Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-07-14
WILL NOT QUIT WORK
Navy Yard Employees Acqui-
esce in Secretary's Order.
TO APPEAL TO COURTS
SUBSCRIPTION OF FIVE THOU
SANDS DOLLARS ASKED.
Employees Determined to Fight for
Legal Rights-Decision Of Sec
rotary Bonaparte.

In view of the fact that Secretary of the
Navy Bonaparte has decided that the Wash
ington navy yard employees are not entitled
to half holiday on Saturday. the men will
not walk out at noon tomorrow. as has been
rumored, but will remain at work until the
big bell clangs for quitting time at the usual
hour In the afternoon OF course there Is
great discomfort at the decision of Secre-
tary of the Navy Bonaparte denying them
the Saturday half holidays. but the work
men who gathered In groups when Star
reporter visited the yard today were almost
unanimously of the opinion that the only
thing to do In the light of present events is
to obey the law to the letter. and they will
do So it was said
Some of the men, however. believe they
have a remedy at law. and one of them said
today that a paper would be circulated
among the 4,Jc0 employees of the establish
ment in an effort to raise So,eoo rms
money, it was added, will be used TO sue
out an injunction against the Navy Depart
ment to restrain the government from com
polling them to work the last half or the
day on Saturday.
IF this scheme Is carried out" said one
of the mechanics to Star reporter, we
will employ the very best legal talent to
represent US. We realize that we nave
crossed the last ditch, so far as the Pres
ident and the Navy Department are con-
cerned and Oh the other side of the ditch
lies our final resort-the courts OF the
United States
During the noon lunch hour today little
else was discussed by the employees OF the
naval gun factory and those of the navy
yard proper but the final decision of Secre-
tary Bonaparte. The men realize from the
tenor of his communication that they have
nothing to hope for from that quarter.
1t is still the opinion of many that per-
sonally Mr.. Bonaparte was favorable to
granting them half holiday on Saturdays,
but officially he would not go behind the
recommended ton of his predecesSor-Secre-
tary Morton-nor would he attempt to in
fuence President Roosevelt against his will
in the matter.
Should they have recourse to the law. as
Is proposed, some of them say they Will DE
backed by the full power and the treasury
of the machinists' international orsaniza-
ton. and that the fight may be carried to
the United States Supreme Court
One of the officers of the navy yard in
discussing the possibility of some of the
men walking out at noon tomorrow. said
with emphasis that If any of them did so,
in view of Secretary Bonaparte's decision,
they would be peremptorily dismissed from
the service of the government, never to be
re-employed.
There will be no more disciplining of
the violators of the rules. he added but
they will be fired with the suddenness of
they are manufacturing. There will be no
equivocation about such matters in the
future"
Another official said the naval gun fac
tory is now competing with outside con-
Germs in the matter of making guns for the
new warships. Congress Is watching this
competition with keen eyes, and should the
Saturday half-holiday be granted causing
the machinery to be shut down four hours
on Saturday afternoons and four hours on
nights result WOnld
heavily in the balance against the govern
ment work shops.
IF you fellows keep on agitating this Sat
urday half holiday and similar mea sures -
one of the high officials is reported to have
said to a delegation of machinists you
will lose your work here, because it will go
to private concerns, and then you will have
to go outside and hunt for Jobs. And you
won't get the same pay, the same hours
and the same privileges as you do here
either"
The clerks and craftsmen In the navy
yard. numbering between 400 and 500 men,
have started a movement independent OF
the mechanics and laborers to secure if
possible. a half holiday one day in each
week. One of the leaders in this move
ment informed a Star reporter today that
they would be willing to take the holiday
on any day in the week they could be
spared by the heads of their divisions.
1T need not necessarily be on Satur-
days." he said. but we feel that we should
have the four hours off sometime in the
week. We are in the classified service and
it is unfair to us to deny US this privilege
when such government departments as the
bureau of engraving and printing and the
government printing office are allowed to
excuse their employees at noon on Satur-
days. Besides. although in the classified
service. we get but fifteen days leave a
year, while the others are given thirty
We will let that go. but we want
a half holiday sometime each week
and we decided at an informal meet
ing, recently held. to present a petition
signed by all of u.s. to President Roose-
welt. asking that he do us simple justice in
this matter. The petition will be sent to
him through what Is known as naval
commandant of the yard, thence to the
Secretary of the Navy and be by him pre-
scented to the President"
Nearly all of the clerks and craftsmen
have votes" continued the speaker. land
outside of any other consideration 1t will
be good politics to give US the leave to be
asked for. We receive less pay than any
other clerks in the classified service; we
work harder and with our sleeves rolled
up: we have long distances to come to get
to the yard. causing the expenditure OF
much car fare, and in the malaria season
the surrounding marshes fill the yard with
quinine and average about ten days sick
ness in the year at our own expense. as we
are not allowed sick leave. like the other
| clerks In the classified service. | believe
| VIXEN President Roosevelt becomes cog
| infant of all these facts he will take action
| in behalf"
| Secretary Bonaparte yesterday afternoon
| announced his decision in the vexed ques
| ton as to whether the Washington navy
| yard employees are entitled to the half holi-
! day on Saturdays during the months OF
| July. August and September. His decision
was adverse TO the proposition. He decided
| that these requests have received careful
| consideration, and the department is Obliged
| to hold that. under existing circumstances
| 1t would be neither lawful nor expedient to
! grant them. AS some Misrepresentation and
| erroneous opinions are current respecting
| the material facts of the case, memoran-
/ dunn of these facts is herewith furnished.
| Following he gives quotations from the
| Revised Statutes on the subject, also a de-
| cision of the controller of the treasury
| After reviewing the movement for the pro
| posed institution of the Saturday half holi
| day the discussion concludes:
| On June 26. last past. Messrs. William
| O'Donnel and Henry T. LaClair, as repre-
| sentatives of the machinists and other EN-