Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-10-28
FULLER TO ROOSEVELT Observation-Disclosures
Tafts Decisions Affecting Pleasant Journey Along Coast
Labor Criticised Westward From Chester
MATTER OF OVERTIME PAY ATLANTIC CITY OF WALES!
Conasd With All Glasses There
That of Other Judges. -. Recreation. i
RECORD ON PANAMA WORK BICYCLE RIDING IS POPULAR
Eight Welshmen
Law ont he Isthmus Have Fine Railway
Their Llewelyn
Taft's Decisions Affecting
Labor Criticised.
MATTER OF OVERTIME PAY
Action Of Candidate Contrasted With
That of Other Judges.
RECORD ON PANAMA WORK
Opposition to Operation OF Eight
Hour Law on the Isthmus
Cited.

PITTSBURG. Pa. October 2s-H. X.
Fuller. of Beaver Falls, Pa. national reg
is,ative representative Of the Brotherhood
CT Locomotive Engineers. Firemen and
Railroad Trairimen. has given to the AS
scciated Press a copy of a letter Whlch
he has mailed to President Roosevelt.
commenting upon the Presidents letter
to P. H. Grace. financier Of Lodge No 30
brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen. Who
in behalf of himself and associate rail-
road employees. wrote the President ask
ing how they could best serve their own
interests in the present campaign, The
Presidents reply urged the support of
Judge Taft for the presidency and dis
cussed at length the candidates attitude
on questions affecting labor.
Calls the President Partial.
In his letter Mr. Fuller says:
II am at loss to understand why Mr..
Grace should seek information and advice
regarding Judge Taft's attitude toward
the railroad employees of ! the country
from the very one whose influence and
administration were used to bring about
his nomination and are now being USED
to secure his election, when Mr.. Tafts
labor decisions have been discussed IN
the lodge rooms and printed and COM
mented upon In the magazines of the
various organizations of labor. including
those of the Brotherhood of Railroad
Trainmen. of which Mr.. Grace and my
self are members. Had he consulted such
publications he would have been given
the. complete labor record Of MIR. Tart,
rather than partial one. and both ne
and his feilow-employes throughout the
u-hn would
possession of the facts rather than be-
ing in the position of having been mis-
led by the President Of the United States
The most important part of Mr. Tafts
labor record is conspicuous by its absence
from your reply and it is to supply this
deficiency that / write this letter.
Petition Of Employees Denied.
Mr.. Fuller then refers to the decision of
Judge Taft in the United States circuit
court for the southern district of Ohio
April 30 1904 declining the petition Of
employees of the Cincinnati. New Orleans
and Texas Pacific railroad that an order
of the receiver reducing wages 10 per cent
be rescinded. He quotes at length from
the decision In which Judge TAFT states
that from strictly legal standpoint the
employees have no standing In this court
to call for an adjudication OF any rights.
The court is limited in the exercise of its
discretion to such action as may be con-
sistent with the preservation of the prop
erty and it's administration in the inter-
ests of those who own it." The reduction
was approved.
May 81, following, Mr.. Fuller's letter
states, the employees petitioned the court
to direct the receiver to modify the wage
scale, which Judge Taft declined to do.
The decision on this petition is quoted at
length. including reference to a change In
pay for overtime. which virtually was 3
reduction in wages. Trainmen heretofore
had been paid overtime when a train was
over thirty-nve minutes late, but by q
rule of the receiver this was changed to
overtime for two hours or more late. the
receiver alleging that under the old rule
trains; were unnecessarily delayed. The
decision upheld this change. 1t also re-
cited that while some railroads in the
same district were paying higher wages
for similar service, others were paying the
same or less.
Decision as to Overtime.
Mr.. Fuller contends 1t is an injustice to
compel employees to work overtime with
out compensation. He then cites decisions
Of other federal judges in what he con-
tends are similar cases. where proposed
reductions in wages by receivers are pro-
hibited by the court.
Eight-Heur Law Opposed.
Taking up another Phase or Judge
Taft's record. the letter says:
You also failed to give all of Mr.. Tait's
record with regard to important labor
matters on the Panama canal. January
Is, 1905, Mr.. Taft, together with his stan
from the Panama canal. went before the
House committee on appropriations and
asked that the operation of the eigh,-hour
law be suspended on that work.
The letter then quotes evidence given
before the committee by Judge Taft, j. F.
Stevens. chief engineer; T. P. Shonts.
chairman Of the isthmian canal commits
sion; r. S. Benson. general auditor. and
D. w. Ross. general purchasing officer.
Continuing, the letter states:
LAS a result of the testimony Of these
gentlemen, Congress placed a provision in
the urgent deficiency bill suspending the
operation of the eight-hour law In the
construction Of the isthmian canal. True
1t is that this provision applied to alien
abor only. yet so far as Mr. Taft and his
staff were concerned they desired 1t to
apply to all classes of labor, Americans
included"
The letter also states:
I'm rendering his decision in the Ann
Arbor case Judge Taft went SO far as to
call the late p. NJ. Arthur, then grand
chief engineer of the Brotherhood of Lo-
connective Engineers and one of the most
conservative labor leaders In the world, a
conspirator," and then quotes from Mr.
Arthur's testimony before the United
States industrial commission, given April
20, 1893.