Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1903-09-30
MILLER TO REMAIN.

MILLER TO REMAIN.
An important conference took place at
the White House last night between
President Roosevelt and five members OF
the executive council of the American
Federation of Labor, including President
Gompers and Mr.. Mitchell, head of the
miners union, during which the case
of Foreman w. A. Miller, of the gov
eminent printing Office, who was dis
missed because he had been expelled
from the local bookbinders' union and
afterwards was reinstated by direction Of
the President, was the principal topic OF
discussion. The conference was granted
at the request of the labor leaders. The
Miller case was very fully presented by
the members of the Executive Council,
at the close Of which the President made
statement, in which heannOunced that
his decision not to dismiss Miller was
final, and that the question OF his per-
sonal fitness must be settled in the regu-
lar routine Of administration. The
statement in full is as follows:
Pursuant to the request Of Samuel
Gompers, president OF the American
Federation of Labor, the President
granted an interview yesterday evening
to the following members Of the execu-
tive council of that body: Mr.. Samuel
Gompers, Mr. James Duncan, Mr.. John
Mitchell, Mr.. James O'Connell and Mr..
Frank Morrison, at which various sub
jects of legislation in the interests of
labor, as we'll as executive action, were
discussed. Concerning the case OF Viii
liam A. Miller the President made the
following statement: 4 thank you and
your committee for your courtesy, and
1 appreciate the opportunity to meet
with you. 1t will always be a pleasure
to me to see you or any representatives
of your organizations, or of your fedora
ton as whole. As regards the
Miller case, have little to add to
what | have already said. In deal
ing with it / ask you to remember that
am dealing purely with the relation Of
the government to its employees. must
govern my action by the laws Of the
land, which / am sworn administer and
which diilerentiate any case in which the
government of the United States is a
party from all other cases whatsoever.
These laws are enacted for the benefit Of
the whole people and cannot be construed
as permitting discrimination against
some of the people. | am president Of
all the people of the United States, with
out regard to creed, color, birthplace,
occupation or social condition. My aim
is to do equal and exact justice as among
them all. In the employment and dis
missal of men in the government service
/ can no more recognize the fact that
man does or does not belong to a union
as being for or against him than | can
recognize the fact that he is Protestant
or Catholic, a Jew or a Gentle, as
being for or against him. In the COM
munications sent me by various labor
organizations protesting against the re-
tentiOn of Miller in the government
printing Office the grounds alleged are
twofold first, that he is a nonunion
man; second that he is not personally
fit. The question of his personal fitness
is one to be settled in the routine of adj
detail, and cannot be al
lowed to conflict with or to complicate
the larger question Of government dis
for or against him or any
other man because he is or is not a mem
Der of union. This is the only question |
now before me for decision, and as to
this my decision is final"
From the manner of the labor leaders
as they came from the White House it
was evident that they were not entirely |
satisfied with the result Of their inter
view. They declined to be interviewed,
Mr., Gompers referring the rep rters to
The statement that would be given out
by the Presidents secretary regarding
he Miller case. While he vas talking
)ne of his associates wished it to be i'm
pressed on the reporters that the Presi-
lents statement should be understood
BY them to be an entirely independent
statement" and not as an answer to the
'ounciPs request.