The Washington times., 1911-03-24
SEES PLAN TO BAR
UNIONS OF CLERKS
Morrison Asserts Hitchcock
Order Is Step Toward
s~ That End. ,.t
MAY ASK CONGRESS
FOR RIGHT TO UNITE
Action Nothing Short of Tyranny,
Declares Federation
Secretary.

is the Postmaster General endeslvor
ing to make the order against the or
gauization Of railway mail clerks an en-
tering wedge TO destroy the unions of
Government employees now in: exist
ence?'
That is a question that Secretary
Frank Morrison. oNthe American Fed
erstien of Labor. asks He said today
in an interview on the subject that II
might be necessary for Congress TO de-
eide whether the right Of wage workers
10 organize for their self-iniprovement
covered employees Of the Government.
There are thol sands Of Government
employees organized" he asserted, and
asks, If the Postmaster General is not
making a beginning of their destruction,
why did he authorize the special in
structions to prevent the organization of
the railway postal clerks?
The fact that he department has
issued an order that the clerks should
be persuaded not to join union. in
stead of a peremptcry order not to
Join union. Is evidence that the de-
partrcnt had In mind the statute per-
uniting wage carriers TO organize. They
intend" MIR Morrison declared, 'to get
around the statutory provision by using
the tremendous influence Of the Officers
or the department to coerce the railway
postal clerks into submission. Govern
nent employees eithor have the right to
organize or they have not.
Close to Tyranny.
Postmaster General Hitchcock is
fully aware Of tke fact that they have
sucn a right, and the eudeavor o. the
department to take ii from them oy the
most hateful form of irtimidation that
can be conceived of is nothing short of
abSofute tyranny"
'Preposterous" is the descriptive ap-
plied by Secretary Morrison to the
statement of Second Assistant Post
master General Joseph Stewart that
for railway mail clerks to join unions
would be inimical 10 the postal serv-
ice.
And there is nothing in the oath
postal clerk takes that prevents him
from joining a union" Mr.. Morrison
said today. There is nothing in the
obliEaucn 2 clerk may take in Becoming
4 member OF q union that can in any
way interfere with his duties as a rail
way postal clerk. The union obligation
taken by the railway mail clerks is
not secret and their union is not secret.
I am satisfied that the officers of the
PostofiCc Department. are fully aware
OF that fact.
honorary member of one of the national
organizations of the postoffica employees
] take il that that particular organiEa-
ton is entirely under the control OF
Postmaster General Hitchcock. and he
can, therefore, claim that II cannot be
inimical TO the interests OF the Postof-
fee Department
Recognize Right.
Mr.. Morrison declared the Government
recognized the right Of the employ es of
the steel trust 20 organize. The officials
Of that corporation, Mr. Morrison said,
had issued an order that it was inimical
10 the interests Of the corporation that
its employees should organize. The cor
po-ation's only reason for opposing a
union, lie asserted, was to prevent the
employees from having the adTants ge Of
united effort to obtain more satisfactory
conditions.
1T appears TO me that it may become
necessary TO have Congress decide
whether the section Of the statute
granting the right 10 wage workers to
organize for their sef-improvement COW
ers Government employees, or IL when q
Government employe takes his oath of
office IL strips from him every right he
enjoyed as a citizen prior to becoming
an employe OF the Government"