The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1911-05-13
Second Assistant Postmaster Gen, j,
eral Admits Men Were Dis
charged for Being Active.
MEN WERE EFFICIENT
BUT DlsoBEYED RULE
President Of the Clerks Organic
alton Relates How He Was
Promoted and Then Fired.

WASHINGTON, May 1l.-COnclud.
ing his defense of the postoffice de
partment, before the House commit
tee on reform in . the civil service,
Second Assistant Postmaster General
Stewart admitted today that clerks
were dismissed from the railway mail
service solely because they were
active in the organizing of the union.:
Specific mention was made of the
cases of Postal Clerks Duff and Van
Dyke of St. Paul. 5<. :;t. .s.s
Oscar F. Nelson, president of the,
National Federation of Postoffice
Clerks, followed Mr.. Stewart, speaking
for the Lloyd bill. ~ g. S
Representative Kendall of Indiana
Duff and Van Dyke had been removed
from the service.
Discharged for Union Activity.
"They were discharged" replied
Mr.. Stewart, "because of their pernici-
GUS activities in promoting this new
union organization The organization
had headquarters in St: Paul and they
were, l believe, officials of the pro-
posed union" 2sE,, z
Were they good clerks?" asked
Kendall. &.-. - .,aes es2Ea' NJ J ..s
s''They were good efficient men," re-
piled Mr.. Stewart, "the only reason.
for their dismissal was their per-
nicious activity in the face of the
plain orders of the postmaster general
and the other officials, which they
persistently violated. It was case
of plain INSTRUMENTATION" ss @
+ = - Cnrfeivou Ii EOuofed ~ L. ssz5s5$;
In opening his testimony, Mr.. Mel;
son quoted from newspaper interviews.
with Postmaster General Cortelyou
and First Assistant Hi tchcock at the
time the fedefati of spostonicesclerks
was organized, in W hfch both said the
"postoffice employees can form all the
unions they; want. Z Mr.. Nelson re-
lated the circumstances of his own
dismissal from the postal service, be.
cause of his activity in the interests
of better conditions for clerks. .
tsI was then president of the Chicago
Postal Clerks union," said Mr.. Nell
son, "and for months we had been
working to remedy the notoriously in
sanitary conditions in the Chicago
spostoffice: All through the summer
of 1909 we did everything in our
power, under the Roosevelt gag rule,
to get the department to remedy con-
ditions. The men were working ten
hours night under what the Chicago
commission on occupational diseases
declared were the worst conditions In
the city, During the time from June
to October four men In the mailing
division, in our union, died of tuber-
cllosis because of the working condi-
tions. worked steadily from early
in June until October before securing
the appointment of 12O additional
clerks to relieve the tension. This
was under the Hitchcock retrenchment
policy. .E. : III; .t-4E y y q i .s.
Promoted, Then Fired.
ttThe next June was served with
charges by inspectors. They alleged
that / was violating the gag rule by
trying to influence legislation. i have
never been in Washington, and had
never talked to a member of congress
about postal matters. They also
charged me with furnishing informa-
ton to the newspapers. After filing
an answer to the charges received
notice that 1 had been promoted and
advanced from the $1,100 to $1,000
grade. This was not automatic ad-
vancement, but under the efficiency
scheme Two weeks later Il was dis
missed. fs. <5@ s.
The indications are that the hear
ings on the Lloyd bill will be pro-
longed. Whether Van Dyke and Duff
and sother. clerks who have been dis
ciplined,, incident to the investigation
,oA, hoe M