The evening herald. [volume] (Albuquerque, New Mexico) 1914-1922, 1921-05-15

Dear Mother:

am in San Marcial today and If you write to me at
Rincon | will get your letter. / am glad you received the
flowers / sent you on Mothers day, also the telegram. No,
mother, ! won't be back in time for the big election, to be
held there on the twentieth. | had planned to be there on
that day but the boss thought that could sell some gro
ceries to the folks down this way-so here am to stay for
a couple of weeks. | would surely like to be there for the
election though, mother; and since you ask me to express
an opinion ! will say that would be strong FOR sustaining
the members of the city commission and voting against
the proposed charter amendment have been reading the
papers pretty closely. | think | know the situation.
The most important phase of the election to my mind
is the power that is going to be welded one way or the
other by the women voters of Albuquerque. This will be
the first chance the women of the city have ever had to
demonstrate their attitude at the ballot box in a municipal
election. 1t looks to me as If the labor ~agitators have over
played their hand. 1t cannot be denied that under the
charter the city officials had the absolute right to dis
charge any employee or set of employees. | am convinced
that the fremen were guilty of characterization first in
refusing to take physical training at the Y. M. c. A. to fit
them for their duies-and second in refusing to dissolve
their union, which had a strike clause, at the request of
the city commission. have watched things pretty closely
in Albuquerque for ten years. For FIVE years have seen
a decided disposition on the part of the labor agitators to
control the city hall. They want to control govern
mental affairs. They see a chance now to realize their
hopes They schemed first to organize the fire department,
then the police department-the engineers at the water
plant-the men who operate the sewer system. Do you
begin to see the idea-the big idea? With all those de-
partments organized-all brothers-where would the
hremen stand-wherew would the policemen ~stand-where
would all departmental workers stand in event of a real
clash between so-called capital and so-called labor? Now
the city commissioner majority of them-have not
been asleep at the switch. They believed in keeping faith
with all the people in being true to the oath they took to
represent all the people in the conduct of the business and
affairs of the city. They put their positive mo" on the
scheme to organize the fire department. The commission
divided on this: Walter Cornell, Jack Reynolds and J. T.
Mclaughlin voted mo-" Then came the show down.
The hremen refused to disorganize. They were fired.
They are still fired. The city fire department equipped
by men who owe allegiance to no one but the city-(the
people) is rendering good service, Labor agitators, back
ing the discharged fremen, began recall proceedings,
seeking to recall Connel, Reynolds and Mclaughlin.
They now plan to recall those three men, leaving Swope
and Hughes in office. Under the charter provisions, the
remaining commissioners select the three men to replace
Cornell, Reynolds and Mclaughlin, in event the recall is
successful Now we begin to see more light. The re-
naming commissioners, both union men, will find it pos
sible under the charter, to select three men of their own
choosing. am not saying what they will do. | am say
ing what it is possible for them to do-what the charter