The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1908-10-28
ATTACKS .IAFT'S r'
LABOR RECORD
a BEAVER FALLS MAN MAKES
PUBLIC A LETTER TO PRES
lDENT ROOSEVELT. Al
QUOTES TAFTs DECISIONS.
says That the Rulings Made by Tar
While He Was a Federal
Judge Caused Reduction
Of Tralnmen's Wages.

Pittsburg, Oct 2S.--H r. Fuller Of
Beaver Falls, Pa, national legislative
representative of the Brotherhood Of
Locomotive Engineers, Firemen and
Railroad Trainmen, on Tuesday night
gave the Associated Press copy OF
a letter which he has mailed to Presi.
dent Roosevelt. commenting upon the
presidents letter to p. II, Grace, finan.
cier of Lodge No. 36, Brotherhood Of
Railroad Trainmen, who, in behalf Of
himself and associate railroad en-
ployes wrote the president how they
could best serve their own interests
In the present campaign. The prest
dents reply urged the support Of
Judge TAFT for the presidency and dis.
eussed the candidates attitude on
questions affecting labor.
In mis- letter Mr. Fuller says:
4 am at a loss to understand why
Mr.. Grace should seek information re-.
garding Judge Tsft's attitude toward
the railroad employees of the country
from the very one whose influence and
administration were used to bring
about his nomination and is now being
used to secure his election, when Mr..
Taft's labor decisions have been dis.
cussed In the lodge rooms and com.
mented upon in the magazines of the
various organizations of labor includ.
ing those of the Brotherhood of Rail.
road Trainmen, of which Mr.. Grace
and myself are members. Had he
consulted such publications, be would
have been given the complete labor
record of Mr.. Taft, rather than par.
tial one, and both he and his fellow
employees throughout the country who
read your reply would be in posses
sion of the facts rather than being in
the position of having been misled by
the president of the United States.
The most important part of Mr.. Taft's
labor record Is conspicuous by its
absence from your reply, and 1t is to
supply this deficiency that write this
letter.
Mr.. Fuller then refers to the deci.
sion of Judge Taft in the United States
circuit court for the southern district
OF Ohio, April 30, 1894, declining the
petition Of employees OF the Cincinnati,
New Orleans & Texas Pacific railroad,
that an order of the receiver reducing
wages 10 per cent be rescinded. He
quotes at length from the decision, In
which Judge Taft states that from a
strictly legal standpoint the employees
have no standing in this court to call
for'an adjudication Of any rights. The
court is limited in the exercise of its
discretion to such action as may be
consistent with the preservation Of
the property and its administration in
the interests OF those who own it."
The reduction was approved.
May 81, following, Mr.. Fuller's let
ter states. the employees petitioned the
court to direct the receiver to modify
the wage scale, which Judge Taft de
clined to do. The decision on this pc.
tition is quoted at length, including
reference TO change in pay for over
time, which virtually was a reduction
in wages. Trainmen heretofore had
over 35 minutes late, but by rule OF
the receiver this was changed to over
time for two hours OF more late. The
decision upheld this change.
Taking up another phase of Judge
Taft's record, the letter states: '-
you also failed to give all of Mr..
Taft's record with regard to important
labor matters on the Panama canal
On January Is, 1906, Mr.. Taft, to
gether with his staff from the Panama
canal went before the house commit.
tee on appropriations and asked that
the operation of the eight-hour law be
suspended on that work"
"As result OF the testimony OF
these gentlemen, congress placed a
provision in the urgent deficiency bill
suspending the operation OF the eight
hour law In the construction of the
isthmian canal. True ii is that this
provision applied TO alien labor only
yet so far as MIR. Taft and his stan
were concerned, they desired II Ia
A. III. II. III