New Britain herald., 1921-02-10
R. R. UNIONS CLAIM
 ROADS ARE UNFAIR
Charges Are Made That They
 Seek to Frame-Up Evidence

Chicago, Feb. 10.-Conspiracy on the part Of American railroad execu- tiNes and financiers to destroy the or ganizations of railroad workers and stabhsh autocratic financial control of the transportation industry was charged here today by E. M. Jewell. president of the railway employees department of the American Fedora ton of Labor. who appeared before the L. s. Railroad Labor board.
 He asked the board to postpone further consideration of the pending appeal of the railroads to abrogate the national agreement on working conditions and to proceed at once to hear evidence the unions are prepared to submit in support of these charges.
 Frame-up Is Charged.
 Mir. Jewell also charged the rail- road executives with framing up of evidence" and declared a fair con- sideration of the pending case is inn possible until the motives inspiring tho request to abrogate the national agreement are fully revealed both to the board and the public.
 He asserted that last weeks state ment to the board by w. w Alter bury of the Pennsylvania railroad. chairman Of the labor committee of the American association of railway executives was designed to stampede the board into a position which ma ture consideration would prove to be indefensible." He added that MT. Aterbury also attempted to falsely convince the public that high rates due to financial irregularities and in efhciencies of railroad management are attributable to the unions of rail- road workers; to obtain weapon with which to exact from the govern ment full payment of the exorbitant claims which the railroads are mak- ing and to cocrce and threaten the railroad workers by the spectre of unemployment and reduced wages"
 Mir. Jewell charged that MT. Alter bury is the spokesman of a powerful financial commission seeking to re- estab blish this autocratic control from which the war has freed us and which was especially eSemplified by conditions on the Pennsylvania rail- road.''
 Would Override Board.
 MT. Atterbury," he adtled. has revealed the intention of certain men to override the board and to frame up the ease.
 He represents a conspiracy at tempting to cast discredit upon the government in its administration of the railroads and to destroy the Iegiti- mate organizations of the railroad efnployes.
 MT. Atterbury undoubtedly knows that the present plight of the roads is not due 10 the inefficiency of the employees. He knows that it is not due to nistreatment accorded to roads under. federal government. And now he diseioses the determination of the conspiracy to make 8 raid upon the pockets of the railroad employees whose annual earnings still average less than the recognized standard of living wage. By this. raid he says he can secure $500. 900 .o0o. Other raids will follow. according to his own statement, although three months truce must be declared. But if this policy should be accepted other raids must follow, for $300.o00,oO0 woulU 't save the railroads from a collaps such as Mir. Atterbury fore tells
 Claims Plan to Disrupt
 This conspiracy aims at the dIs- ruption Of the legitimate organiza- tons of the workers of the country and introduction of chaotic industrial conditions dominated by the huge economic power of an absentee finan- cial commission which has up to this period practically the control of the working and living conditions of mill lions of wage carners and their fla ilies."
 The railroad union chief demanded that the board recall MT. Atterbury and require him to furnish -a full list of the railroads the point of view of which he expressed, and a full ex- position of the nature of his authori- zation." He explained that the union leaders had to present definite author ity to represent the workers.
 Mir. Jewell said that this action would cxonerate the numerous rail- way executives" who would repudiate MT. Atterburys views.
 Freight Rates High
 We hardly need point out to you. Mir. chairman" he said, that the railroads having used your wage de- cison as a lever to obtain the highest freight and passenger rates accorded,