The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-05-15
Overalarming Reports

Overalarming Reports
 Shortly before 10 o'clock this morning the hour which the President had set fol returning to Washington by way of liar. risburg, Mrs. Tafts condition was deemed such that she could not accompany him The announcement prompted oyer-alarm- ing reports of her illness, which the Pres ident believed would still be more exag- gerated if he did not keep his appoint ment to speak in Harrisburg According ly he left as scheduled and Mrs. Taft re- mained in his brothers house.
 Henry W. Taft said today that the Presidents wife had remained in bed all day but that she was less seriously i'll than she was two years ago. He said she had improved during the day and there was nothing at all alarming in her condition. It was hoped she would be able to retrrn to Washington in the course of three or four days.
 In the last few hours he was here the President motored through streets that were lined with thousands of per. sons, silent for the most part because they had heard through bulletins posted about town of Mrs. Taft's illness; wis tted Representative Olmstead for hall hour and made speech to several thou sand persons. The speech was deliv- cred to the tenth biennial convention of the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen The President was introduced by Gov ernor Tener. It was a straight from the. shoulder talk that MT. Taft made but the delegates seemed to like 1t.
 The President kept close to his text He spoke of trades unions, their good and bad points, but he wound up by de fining his position in regard to the at- E filiation with the American Federation of Labor with organization of govern ment clerks. The question, he said, Is most likely to come up In Congress. It presents serious problem which, the President declared, demanded the at tention of the whole people,
 Gone to Extreme
 ''I think."' said the President, some persons have gone to the extreme of hold ing that there ought to be no combina- tioEs of government employees permitted. I think, however, that in all governments, and have made some examination on the subject, the government employees are permitted to combine and have assoca- tions for their betterment, but the propo- stion now is whether such combinations should be allowed to affiliate with trades x on organizations made up of the em- A les of private employers. and to use tA lame methods in securing better terms of1 nploynent that are recognized as lawl | e-id justifiable in the ordinary trad( v.ion; in other words, that it Is en- tirelA proper for combinations of postal empl( ss and others to combine in an as- social n to affiliate with the American Fedora on of Labor and then to hold in reserve, as an instrument for enforcing their clA 'ms presented to Congress for increased compensation. or the better ment of a rms in other respects, the boy colt and the strikS, which are instruments .ooornf1od 1,xr fba Aroernra n Eadera tion Of Labor and supported and justified because 1t Is used by the trades unions affiliated in such federation.
 'sThis presents a very serious question, and one, which If decided in favor of the right of government employees to strike and use the boycott. will be full of danger to the governmnt and the republic.
 "The governmnnt employees of France resorted to 1t sad took the government by the throat The executive was entirely dependent upon these employees for its continuance.
 Government Helpless
 'when those in executive authority re- fused to acquiesce in the demands the government employees struck, and then with the Nelplessness of the government and the d. truction of all authority and the choking of government activities il was seen that to allow the government employees to use an instrument was tc recognize revolution as 8 lawful means i of securing an increase in compensation for one class, and that the privileged class ! at the expense of all the public.
 M T do not think that reasonable minded ktrades union men who are fully alive tu ythe necessity for rigorous means to ens eorce their rights in their controversies 'rwith capital and with their employers -Vill fail to see the broad difference that