Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-09-23
CONTEST OVER OPEN SHOP
LABOR LEADERS TO PLACE IS
SUE BEFORE PRESIDENT.
Demand for the Removal of Public
Printer Stillings-Distri-
button of Circulars.

ne statement was maze lOidN Dy one or
the recognized leaders of labor that I'M
less President Roosevelt removes from Of
fee Public Printer Stillings he will incur
the political enmity of the organized work
ingmen. In this connection lH referrl d to
an article in recent issva of American
In .stries, in which the labor conditions in
the District Of Columbia are discussed The
article in question speaks of the great con-
test over the open shop which is in full
swing here. II Is added that in no other
place in the country is the issue raised SO
clearly at Washington.
1t is then stated:
Two important phases of ii are sure to
attract the attention of Congress. one Is
the question of the further retention of
Public Printer Stillings and the continuance
. OF the government printing office as in
reality an open shop. The other is the eff
, feet on government buildings of the build
ing trades strike which was ordered be-
>iGSe employers YOU'D not agree to discard
all npn-uuiOa labor.
''Fairly and s4uarely the question OF the
r.gHt Of the government and of individuals
To employ person who does not belong
70 q labor union is once more being taken
t. the President and the unions have evil
UcDt.y about elected to carry the contest
L. the polls f they cannot bring a favor
able decision from Theodore Roosevelt.
Want Miller Decision Reversed.
PRIMARILY, the struggle of which the
President viii have to take notice deals
directly with the government printing office,
the greatest publishing house In the world
expanding In labor and material more than
SIn%i,osi year. lie will be ASKED, under
tn eats to carry the contention into poll
ties, to reverse his decision rendered in
Ile Miller case when he laid down the
principle that he did not belong to a labor
union. and to veto the finding written into
general government practice by the coal
stink" commission.
In view of the Importance of this find
/ ing, which is bound to bear on the near
! future OF the great contention that is
even now causing ave concern to men,
bo-s of Congress the Presidents own
words on 1t WIFI be interesting In a let
ter to George e. Cortelyou, then Secretary
OF Commerce ana Labor, MIR. Roosevelt on
July II. 1905, wrote:
" 1t is adjudged and awarded that no
person snail be refused employment or In
any way Disseminated against on account
OF membership or non-menbarship In any
labor organization and that there shall be
no discrimination against or interference
with any employe who is not a member OF
any labor organization by members of such
organization. ] heartily approve of this
award and judgment by the commission
appointed by me. which itself included a
member OF u labor union
Not Likely to Comply.
lNV' SIIiIiS li4tS 4tttST ana inc uSClS on
made by the President when he ordered
the reinstatement of Bindery Superintend-
ent William A. Miller on the ground that
no rules regulations of labor union
could be permitted to override the laws of
the United States, one would suppose that
there would be no likelihood of the Presi-
dent recedng. The hope of the unions is
based on the statement made by the Pres-
deaf to the memHers of the executive Coun-
Gil of the American Federation of Labor in
the Miller case, which was thus described
by President GOmpers in address to
labor unions:
He Uhe PresidenD Furthermore made
plain that in any form of employment. cx-
Ceptlng that SO cirCumscribed government
cmploymenD, he believed the full employ
ment OF union men was preferable to either
nCn-union or open shops
And it Is now said by many that the
situation here, which is very rema rkahe
one. would not be confronting the govern
IrCnt but for the Presidents amiahle weak
ness in qualifying his original statement
through MIR. Gompcrs. use of which was
made in the republican campaign book in
1901, with the sanction of the President
Open Shop Issue.
Reference is then made to the struggle for
ana against the open shop between the EN-
ployeEs Association ana the trades unions.
1t is said in the article in American In
dustries that the adherents of organized
labor nave started after the scalp of the
public printer with great energy Tie
union men i'll the government employ in the
printing office are making all sorts of trOu-
Die, and at times subdued anarchy has
reigucd there. OHIy the other day d visit
of the public printer 10 Oyster Bay was
followed by an announcement that the
President did not intend TO disp!aCe him.
This has been received with much disfavor
in all union circ.es here, by the union men
employed In the printing office, by the
nliLLiEg strikers. and by The nfticialS of Tie