Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-05-31
VETERAN WORKER
RESTORED T0DUy
Secretary of Navy Reinstates
G. A. R. Man Recently Sent
on FurIough.
ATTORNEYS WERE READY
TO CARRY CASE TO COURT
DR.. Gleeson Sees Tendency of U. S.
Government to Give Slight Rec
ognition to Grand Army.

What may be the beginning of change
in the policy of the executive DEPART
ments of the government toward old en-
ployes who are members of the Grand
Army of the Republic was foreshadowed
last night by DR.. J. X. Gleeson depart
ment commander of that organization.
in announcing that the Secretary of the
Navy has ordered restored to duty an
employe of the blueprint branch of the
Navy Department who was recently fur
loughed.
This employe, whose name DR.. Gleeson
did not care to make public. is a men,
ber Of the Grand Army of the Republic
Recently he was furnished without re-
quest with an assistant" and shortly
thereafter he was furloughed, the "as-
sistant' having been given his duties to
perform.
The Grand Army of the Republic re-
tained four Washington lawyers to fight
the furlough. and demand was made
on the Secretary of the Navy that he be
reinstated- The Secretary was informed
that if the employe was not reinstated
the case would be taken into the courts.
Dr. Gleeson said last night that he has
received word that the employe has been
| restored to duty.
mas ODeyed Law.
II am very glad" DR.. Gleeson said,
that at least one of the executive de-
partments of the government has seen
fit to obey the law, which Is explicit
that no employe of an executive de-
partment with good record as such,
II he be a civil war veteran. shall be
discharged from his position, under
penalty of criminal offense
The action of the Navy Department
gives the Grand Army of the Repub
lie hope that the Post Office Depart
ment will act similarly in the cases of
the men who were recently dismissed
from the Washington city post office,
or whose designations were demanded.
Six or seven of these, among about
eighteen cases of dismissal or de-
manded designations, were G. A. R.
men. 1t begins to look as II the gov
ernment were really beginning to take
notice of the G. a. r. man and his
rights.
VIII Air the Cases.
I'VE expect to give complete public
airing to the cases Of those old G. A. r.
employees tomorrow night at the mass
meeting we are to hold at the New VIII
lard Hotel at o'clock in the red parlor.
to which the public will be welcomed.
We have sent invitations to a number OF
senators and representatives to be pres
ent, democrats as well as republicans. for
there are number of democrats who do
not approve of turning civil war veterans
out to starve on the streets, under the
modern efficiency cry that there Is no
room for them and that the services OF
these old soldiers are no longer needed
by the government
"All the indications are that there will
be a big crowd at the mass meeting. We
expect to have some rousing resolutions
introduced and passed, and we shall
move in two directions. We intend to al
once call on the Post Office Department
to follow the example of the Navy De
partment and reirstate such old soldiers
as have been discharged from the Wash
ington city post office, and we intend al
this meeting to further as much as possl-
BILE the long -talked-of but never-acted-
on scheme of providing pensions for aged
government clerks.
Need General Law.
The pension idea has been generally
discussed. There are half a dozen plans
in the air What we want Is a general
law, for the benefit of all old governp -ent
clerks, so-called superannuated. that will
give relief to these old people whom
some of the executive departments now
say are of no further use.
Senator Penrose has a bill in Congress
| to furlough men and women, so-caued
superannuated. give them pensions OF
| 500 a year each. and place them on a
| certain roll SO that in case of emergency
! they may be called upon II necessary. If
we cannot get anything better, we would
| be glad to see that law passed. Anythin
| Is better than turning these people out
| on the streets to starve"
Arrangements for tomorrow night S
mass meeting are being completed by r.
Fulton Gordon The speakers announced
| are Senator Jones of Washington, Sena-
| tor Smoot of Utah. Representative Willis
| of Ohio. Representative Eess of Ohio and