Arizona republican., 1919-04-28
OPPOSE STRIKES. AL W AIS VI Il 1 SAYS BURLESON
Answers Gompers- Govern
 ment Employees Not Per mitted To Walk Out-Is Unthinkable- Still Howls Against Publishers La Dor Cannot Obscure Issue
TRepublIcan A.P. Leased Wlrel

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 WASHINGTON, April 27-Post- master General Burleson in a state nent tonight. defended his admins trstion of the postoffice department and his policy in operating government controlled telephone and telegraph systems. against charges made yes terday by Samuel Gompers, president Of the American Federation of Labor. that the postmaster general was car rving out "an archaic, autocratic policy in the conduct of the postal telegraph company and the telephone service and was completely out of sympathy with the trend of American thought"
 Mir. Brrleson in his statement, con- unued h S riticism of what he termed certain slfish publishers"
 As th" postmaster general sees it, said MT. Burleson, ''it is little short of silly talk ahout collective bargaining with any exc G officer by civil ser vice employees under his administra ton. The salary and wages to be paid such employees, the hours of labor and working conditions are fixed by the legislative branch, and it is for the execut'v0 head of a department to strictly follow the law in respect thereto In the matter of fixing com pensation the postmaster general has recommended, as the rec ord shows, that the government be a model employer; that compensation for those who serve it be fixed upon q generous basis, in fact, compensation of laborers and clerks sHould be fixed from 15 to 30 per cent more than is paid for similar service in private en- ployment That the legislative branch can be relied upon to act generously is shown by the postal establishment in which. within two years, increases have been granted aggregating more than S40.OO0, 900 annually.
 Sternly Opposes Strikes
 The attitude of the postmaster gen. eral toward organization of government employees and their utilization with out side organizations, having the strike as a means of redressing grievances has long been known The postmaster general maintains that the q strike on the part of employees of the government, or those working for the government. is not permissible, 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 will be none
 Tn the matter of telephone and tele- graph employees, they are at present working for the government, and the postmaster general insists that a strike on their part is not permissible and he will never eoncede that it is."
 Mir Burleson said he had strictly observed the rules and policies laid down by the war labor board for tele- graph employees, before the wires were taken over by the government ant added:
 "The question is. as the postmaster general sees it, whether the order pro- cesses of goverrmnt shall be ignored; whether a labor organization can defy it's authority, and put into effect theil will, regardless or the right of other: and the public interest.
 "Frankness requires the foregoins statement by the postmaster genera but he again declares that if he car prevent. this labor question shall no be used by certain selfish publishers tt obscrue the real issue. The postmaste general insists that the issue now is shall these certain selfish publisher: who have been blood sucking the posta establishment for years, to the exten of $72,000000 annually, be fully re stored to this privilege. The post master general says, mo-"