The Washington herald., 1919-04-27
GOMPERS ATTACKS
BURLESON POLICIES
TOWARD EMPLOYEES
CONTINUED FROM PAGE ONE.

come to understand thoroughly that
democracy and the Postofice> De-
partment have nothing in common
except they exist under the same
government.
Gompers asserted that time after
time postal employees had sought to
lay their grievances before Burlesoa
through their representatives. These
pIeadings have been as vain as they
were frequent, he said.
MY own experiences with Burles-
son have been Of a similar nature"
he added. 1T has been a favorite
pose OF the Postmaster General to
appear as a high-minded person.
generous and sympathetic with his
employees. Always. however, this
sympathy has been defined to mean
that whenever an employe had any
thing to present TO him. he might
feel free to do so.
In the case of the Postoffice De-
partment, however. the employees are
scattered all over the United States
and such an attitude as that as
sumed by the. Postmaster General
becomes not only ridiculous and pre-
posterous, but constitutes an afrront
-
the men and women in his depart
ment and to the country as well"
Gompers also said that the position
taken by the Secretaries of the War
and Navy departments and other gov
ernmental departments In dealing with
labor, the declarations Of the War
Labor Board. approved by President
Wilson, concerning collective bargain
ing, have failed to make the slightest
impression upon the mind Of Burleson.
He has insisted upon a line OF conduct
as completely out of harmony with the
balance OF the government as 1t could
well be, Gompers charged.
Archaic Policies.
"Burleson's troubles" Gompers con-
cluded, cannot be successfully laid by
him at the doors of those whom he
may assume are his political enemies
because their source Is something
deeper. Burleson's troubles arise from
the fact that he has attempted, with
singular zeal, to carry out an archaic
autocratic policy in the conduct OF his
department.
ANY Postmaster General who will
follow the same policy will inevitably
face the same public condemnation
ana eNeUIudliy "dih tiiS odihS p'N'',
that Burleson must walk sooner or
later"
Postmaster General Burleson de-
MED he employed convict labor In
Texas. Answering an inquiry from
Charles Johnson Post. director oi
the Publishers Advisory Board. he
said:
"Of course. you know, as the
New York World did when it pub
lished this falsehood, that I die
not use convict labor on my plan
tation. but that the plantation wa:
leased and cultivated by the STATE
of Texas. and the convicts used
thereon were at all times under the
States exclusive control"
Burleson said all the facts ir
this case had been previously laiC
before Congress and said 1t woulC
be interesting for Fost to lay be-
fore Congress details "of money,
raised and spent to secure Tepea
of the zone postage rate law"
Bitterly denouncink parasite
publishers who for years have plum
dered the postal revenues" Postnas'
ter General Burleson last night de.
clared the "old time S72.000.O00 pos.
tai subsidy" shall not be restored
IL he can help IL.
tions adopted by the American
Newspaper Publishers Association
asking suspension of the law in
creasing postage rates on newspa.
pers and magazines.