The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-08-09
Contest for the Next President
 Grows Very Interesting
ALL WORKING FOR A RAISE
Mir. Gather, Who Seams to Be One of the Shrewdest Politicians on the Executive Board, Is Backed
 By the Smaller Cities.
BY wATrERsoN sTEALEY.

Washington, August s.-(Special) )-Not since the upheaval in the National Asso- clation of Letter Carriers which resulted in the busting of President Parsons has the campaign for the presidency of this organization been waged with such vigor as during the past three months. The convention will be held in Syracuse, N. Y. from August s to September B. and will be unusually important from the fact that hereafter It's sessions will be bien- nial and the policy and destinies of the association for the next two years will be controlled by the officers to be elected at the coming convention. The most prominent candidates for the office of president are James c. Keller of Cleve- land, O., M. A. Fitzgerald of New York city, and Edward J. Galnor of Muncie, Ind, all of them officers of the associa- tion at the present time. David L. White of Boston, chairman of the executive board, was a candidate but having been promoted to a superintendency, will sever his connection with the association.
 Association Is Divided.
 Having spent number of years to se- cure wholesome increase in salary for all carriers, the association Is now di- yided as to the methods to be pursued in the future The carriers in the smaller cities believe that if a bill can be passed to equalize the salaries of all the car riers at $l000 each, instead of 5000 for the larger cities, and $500 for the smaller cities, 1t will then be easy to secure similar increase of $200 for the carriers in the larger cities. On this platform MT Gainer is making his campaign as the representative of the smaller cities Mir. Gainer is one of the shrewdest politicians on the executive board of which he is secretary. He has already been endorsed by number of branches and will prove a formidable candidate. MT. Fitzgerald will be supported by New York and Brooklyn and some of the larger cities. MT Keller is now serving his second term as president, and is up for reelection. Two years ago he made his first campaign on platform of reform" and announced his intention of securing the passage of the salary bill without resorting to the use of Influence"
 Keller Unfortunate.
 Unfortunately for MT. Keller and the association he never succeeded in getting the bill out of the committee and before the opening of the short session of con- gress the department revoked his leave of absence and ordered him back to Cleveland to resume his duties as letter carrier, since which time he has been unable to appear either before congress or before the department. If reelected 1t is understood that MT. Keller will resign his position as carrier and station him. self in Washington to look after the in- terest of the association, but it is feared he will be hadieapped considerably by the prejudice existing against him be- cause of the part which he Is supposed to have played in the defeat of Repre- sentative Loud, which created some sen- sation last fall. On the other hand, Messrs Gainer and Fitzgerald would have the advantage over Keller as they would be new men and not subject to existing prejudices. A new executive board will be elected as the present board Is not in harmony with President Keller and if he Is reelected he will car ry a new board with him. Similarly Messrs. Gainer and Fitzgerald are both members of the present board and they would much prefer a board of their own choosing.
 The letter carriers will participate in the Labor Day" parade on September ', and President Roosevelt will review the parade and probably make a speech to the carriers.