The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-04-28
BUR[ESON PRAISES
 GOMPERS UNTIL HE
 STEPS 0N HIS TOES
Postmaster General Con- tinues to Rap Selfish Publishers" and Tries to
 Defend Himself
By Associated Press

Washington, April 27.-Postmaste Gen. eral Bureson in statement tonight de- tended his administration of the Post office Department and his policy in op- erating government controlled telephone and telegraph systems against charges made yesterday by Samuel Gompers, president of the American federation of labor that the Postmaster General was carrying out "an archaic, autocratic poll icy in the conduct of the Postal Tele- graph company and the telephone service and was completely out of sympathy with the trend of American thought" MT. Burleson in his statement continued his criticism of what he termed certain selfish publishers
 The Postmaster General said the value and importance of the service rendered by Samuel Gompers during the recent war was surpassed by few men in Amer ica.' and that the labor official lis en- titled to our grateful appreciation for this service, but this does not imply that there should be an acceptance of his views on all other issues
 'As the Postmaster General sees it." said MT. Burleson in reply to the at tack made by Mir, Gompers on his labor policy, it is little Short of silly to talk about collective bargaining with an ex- ecutive officer by civil service employees under his administration. The salary and wages to be paid such employees, the hours of labor and working conditions are fixed by the legislative branch, and 1t is for the executive head of depart ment to strictly follow the law in re- spect thereto. In the matter of fixing compensation the Postmaster General has always believed that sound public opin- ion could safely be relied upon to see that full justice is done those who serve the government. It is the duty of an executive officer to give the legislative branch when asked the benefit of his judgment on this subject, and the Post master General has recommended, as the record shows, that the government be a model employer, that compensation for those who serve it be fixed upon gen. erous basis, in fact compensation of la borers and clerks should be fixed at from 15 to 30 per cent more than is paid for similar service in private employment, but beyond this it should not go That the legislative branch can be relied upon to act generously is shown by the postal establishment in which within two years increases have geen granted aggregating more than forty million of dollars an nually.
 sThe attitude of the Postmaster Gen. eral toward organization of government
  side organizations having the strike as a means of redressing- grievances has long been known, has been fully set forth in his annual reports. and notwithstanding the fact that the Postmaster General has been denounced by the American Fed eration of Labor in national convention. his views on this subject have undergone no change The Postmaster General maintains that the strike on the part of employees of the government. or those working for the government, is not per-, missable, in fact is unthinkable. and that the utmost danger to the government is involved in any suggestion that there should be a recession from this position, and that as far as he is concerned there i'll be none regardless of 'plank-walking' or any other consequences
 s.In the matter of telephone and tele- graph employees, they are at present working for the government. and the Postmaster General insists that strike on their part is not permissible and he will never concede that it is fixed as that of other government employees. and just wage
 MT. Burleson said he had strictly ob-
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