The Washington times., 1923-12-29

MAY GET
APPEAL
G. P. 0. Employees to Put Up
Question of Petition Right
to Coolidge.

IIlHCcIS III the IOVeTnmSHC
Printing Office will carry their
fight for higher wages and for
scrapping the bill which would
empower the Public Printer to
fix their wages to the President
if their right to petition Con-
gress is denied by the Public
Printer, it was stated today by
August F. Laufer, spokesman for
the printers.
Denies Lobby Fund.
Laufer denied that the printers
are raising an improper lobby
fund, as charged by George H. Car.
ter, public printer, and declared
that they are merely exercising
their right of retaining expert
enced counsel to represent them
before the committees of Congress.
Laufer declared that the petition
now being circulated among the
union printers at the big printing
plant calls for no specific fund
and is merely an agreement upon
the part of the printers to con-
tribute their prO-rata share toward
paying the expenses Of attorneys.
I'VE are not out to fight Carter
or any other person, or to fight
any bill" Laufer stated, I'VE only
ask that we be given the wages
to which we are entitled and
which, in all decency, we should
have. We are in favor of any bill
which will stipulate a fixed scale
of wages comparable to those paid
in private establishments.
Nothing To Conceal.
I'VE could have raised any fund
we might have needed with abso-
lutte secrecy. We have nothing to
conceal. We are merely fighting
for our rights and taking the only
course open to US. We want to
have our case presented in orderly
fashion by legal representatives
and that is all.
1.-The printers at the Government
Printing Office have no recourse
except by appeal to Congress and
if this is denied us we certainly
shall take our case to the President
in an effort to secure Justice"
Laufer declared that only union
printers at the Government plant
and denied absolutely that members
the office, as charged by Carter, arc
being asked to contribute to the
fund.
Carter Repeats Charge.
Carter today reiterated his charge
that printers who are backing the
fund are using improper means
nf affainiOO THAR nndu md
that they do not represent the
wishes Of the majority Of employees
at the plant.
"The majority Of employees. as
shown by a recent referendum" he
said, ARE in favor of the Kiess bill,
which would authorize the Public
Printer, with the approval of the
Joint Congressional Committee on
Printing, to fix wages at the Gov
eminent Printing Office.
This referendum showed that the
only opposition to the Kiess bill
was in the printing section. and
that even here there was only a
majority of 102 opposed to the bill.
The actual vote OF the printers on
the Kiess bill showed 1856 In favor
Of it to sos opposed
THE Kiess bill would not delegate
illoIe power 10 Lne Public Printer
in the fixing of wages II would.
in fact, curtail his power Under
the present law | am empowered
to fix wages for IS per cent of the
employees. Under the kiess hill the
Public Printer could fix no salaries
except with the approval of the
joint committee"
In letter to Laufer. made pub
lie today, in response to a request
lot PERMISSION to circulate the pc
tlt1on, Garter stated that accord
ing to information | have received.
certain employees Of the Government
Printing Offlce have been asked to
subscribe $40 each" toward the
fund.
also understand he wrote.
that the objective Of the campaien
for funds is to have at least 900
employees agree to make such
contribution. This would mean
fund OF approximately $40, 900.
Frankly, I am not aware of any
legitimate purpose for which such
large sum OF money could prop
erly be expended in an effort to
influence members of Congress as
to pending Legislation.
I'm my opinion it is wholly I'M
necessary and highly improper to
solicit FUNDS in the Government
Printing Office for the PURPOSE Of
hiring professional lobbyists either
TO FAVOR or oppose legislation under
consideration by Congress-"