The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1906-03-03
CONGRESSMAN BAKER H: !.
UNIQUE AND HONEST
Writes Word "Graft" Across
Face of Railroad Pass Sent
to Him at Washington.
Now Refuses Office in New
York Because Tammany
Wanted to Control Him.

The following very interesting ed
itorial is taken from the Public on
Congressman Baker of New York:
When Congressman Baker of New
York refused railroad passes, and re-
fused them with voice SO loud that
the whole country awoke to the fact
that this was a regularly established
species Of graft, the grafters and the
graftees and their chorus of news
papers laughed till their sides ached.
But it has long since been Bakers
turn to laugh on this score. Rail-
road passes have never been quite as
respectable since Baker wrote the
word graft" across the face of the
one that had been offered him. They
have now become so d1sreputable, in
deed, that only the other day in the
lower house of congress the Repub-
lican ring was unable to keep an an
ti-pass clause out of the railroad rate
bill except by the narrowest and most
arbitrary kind of parliamentary tao
tics. On the railway pass question
Baker comes out ahead. And now
this same Baker has done another
unique and comical thing, and once
more the sides of the grafters are
aching with laughter. He has re-
signed a $4,000 Office rather than re-
sign his rights of citizenship! Was
ever there the like of that for humor?
We pass no judgment upon the
wisdom of Mr.. Bakers act in this
hrt tho Coyn onto IT houa
been so numerous and widespread,
and the spirit of the act is of such
a wholesome character, that the facts
call for publicity. Mr.. Baker was
among the most prominent men in
the municipal ownership movement
in Greater New York, of which Mr..
Hearst was the candidate for mayor;
1t was he who nominated Mr.. Bird s.
Coler as the candidate of that move
ment for president Of the Borough
of Brooklyn; and he as one of the
most effective speakers in the cam
paign. AS Mr.. Coler was elected, it
was expected that he would appoint
Mr.. Baker to the Office of commits
sioner Of public works Instead,
however, of making this appointment,
or one equally representative Of mu-
nictpal ownership sentiment, Mr.. Co.
Ter appointed a man who was op-
posed to the municipal ownership
movement and policy. For reasons
not reported, Mayor Mcclellan there.
upon caused Mr.. Baker to be appoint
ed secretary of the department of
docks and ferries, an office with a
salary of $4,000. 1t was Immediate
ly rumored that Mr.. Coler had Sc
cured the appointment of Mr.. Baker,
and in denying that rumor in a news
paper interview, after taking the Of
fee, Mr.. Baker severely criticised Mr..
Coler. For doing so he was called
to account by the head Of the depart
ment, a Tammany official, who for
babe his giving out interviews or
making speeches of any kind with
out authority from the head of the
department. Thereupon and three
days after accepting this Lucrative of
fee, Mr.. Baker formally resigned it.
in letter to the head of the depart
ment in which he said:
"YOur action strikes at the very
essence of American citizenship
the right to free speech and an
equal voice in the affairs OF the gov
eminent. No one who values his self
respect could for one moment submit
to such assumption of autocratic pow
er by you, or any other official. To
do so is not merely to passively sub
NIT to tyranny, but would be to I'M
do much that the fathers fought for.
For you, or any other official, to ar
rogate the right to prohibit anyone's
political activity, is to strike a blow
at the genesis of our institutions,
Those who are willing to serve their
fellow men in public office, do not
thereby sacrifice their right to an
equal free and untrammeled voice
in governmental affairs. An attempt
to deny this equal right is an ATTEMPT
to establish despotism, despotism
of the most odious kind, against
which all self-respecting men must
revolt. Because of this, I must re-
fuse to longer serve as secretary OF
the department of docks and ferries. u
While we pass no judgment upon
the wisdom of Mr.. Bakers act, about
| which there may be honest differ.
ences of opinion depending upon
| temperament, habits, associations
| 6CACA Oh puA hO0V VI OLuSl 6uULl0
fluences, we cannot ignore the Amer
lean spirit that prompted it nor thu
old-fashioned courage that gave it eff
feet. Superficial writer's. who ridicul.
Bakers resignation and his reason,
for it, are, by any reasonable civil,
standards, objects of pity or con
tempt. No matter whether his rea
sons Justify the act or not, the act it
self should be its own justification
in the eyes of high-minded citizens
Men who throw away $4,000 jobs TO
liberty to maintain rights of Amer
lean citizenship are not so useless no
so plentiful that they can be despise,
for their costly patriotism. It wer
better to recognize men like Baker
as did Lowell when he sang:
And honor the man who is willin
to sink
Half his. present repute for the free
dom to think,
And, when he has thought, be his caus
Il strong or weak,
Will risk t'other half for the freedor
to speak,
Caring naught for what vengeance tn
mob has in store,
Let that mob be the upper ten thou
sand or lower,