The Connecticut labor news., 1922-10-06
Minneapolis POstmast- CT Upheld by Wash ingtOn, Gusts Presi- dent of Trades and Labor Assembly Over Strong Protest.
By GEORGE T. ALTMAN International Labor News Service.

spectors, ls feared by labor interests as setting a dangerous precedent i'll government service. The discharge, upheld by the postal department at Washington, resulted from the con nections of Mir Meyers with the Trades and Labor Assembly of Min neapols.
 On July 13 of this year the Min neapolis Trades and Labor Assembly met for the purpose of electing off cers. Before the election of officers, 1y adopted endorsing the strike of the railroad shopcrafts. Shortly after the aroption of this resolution George N. Meyers, one of the postal dele gates, was elected president of the assembly.
 On July f4, MT. Meyers received letter from Arch Coleman, then acting postmaster of the Minneapolis office, asking him why he should not be separated from the service for conduct highly improper for an em- ploye of the United States govern ment" MT. Coleman made especial reference in his letter to the follow ing clause in the assembly's reso- luton:
 Whereas public utterances of men in public offices from President Hard ing down to the local office boy of corporations-Gove Preus - have shown their hatred of the labor move ment and their desire for victory for the enemies of labor
 and stated that "inasmuch as this resolution was adopted without a dis senting vote/and you were at the same time elected president of the Trades and Labor Assembly, it is apparent that you approve of this resolution"
 postmaster's letter was as follows:
 Referring to meeting of Trades and Labor Assembly at which reso- lution mentioned in your letter was adopted, I desire to state that I did not hear the reading of said reso1u- ton since l was in an anteroom of the assembly at the time, and also that I do not approve of the word ing in the resolution referred to in your letter. >
 "Tn so far as voting on this reso- lution is concerned I want to further state that the resolution is an en- worsement of the railroad shop crafts strike, and it has been the policy os the postoffice clerks delegates to at all times refrain from voting on strike l of Postofhce Clerks Is a non-strfk- ing organization" The other postal delegates to the Trades and Labor Assembly received only letters of inquiry from the act ing postmaster; no charges were pre- ferEed against them. Their replies were similar to that of Mr. Meyers MT. Meyers reply was considered un- satisfactory, and he was discharged by MT. Coleman on August I.
 This action by MT. Coleman was protested by the Trades and Labor Assembly, which sent copies of it's protest to the American Federation of Labor, the postmaster general, and the congressman and senators from Minnesota. As a result of this pro- test MT. Coleman carried the case personally to the department at Washington. The fourth assistant postmaster, who properly had juris- diction in the case, upheld the action of MT. Coleman.
 While in Washington Mr. Coleman came out in the press to the effect that the postal authorities had there tofore been too lenient with it's em- ployes, and that an effort would be made to curb any radical tendencies in the postal service On account of l.. Coleman as Minneapolis postmaster was somewhat delayed in >the senate. His appointment, however, was finally ratified over the protests of the labor interests.
 As result of these protests the postmaster general ordered an in vestigation of MT. Meyers case by two postal inspectors. In order to insure impartiality these inspectors were drawn from the eastern states It is felt by labor interests, however, that impartiality on the part of postal inspectors. is impossible because of the personal interests of the inspect ors. As a matter of fact, the in vestigation has already developed into an examination of the activity of the local Postofice Clerks union in the postof6ce. The inspectors have thus far filed charges against two more of the postal delegates to the Trades and Labor Assembly Their final report, however, has not yet been made.
 It is felt among the labor interests in Minneapolis that MT. Coleman's action has arisen out of his political interests and affiliations. He was chairman of the Hennepin County republican committee, and was un- office by the large business interests of Minneapolis.
 The discharge of MT Meyers is an innovation in the regulation of the Minneapolis postofice. Former Rost- | master Purdy never interfered with the organization activities of the postal employees so long as those ac- tivities did not affect the operation i of the postofice. It is justly felt that the requirements of the present l postmaster unduly limit the rights of l the postal employees as American citizens, and that the discharge of MT Meyers sets a dangerous auto cratic precedent in the regulation of 1