New-York tribune., 1919-04-27
Sooner or Later Such Fate
Is Met by Any Postmaster
General Who Assumes q
Similar Attitude, He Says
An ''Archaic Autocrat''
His Position Toward Work
ers Out of Harmony With
Balance of Government

"Burleson must walk the plank
sooner or later" concludes Samuel
Gompers, president of the American
Federation of Labor, in a statement
issued yesterday. Mr.. Gompers char
acterizes the Postmaster General as an
"archaic autocrat," whose troubles, he
says, are net the result of any pub
fishers plot, as charged by Mr., Burle-
son, but are the result of his own con-
duet in office,
"The troubles OF Postmaster General
Rurleson, which in recent statement
he attributes to a plot or conspiracy on
the part of large American puhliahers."
says Mr., Gompers, "are not due solely
to any diapute there may have been be-
tween the Postmaster General and the
publishers to whom hc refefa The
most recent example Of AR, Burleaon's
autoctatic nature does not come AS
surprise to those in the labor move
ment who have come in contact with
bis administration.
conclusion that Mr. Burleson was COM
pletely out of sympathy with the trend
of American thought, and was totally
unable to comprehend what America
meant when it declared war upon au-
tocracy everywhere.
Unlamented Ex-Dictators
"Mr. Burleson needs only a wider
field and a better opportunity to fit him
for succession to some of the worlds
best known but unlamented ex-dicta-
tors. The only difficulty in Mr. Bur-
leson's way is that the world has
reached the decision that it wants no
Postoffic, Department is one of the very
few places in the world not yet in ac-
cord with that decision.
Long before the United States gov
ernment took over the telegraph sys-
tens Of the country Mr. Burleson's cold
and autocratic treatment became known
to the workers engaged in the postal
service. Natural resentment has fol-
lowed this course, and this resentment
has increased in volume exactly in pro-
portion to the increased field over
which Mr.. Burleson rules. The work
ers in various branches of the Post
come to understand thoroughly that.
democracy and the Postoffice Depart
mcnt have nothing in common except
that they exist under the same govern
ment.
Employees Demand Hearing
"Time after time these employees have
endeavored to secure the opportunity
to be heard by the Postmaster General,
through their representatives, for the
purpose of presenting grievances or
just causes of complaint. These plead
in IS for an opportunity to be heard
have been as vain as they have been
frequent.
my own experience with the Post
master General has been of a similar
nature. Acting for the workers, have
had number of conferences with him
in which l have endeavored to induce
him TO grant the opportunity to his
employees to be heard through their
representatives. These efforts Of my
own have also been in vain.
"It has been rather a Iavorite pose
with the Postmaster General to appear
as high-minded person, generous and
sympathetic with his employees. AL
ways, however, this sympathy has been
defined by him to mean that If any
one Of the employees had anything to
present to him that cmploye might
come and present the case. Under any
circumstances such course would be
unsatisfactory, and intelligent en-
ploycrs nowhere attempt to deceive any
one with that ancient and long since
exploded idea.
"Only the most rcactionary and bru-
tai employers still endeavor to dea
with the workers as individuals. lr
the case Of the Postoffice Department
however, where the employees are scat
tered throughout the United States
such an attitude as that assumed by
the Postmaster General becomes not
only ridiculous and preposterous, but
constitutes an atfront and an insult te
the intelligence of the men and womer
in his department and to the citizen
ship of the country as we'll.
"Mr. Burlcson's troubles arise from
the fact that he has attempted with
singular zeal to carry out an archaic
autocratic policy in the conduct OF The
postal, telegraph and telephone ser
vices Of the United States
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