The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1903-08-15


something worth while. and plans
were at once prepared to march on
Washington. get more offices and
nave the hours cut down and the
WAGES put up.
Alasi for these gorgeous visions Of
western walking delegates. The pres
ldent was so reoreant to his past rec.
ord as to reinstate Mr. Miller in the
government printing Office from which
he had been fired by a complaisant
bureau chief at 4 4emand of men
whom he had be yrannizing over
by compelling them to bind fourteen
books per day instead Of ten books
Such an offense was particularly OBJ.
jectionable TO the bookbinders. and,
after expelling Mr. Miller from their
union, they ordered the public printer
to discharge him, which was done by
pitching him headforemost out OF the
printing house window.
The president, however, is so per.
verse a man as occasionally to recall
his early experience as a civil service
commissioner, when he used to make
the lives OF congressman miserable by
preventing them from turning out
clerks appointed by the other side in
order to make room for their own Sc
lection Under the riea that Mnller's
discharge was the attempted putting
of the Bookbinders' Union regulations
above the Federal statutes, the offend
er was reinstated. after which he COM
mitted the incredible outrage Of max
ing the men work harder than ever.
In fact this, In the opinion Of union
experts. made the government print
ing house an open shop" Nothing
could savor more Of treason to the
sacred cause than this. and for time
the friends Of organized labor stood
aghast. That a fellow should be al
lowed to work against the demands of
their order by the man in the white
house they had supposed was their
friend and ally was bitter pill to
swallow
Finally, the unions determined to
surprise the well intrenched foe by
flank movement They brought charges
that Miller was derelict in his duties
instead of resting their case on the
old reliable ground Of an overzealous
effort to Increase the output. Unfor-
the evidence they We're able
TO introduce all went to show there
was a 40 per cent increase in the |
amount of work done under Miller's
direction as against the minimum out
put ordered by the union. This revolt.
ing exhibit Of the slave driving pro
pensities of Miller was convincing
enough to the walking delegates and
fully in line against the old policy of
high pay and tight work which has so
ong prevailed in the domain of the
public printer-the precedents which
nave made the government printing
'ffice a Sleepy Valley for compositors
ind bookbinders. whose souls sicken
It the strenuous life, the hustle and
he noise Of improved machinery in
private publishing offices. The old
ashloned methods of doing by hand
What the trusts do by machinery not
'nly lIghtened the labor. but provided
more places for union workmen.
And still the autocrat Miller is re-
aimed by the advocate of the siren
lous life In the white house We may
ave TO report the introduction in the
printing Office Of the improved pro
'esses and the new machinery such
IS commercial printers and publish
RS have been using for the past
twenty-five years. Mr. Rocse-elt is too
ond Of working other people TO be a
friend Of organized labor,
hough he promised much at first