The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-09-21
An Untenable Position.

We cannot believe that the labor organ
lat ons of the country will allow them
selves to be drawn into an untenable DO
sit1on by the action of the Central Labor
union at Washington in the Miller case
The president said that Miller cannot be
deprived Of his position simply because
he does not belong to a labor union There
has been no discrimination against union
labor; no man has been discharged because
he Is a union man. The clearly defined
issue is, must a man be discharged sim
ply because he Is not union member?
Surely, the unions are not going to take
the position that the government of the
United States may not employ one of its
citizens, or any of its citizens, because he
does not belong to a labor organization.
Membership in a labor organization is not
a condition of citizenship, and this gov
eminent cannot discriminate between it's
citizens for reasons of membership in Ia
Dor organizations, religious organiza tons.
social organizations or any other forms
of organization in which it's members may
see fit to group themselves. When it be-
SoAAASS H.,
religious, POLITICAL industrial, or any other
kind, to dictate to the government of the
United States, whom it shall or shall not
employ, and compel it to recognize class
distinctions, marked by membership or
non membership in any organization of
the kind described, the government of the
United States will not be worth the paper
hat TIC,
will speedily go out Of business.
Miller was dismissed from the govern
ment service because he was not affiliated
with labor union. On appeal to the
president, the president ruled that that
was not sufficient ground for dismissal
and Miller was reinstated in his position.
Charges with regard to his moral char
acter and with respect to his EFFICIENCY
as a workman have been preferred. These
will be investigated, and If they appear
to justify Miller's exclusion from the pub
lie service, he will, undoubtedly, be ex-
Guided; but that he Is not to be excluded
from the government service simply be-
cause he Is not member of labor or
ganiza ton, the president has already set
tied in the only way In which he could
settle it as the president Of the whole
American people, and the American peo-
pie will see that he does not suffer for
having done his unmistakahle duty.
The attempt to bring this question into
politics and punish the president for dar-
ing to take this stand, cannot have results
other than disastrous to those who are
so foolish as to make Of 1t a political
issue. In the first place, 1t will certainly
not command the respect and the support
Of the entire body Of organized labor.
Hundreds Of thousands Of men who belong
to that organization, who have not en-
tirely surrendered their individual judy
ment to their leaders, will recognize the
injustice and the POLITICAL crime involved
in attempting to punish the president for
being courageous enough to do what he
believes to be his duty regardless Of per-
sonal consequences In the secrecy Of the
polling booth they will not sustain with
their votes their unwise leaders,; while,
on the other hand the placing Of organ
lied labor in this perilous attitude be-
fore the country, is well calculated to Inn
pair seriously public confidence in its use
fulness and in the Justice Of its cause
It seems to us that these facts must