Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1904-12-20
Dismissal Of KclIar and Cunning
ham Teaches an Import
ant One.
MUST NOT Be TOO ACTIVE.
Nay Not Attempt to Influence Legis-
latiOn - New aud Interesting
Christmas story

postoGco department in Diminishing
from the postal service the he1ls OF me
two great associations of letter care
rlers acting under thg direct orders OF
the president. has shown clearly mat
"pernclous political activity VIII not
be tolerated among employees in me
service Of Uncle Sam. President KEEL
Ter of the National Association of Let
ter Carriers, dl1 not have time Co rec
Sign If that course had ever been hIs
intention after receiving the utIma'um
OF Mr.. BrIstow, the fourth assistant
postmaster general, that he should
show cause within three days why he
should not be removed from ollce ior
INSTRUMENTATION In q large sense lniS
same condition applied TO- Frank H.
cunningham. of South Omaha, presI-
dent of the National Association OF
Rural Carriers, who was removed iIOil
the service for violation oil lhe piesl-
dents order OF Jan. 81, igJZ Wnicn lor-
bids any empoye OF the government OF
any association of such employees "l-
tempting 20 influence legislation OF any
character or for any purpose or to So
llcit increases of pay for their services
as such employees
The postOflice department has always
been ready TO receive the heads OF lhe
Letter Carriers association, ANA OF ru-
raj carriers and listen 10 any susses-
ton they might desire 10 make regard
Ing the interests Of the carriers in poth
these brnnches. This courtesy was ace
sumed to be due the carriers ana their
representatives and every faculty mas
been given then for the presentation OF
thir requests TO the department Now
that Kelar Is not q member OF me pos
tal service il follows that the depart
ment cannot receive him as the repre-
sentative OF the carriers According 10
the constitution OF the Letter Carriers
association the office Of president must
be filed by some person who Us IN me
active employ OF the government the
dismissal OF Keller from the service
therefore not only creates vacancy
IN the office OF president. but mnlml2e5
his standing before the department. II
would therefore appear mat TIE only
way out OF this difficulty Is 70 elect
some one else TO the position of pres
ldent Of the Letter Carriers association
who Is In good standing with the post
Office department or else change mat
clause OF the constitution which proc
vldes that a president must be In the
active service OF the postoiicG DEPART
ment as letter carrier.
The department holds that the car
rlers cannot by any act Of any nasocia-
ton OF their own creation demand that
representative be received unless he
Is an empoye Oft he service, The num-
blest carrier would be received az the de-
partment If he went there with a View
TO promoting the interests of his assoc
clates and his cali was IN accordance
with official precedence.
In the cas- Of Mr.. Cunningham con-
ditlons are somewhat different, so far
rs can be ascertaIned the constitution
OF the National Rural Carriers assocla-
ton differs from the Letter Carriers
IN that Il does not provide
that the president must be an employe
of the government. II this De true, Mr.
can stlll serve his assocla-
ton as president, unless the depart
ment should decide not 10 receive the
president OF the Rural Carriers associa-
zion because he was not q governmental
employe. Whether the department win
30 10 this length is O question. Many
have seen the pOstoillce
and have laid before the
fourth assistant postmaster general
letters from rural carriers seeking 90
pledge these same congressman TO vote
for increase pay for the rural carriers,
with threats that In the event Of their
being antagonlstlc to such increase they
would be marked for the slaughter
Some OF the carriers who have been
called on the carpet for sending out
such threatening letters have invariably
stated that they were directed 20 DO II
by superior officers OF their association
This particular statement Of the car-
rlers IN regard 20 the reason for their
action is especially offensive 10 the
officers Of the pOstofhce department be-
nause Of the intimatl0n contained there
IN that the carriers recognize the aus
lh0rities Of their association as havlns
greater rights 10 direct their actions
than the postotfice officials and that
they regard an order from their assoc
citation officers as Of more import than
an executive order sent out with the
presidents approval
A CHRISTMAS STORY.
There Is short Christmas story OF a
year ago which has not yet found its
way into print During the Civil war
Gen. James W. Wadsworth. father of
he member of Congress of that name.
was IN command of a division Of Union
troops az the battle )f the Wilderness
he had carried With him, from his
home in Gcnesee, a camp outfit which
contained a silver fork and spoon, and a
knife. The table Implements ne used
daily and just before me hght in which
he was killed he had eaten his dinner
using the table necessities. His Urlk-
err or body servant was engaged I'm
clearing the mess table when the news
NJ Gen, WadswOrths shooting was re-
celved. The striker was a New York
soldier, Who realized that The table ap-
planes last used by Con- WadSworth
ought 10 be preserved for his relatives
He carefully packed them up and care
ried them back with him 90 hts home I'm
central New York. Years after the close
of the war he told the county clerk of
his home county that he had them ana
that he would Ike 10 restore them 10
The relatives of The general. The com-
~ clerk took charge OF them and forgot
OIL about his trust until year ago last
summer Then meeting Representative
Dwight Of his own district ha men.
Toned the incident and said that the
ought to have the silver.
ware back again Dwight took 10 the
idea ut once, but decided 20 wait "a short
time before returning the articles 10
the rightful owner This he ala last
Christmas and II Is doubtful If the con.
gresham received anything ON that oc.
casion which he prizes so highly as the
fork, knife aud spoon which were used
by his father at the last meal he took
on the battlefield Of the Wilderness 40
years ago.
QUEER IDEAS OF HOSPITALS.
People without experience have
some very queer ideas about hospitals"
said a recent patient In an institution
of that kind. zone OF the commonest
IDEAS and one very wide Of the mark.
Is that when one goes 10 the hospital
as q pay patient occupying a private
room he needs nothire further evcrv-
thing being provided by the institution.