The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-09-19
The Washington Circular on the
Miller Case.

The question between the President
and labor unionism is now sharply de-
fined. Mr.. ROOSEVELT declared his attl-
tude in unmistakable terms in MS letter
to Secretary CoRTEI.YoU, under date OF
Julv14. Therein the President expressed
his hearty approval of that statement
of the coal strike commission which "ad-
Judged and awarded that no person
shall be refused employment or in any
way Disseminated against on account
OF membership or non-membershlp IN
any labor organization.
Unionism clearly defines its position IN
the circular recently sent by the WASH
ington Central Labor Bureau, with the
Endorsement and approval Of the Amerl-
can Federation OF Labor, to more than
five hundred Central Labor Unions
throughout the United States. The SO
bodies claim membership OF about
$500, 900 workingmen. The pith OF the
declaration of the union lies in the
following extract from the circular:
"whsreas the President of the United States has
PEELED member OF trades organization, notwth-
| standing the overwhelming evidence OF his moral
turpltude. and has also committed himself 10 we
policy OF the open shop. as shown by his letters,
RESOLVED, That the order OF the President cannot
! be rega rded In any but an unfriendly light"
Certain features of this circular require
| EXPLANATION to avoid confusion. That
the President committed himself, with
out reservation, to the policy of the
omen shop" cannot be denied. Nor can 1t
| be denied that in so doing he arrayed
himself squarely against what the
union leaders hold to be the most I'M
portant, if not the vital principle OF
| labor unionism to-day. But it is by no
| means certain that, at the time the Presl-
| dent 8 letter was written, Overwhelming
! evidence of MILLER's moral turpitude
had been submitted to Mr.. ROOSEVELT.
| That was not the ground upon which
! MILLER was expelled. The ground OF
| his expulsion is elsewhere stated in the
circular. MILLER had been found guilty
| of fragrant non-unionism.
MILLER's morals came in on the side,
as a later argument for his permanent
removal. They may or may not have
been doubtful, or even abominable. With
| that feature of the case, the public has
nothing to do until absolutely clean life
be made a necessity to applicants for
membership in labor unions and for
| Government posts under the civil SER
vice rules. MILLER was expelled from
his union for fragrant non-unionism,
| and was renstated in his position N the
Government Printing Office, by order OF
the President, on the ground that the
laws Of the union could not be permitted
to override the laws of the United States
The question is the "open shop" The
President says that all shops shall be
open" Unionism says that there shall
be no shops for the non-,nionist.
The issue being thus reduced to Its
precise terms, attention at once falls
upon another clause in the circular
That declares, among other matters, tina
the principles Of trade-unionism are in
tended to instil into the hearts of thu
working classes the blessings of fret
government" Refusal to non-unlon
ist of the right to earn his living and t.
maintain his family is not conslsten
with this declaration.
Another of these principles is declares
to be the education of the working classes
so that they might uphold the law AM
it's representatives Unwritten, if no
written, laws of this land insure to ever
man the right to life labor and tn
pursuit Of happiness With this prin
ciple and it's present official representa-
tive. President ROOSEVELT, the Washing
ton circular now declares that unionism
at odds