis
covered on investigation that he had not
served the required four years apprentice
ship. The man was appointed in accord
ance with the rules of the civil service
commission and after his rejection by the
union he protested and appealed his case
to the commission and to the President
of the United States. l believe the public
printer told the commission why the man
could not work in the bindery. short
time afterward our union had some bus-
ness with the commission and in the pres
ence of the full board-Commissioners
Proctor, Foulke and Garfield, as pres-
dent of the union. reported this case and
stated that it unjust for the COM
not accept. bring him long distance to
work which he would not be permitted to
perform because of his rejection by the
union and consequent discharge from the
government service.
I'VE requested that the apprenticeship
rule of the commission be amended making
it four years instead of three and on mo-
ton of Commissioner Proctor the rule was
amended as we suggested That is a case
wherein the union recognized by the
governmental authorities and respect shown
for our rules and regulations.
I'm 1895. when the office put under
the rules of the civil service, union op-
posed the action. and was one of the COM
mittee that called upon the civil service
commission, and also on the President of
the United States, to prevent 1t. We were
told that the rules had been prepared and
1t was too late. We Immediately protested
against the three years rule for apprentice
ships and our committee told Commissioner
Proctor that union would not admit to |
membership any person appointed by the
commission who could not show that lie had |
served four years apprenticeship.
Dismissal for Offensiveness.