Evening journal., 1916-10-18
Observation-Disclosures
THE EIGHT HOUR Law
Postoffice Clerks Complain
TO President Of Over
Work
UNFAIR METHODS
BY THE DEMOCRATS

Special 10 THE 4-vENlNG JOURNAL"
NEW YORK. Oct. 1S.-Whilo Pres
ident Wilson is try.ng 10 fool iaoor
into the belief that he is sincere aa'
vocate of the S-hour day. his own
Cabinet is violating an S-hOur ia!
law. II an S-hour day has the sane
ton OF society" as Mr.. Wilson de-
clared regarding the railway contio-
versy. why is 1t not enforced in the
postal service? is the question which
Thomas +. Flaherty. president OF the
National Federation of Post once
Clerks. has put to various ouclals'
and finally TO the President. AFTER
expending every effort TO relieve INT
abuse OF postal clerks, which he de
gcribes as worse under the wilson
Naturalization than ever before,
President Flaherty finally wrote Pres
ident Wilson describing the ouuIas
eous treatment Of the postal CLERKS
and asserting that Postmaster Gen
eral Burleson and other respohslhle
officials ARE seemingly INDIFFERENT 10
the plight OF the clerks. BY ms ial-
ure 10 answer Mr. Flaherty's letter'
President Wilson indicates that NJ Is
equally Indifferent 10 the welfare OF
the postal clerks. The pos'al uc
partment officials have placed you in
the untenable position OF adNooauns
a principle in private employment
the eight hour day-which Is not ID
effect in Government employment
solely because Of a desire for a great
er postal surplus" wrote Mt Ia
hertv TO PresidentWilson. Mr.. IA
hertv declares that. "In its treatment
OF the aged service workers the pres
ent Administration has been brutal.
and saws that. "In an effort 10 oehttie
the worth of the mail collectors, As
sistaut Postmaster General Roper
told the House Postofice Committee
that their work could be performed
bv "a blind man or a box The Pos
tai Clerks organization is ahiliateo
with the American Federation OF La
bor. but that has not prevented mum
erous and fragrant violations OF the
law designed to protect them, by me
Wilson Administration. Mr. Flaherty
also points out that Postmaster Cen
eral Burleson actually asked Congress
10 alter the eight-hour law TO autnor-
ize the spreading Of the days work
over twelve instead OF ten hours. as
the law now provides.
Was II a Gold Brick?
The contention advanced in this
correspondence that in the Adamson
law. President Wilson handed the rail-
way employees a gold brick. has been
stoutly upheld by some readers, and
BY others has been seriously question
cd. Striking collateral evidence OF
the gold brick character Of the legis-
iation is now afforded by the course OF
prominent railway men who are work
ing both secretly and publicly for Mr..
Wilson's election Judge Lovett. form
erly L. II. Harrimans right hand man.
now chairman OF the Board of Direc-
tors of the Union Pacific. was the first
10 issue a public interview strongly
supporting Mr.. Wilson for reelection
And his example has now been follow
ed by +. d. Underwood President Of
the Erie Railway. who reviews and
approves OF practically every step the
Wilson Administration has taken. AS
was related at the time in these let
ters. when the board Of railway man
ayers met here Immediately after the
passage or the Adamson bill, they
agreed not to oppose Mr. Wilson'S re-
election. and many OF them argued
that. while they had opposed the Adj
amson bill. on second consideration
they were convinced IL would prove
to the advantage of the railways: be
cause with the Government fixing
freight rates. hours OF labor and the
schedule OF wages. the next logical
step would be compulsory service and
the roads would fare better at the
hands OF the Interstate Commerce
Commission than as the result OF COL
lective bargaining with labor unions
and brotherhoods. The course Of
Judge Lovett and President Under
wood conclusively prove the accuracy
OF the contention set forth in this cor
respondence.
Unfair Methods.
Not for many years have such I'M
fair methods been adopted TO elect "a
President as those being used by the
Wilson managers. For instance,
States in which women vote are being
flooded with circulars designed to de-
ceive One says: Woodrow Wilson
voted for Woman Suffrage in New Jer-
sey in 1915. Charles Evans Hughes
has not voted al all since 1910" OF
course the Democratic managers know
that is an established precedent. vic.
lated only once in 80 years. that no
Supreme Court Justice shall vote. and
that Mr.. Hughes became a Justice a
month before the fall elections Of
1910 but they think they can deceive
the woman voters who may not know
that. Another circular is headed
Two Suffrage Statements in 1915"
On one side is misquoted Mr. Wilson's
statement, as follows: Il intend 10
vote for woman suffrage in New Jer-.
sey because believe that the time has
come TO extend that privilege and re-
sponsibility TO the women OF the ma
ton" Mr.. Wilson said STATE
not nation. On the other side, over
the name OF Mr.. Hughes, is merely a
question mark O. or course the
Democratic managers know that Mr..
Hughes was a Justice OF the Supreme
Court in 1915. and that II would have
been highly improper for him to ex-
press his views on woman suffrage;
but they think the women voters won't
know and that being women. they can
deceive them.
Just Politics.
Two spectacular utterances from