The Washington times., 1911-01-20

I'SA pOdy cApttlS Il llllle nlOTG Ol a
government employe. 1t is never taken
INTO consideration that young man
entering the postal service and remain
ing therein for number of years and
becoming skilled in his work therein,
has learned a trade that he can employ
only with one employer, and that is
Uncle sam: If he does not like to work
for Uncle Sam or Uncle Sam fires him.
his trade is lost to him. The skilled
mechanic of the other trades Is inde-
pendent, and can go from employer to
employer, and always has the privilege
when he can afford II to go into busi-
ness for himself
Favored Contributory Plan.
But, getting back to the retirement
question, I want TO say that our con-
vention did not indorse the contribu-
tory plan, although We favored it over
the straight pension, because we know
positively that with the present sala-
ries the postoffice clerks cannot afford
to have anv deductions made from
their salaries. We will gladly support
and do support the contributory or de-
duction plan, but we insist that a meas
ure must be passed first that will in
crease salaries in proportion to the de-
auctions. II that Is done we can afford
to have the Government keep per-
centage of our salaries to be turned
over to our heirs If we die before PEN
sion age or to us II we leave the service
at any time. The public cannot charge
that they are being taxed to pension us
under that plan. All we ask from our
employer, the Government, is a salary
that will allow us to live decently, and
to pay toward provision for old age.
II was let out of the service; yes.
fired, on the charge that ! had given
information TO the newspapers of Chi
cagO which resulted in articles appear
Ing exposing our present Federal build
ing there as the most 'unsanitary struct-
ure in the loop district That state
ment was made by DR.. Evans, ChiCago's
health commissioner. ] was RESPONSE
BILE for the exposure only in this way:
l called at the office of the Tubercu-
losis Institute to make arrangements to
have one of our members who had con-
tracted the disease as a result of the
conditions he was forced to work under.
sent to sanatorium. While there !
discussed the conditions that had caused
the death OF four of our members in n
period OF a few months and had my
organiZatio paying out hundreds or
dollars in sick benefits. The result was
the newspaper publicity. What an aw
full crime TO be guilty of-trying to pre-
vent tuberculosis. The department had
had its attention called TO conditions
months before. but nothing was done.
Of conditions was to violate the execu-
tive orders, and therefore l was found
guilty of iese majesty and on July 10,
1870 Just nineteen days after I had been
promoted for efficiency. I was fired.
Fighting for Rights.
These same executive orders apply to
all Of the 10000 civil service employees,
and I cannot understand why the en-
ployes have not in some way protested
against such a wholesale disfranchise-
ment OF the rights of American citizen
ship. The right of free speech and the
right 10 petition Congress is an in
separable part of our citizenship, as
the Constitution expressly states that
not even Congress shall make laws
abridginE the freedom of speech or of
the right of the people to petition Con-
gress for redress OF grievances
81 am anxious that the bIts intro
duced by Senator Jones and Represen-
tative Poindexter shall be enacted so as
to restore our constitutional rlenlS. 1
know II the civil service employees mere
in WASHINGTON could speak out they
would heartily indorse and demand the
massage Of the bills. The bills are tden-
teal and provide that persons IN the
classified service shall not be restricted
right to critIcise the conduct and ad-
mfnistration of the service IN Whlch
they are engaged or 10 present any
grievance to Congress; and no person
shall be removed VI olliCl W ISC
excent after written notice of the rea-
son therefor and opportunity for de-
"Tbe passage of such provisions deem
absolutely necessary for the protection
of the employees. and in order to give
them opportunity to lay before Congress
their needs Freedom of speech and
the right to correctly criticise the con-
duct or administration of departnenI
Is necessary for the public welfare. ana
aT1nlnVpS 70 give 10
the service the benefit of their ideas
for the Improvement of the public ser
vice.
Want Right to Be Heard.
we don't want to do any unjust
kicking or indulge in unjust criticism;
II we do that, we expect to be dis
ciplined. But We do want to be IN
position that when we ask the depart
mental head for a correction of condl-
tions in order that the service and the
employees conditions may be improved
that some attention will be paid to that
request and not pigeon holed because
we cannot take any further action.
IT could go on for hours In giving
you a detailed account of the require
ments expected from postoffice cleFk'
and telling of the intricate duties he Is
called on to perform. The pupnc KNOWS
practically nothing about his duties as
il does not come in contact with Rim
except at the stamp or money-ord9r
window, which work is but MINOR
part of the duties a postoffce clerk Is
called upon to do. Briefly, L Will say
that II is the clerk who distributes all
the mail to the various trains thar car
ry il to the many cities and states
throughout the country. 1t is the cLerk
who distributes the mail to the Garner
for delivery Therefore, the clerk must
memorize the names of all the post
Offices in several States that he may
be distributing mail for. he must know
what trains carry mail to each OF these
postoffices, he must know W1iat TRAM
serves this city at this and that hour
Of the day. and must have time sched-
uIes of these trains in his memory.
HE must memorlze all the changes
made In names of towns and changes
# time tables. A clerk distributing
mail for city delivery must know every
street in the city, must know the diVld-
ing numbers of each street between sta-
ton districts, and must know dividing
numbers on each street between car
rier districts. All this requires hours
of study each week, and all that study
must be done at home on a clerks own
time. A clerk must submit TO eXamlna-
ton semi-annually as to his knowledge
of these distributing schemes and must
past with a mark of 80 per cent.
"a postoffice clerks work Is largely
night work, as the arrival and depart
rre of mails make it so. And yet with
these requirements and the work being
done at night the clerks today occupy
the unique position OF being the only
Government employees who have not the