The Washington times., 1911-01-20

assumed some of the responsibility fol
getting information about the condi
tions into the possession of Chicago
newspapers. The executive order was
not potent to suppress the newspapers
and their revelation concerning ths
situation caused a good deal of sensa
tion and scandal.
Wherefore Oscar Nelson, because oi
the belief that he had been more OF
less responsible, was duly fired.
II was, of course, an act of insubor.
dination. But just how the postoftice
clerks--and, it may be said, other civil
service workers as well-feel toward
these medieval attempts TO suppress
constitutional rights, may be gathered
from the fact that Nelson was prompt
ly elected president of the n. F. of
p. o. Clerks. The clerks had discovered
| that he was a man of the necessary
courage and initiative to take up and
make their fight for them. And it is
one of the most outrageous things
about this condition in the civil service,
that men and women actually hold
ing Government positions frequently
do not dare serve as active officers of
such organizations, lest in the effort
to do their duty by their organization
they bring themselves into conflict
with the anti-free speech regulations
of the service
President Nelson is in Washington
in the effort to secure legislative or
other action which will nullify the pres
cnt ban OH free speech and the right
of petition He represents one of the
greatest classes of civil service en-
ploves, class in which the largest
salary is 81 POO year, and this is paid
to only very small proportion of the
workers. Everybody knows, without
being reminded, the high quality of
ability. faithfuIness, and integrity re-
quired of postoffice employees. Like
wise. everybody knows how faithful
they are to their trust, as evidenced
by the very low proportion of crimes
against the sanctity of the mails.
Mr. Nelson strongly urges increases
of salary for the civil service en-
ploycs, and also the provision of an
adequate retirement and pension plan.
In his discussion of the matter in the
Times today, which will be found on
another page of this paper, he points
out that a contributory retirement
plan, under which the employees them
selves would pay their own pensions,
cannot be accepted because salaries are
so low that to take anything out of
them to snstain the pension fund would
bring them down below the subsistence
level.
On this point We most decidedly
agree with Mr.. Nelson. II may be
well enough for the Government to as
sumo the role of little father to it's
employees. to hold back a part of their
salaries every month, and to compel
them in this fashion to lay up some
thing against their old age. But if
they are to be starved to death during
their years of greatest efficiency, they
will have small concern for what may
happen to them when they become
old and Inefficient
AS this movement to secure a square
deal for the civil service workers de-
velops strength and national proper
tions, it is commanding a most graft
flying measure of attention from the
press and from students of public af-
fairs. 1t is now realized that an es-
sential preliminary is to secure the
withdrawal, by the President, or the
notification through legislation of the
civil service gag order of January 81,
1902. To this end, Senator Jones and
Representative Poindexter have in
troduced bills. Either of these, it is
believed, if it should become law,
would restore to Government employees
the right of free speech and of petition,
without which it is utterly impossible
for them to secure the hearing they
need and must have.
ADVANTAGE OF LEIGHTON