Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1911-05-20
TAFT ON LABOR
Addressed Railway Train
men in Harrisburg.
SUIT SHORT HIS VISIT
owing to the Illness of Mrs. Taft
the President Spent But Three
Hours in Capital and Hur-
ried to Her Side.

Harrisburg, Pa, May 1.-THE sud
Sen illness in New York of Mrs. Taft
spset the plans of President Taft on
bis visit here. Entertainments planned
by Governor Tener and Congressman
Dlmsted we're abandoned.
The president addressed the Broth
srhood Of Railway Trainmen, in con-
vention In Harrisburg, and hurried
back to New York, remaining in the
eity only three hours. He had intend
ID remaining in Harrisburg over night
ks the guest of Governor Tener.
In the few hours be was in Harris
burg the president motored through
streets that were lined with thousands
Of people, silent for the most part, be-
cause they had heard through bulletins
posted about town of Mrs. Taft's i'll
ness; visited Representative Olmsted
for a half hour and made speech to
several thousand people. The speech
was delivered to the tenth biennial
convention of the Brotherhood of Rail-
road Trainmen of the United States
and Canada
The president was introduced by
Governor Tener 1t was a straight
erom-the- shoulder talk, the president
made, but the delegates seemed to
like it.
Keeps Close to Text
The president kept close to his text.
He spoke of trades unions, their good
and bad points, but he wound up by
defining his position in regard to the
afiliation with the American Fedora
ton of Labor or organizations of gov
eminent clerks. The question, he said,
Is most likely to come up in congress.
1t presents a serious problem, which
the president declared demanded the
attention of the whole people. He
said in part:
81 think some persons have gone to
the extreme of holding that there
ought to be no combinations of gov
eminent employees permitted. | think,
however, that in all governments, and
I have given some examination to the
subject, the government employees are
permitted to combine and have asso-
Citations for their betterment, but the
proposition now is that such combina-
tons should be allowed to affiliate
with trades union organizations made
up of the employees of private employ
ers, and to use the same methods in
securing better terms of employment
that are recognized as lawful and
justifiable in the ordinary trade union ;
In other words, that it rs entirely
proper for combinations Of postal en-
ployes and others to combine in an
association to affiliate with the Ameri-
can Federation of Labor, and then to
hold In reserve as an instrument for
enforcing their claims, presented to
congress for increased compensation,
Or the betterment of terms IN other
respects, the boycott and the strike,
which are instruments recognized by
the American Federation of Labor and
supported and justified by it when
used by the trades unions affiliated in
such federation.
This presents very serious ques-
hon, and one which, if decided in favor
Of the right of government employees
10 strike and use the boycott, will be
full Of danger 70 the government of
The republic.
The government employees of
France resorted to 1t, and took the
government by the throat The execu-
tive was entirely dependent upon
these employees for it's continuance.
Il do not think that reasonably
minded trades union men who are
fully alive to the necessity for rigor-
pus means to enforce their rights in
their controversies with capital and
with their employers will fail to see
the broad difference that exists be-
tween their case, in which they are
contending for the betterment of their
livelihood against the naturally selfish
motives of their employers, and that
Of the class OF government employees
who are privileged not only in the
amount of their compensation, the less
number of hours Of their employment
and the greater peTmanency of tenure
and who serve the government of all
the people, the very existence of which
will be threatened should they com
bine together to quit the government
service all az once and paralyze the
benefit and TIE equal benefits that the
government is properly supposed and
held to confer upon the people at
large.
at is likely that this question Is
going to be made an issue in con-
gress and it calls for the most earnest
consideration"
"The government employees are a
privileged class, whose work is neces-
sary to carry on the government and
upon whose entry into the government
service II is entirely reasonable to
impose conditions that should not be
and ought not be imposed upon those
who serve private employers"
Escorted by Troops.
When the president had finished
speaking he was escorted to the resi-