The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1922-01-30
HOOPER URGES
 SETTLEMENT OF
 RAIL TROUBLES

New York, Jan. 30.-The only
 practicable. effective and just meth cd that the government can set up for the adjustment of railroad labor
 controversies is adjudication by Q
 com petent tribunal, whose decisions s shall be enforceable by suitable pen
 aItles, Ben w. Hooper, public mem 8 Der of the United States Railroad La Dor Board told the Civic Federation
 tn an address here today. This. was added by MT. Hooper to
 his other five propositions looking to-
 ward equitable settlement of railroad
 disputes. These were:
 That efficient and uninterrupted ! transportation is indispensable to the
 public welfare.
 That the carriers and their en- sployes jointly owe such transporta- ! stion to the public.
 '-That the Federal government has public policy and police power. and N owes to the people the duty to insure 3 Such transportation.
 That the governments duty and z fhe peoples rights are violated by $ permitting railroad labor controver- ESies to be settled by economic war Hare.
 ''That, if railway employees are de- II Ipx1ved. for the promotio of the com tnon good of the legal right to strikn, some other remedy of equal or su- perior efficacy must be provided" Speaking in general terms, only
 
 lfhe settlement of railway labor con- froversies," continues MT. Hooper < These are: By economic war-the strike and by adjudication. I pur- poSe1y omit mention of such expedi Ffnts as mediation, voluntary arbitra- fon, etc., in their varying forms. The difference between the strike and ad- kudication is the difference between Force and law.
 t'Just now the nations are endeav- 5fPring at Washington to curtail the Ek1-- l 4l, of might. and I believe that hence Forth this spirit will likewise be po- fent in composing some of our do- mestic troubles.
 'tI am friendly to the aspirations of 4aboring men for the betterment of Ehe1r condition, and I am firm be- }Neyer 1n their right to organize and &o function as organizations. I can not, however, sympathize with the 4dea that the right of the railway em- 4koyes to strike outweightS the right 1f the men, women and children of &his nation to be protected against the disastrous results oc railway strikes. This simply means that some remedy other than the strike should be Bound for obtaining justice for the Ea11way worker, without. at the same Mime, destroying the public.
 The question remains, could the Eadlway employees get justice under
 nch a system? Their suspicion of pourts and tribunals may be based, 4E 3. limited extent, upon occasional AcfS or Jud1c1al oppression, put largely fhey arise from the incendiary 1itera- Sure that is continually fed to labor ing men by demagogica1 aspirants for Leadership, who Sweeping1v condemn &u government agencies and officials &heff motives and conduct, as well as $he motives and conduct of all con- f1Ervatfve labor leaders.
 s eff the Congress of the United States would confer upon the Rail- load, Labor Board the power to en- Force its decisions. there is not a rail- road in the United States that would hot be brought into prompt compn &nce with the rulings of the board s "But the employees do not desire Rn enforceable law. They mistaken fy apprehend that 1t would work a Hardship on them It would work no hardship on them or anybody else. 1t would stabilize railroad labor con- ditfons and benefit everybody con cerned. It would be a blessing to ev- cry emp1oye and to his wife and chill 6ren."