The Connecticut labor news., 1924-08-16
HOOPER OPENS HIS
 STATE OF MIND IN LETTER TO EDITORS
Brotherhood Chiefs Make Reply Pointing Out False Propaganda
 of Board Chairman.

During the last week he wrote let ter to the managing editors of news papers all over the country ln which he attempted to defend his conduct in pub licity abusing the leaders ot railroad la bor organizations and mSrepresentlng the activities of the unions.
 Mir. Hooper used the stationery of the Labor Board and Uncle Sam footed the bills for postage and clerical help.
 Perhaps the most extraordinary para graph in Mr. Hooper's defense is the
 following:
 ! "It IS worthy of note that nobody ln this case or out of 1t has yet attacked the record of my actual work on this | board That is the proper criterion of my fairness toward the employees This statement was promptly answer | ed by H. P Daugherty, vice president and L. c. Griffing, grand chief engi- neer of the Brotherhood Locomotive Engineers; D. B. Robertson, president of the Brotherh ood of Locomotive Fire men and Enginemen; and Donald k.
 
 portation brotherhoods
 Chairman Hooper asserts that mo- body has attacked the record of his ac- tual work on the board" said these rep resentatives of railroad labor. Not only have the railroad employees frequently attacked his record, but 1t has been vigorously criticised in dissent ing opinions of the board itself" The statement of the representatives of the employees in full follows:
 "The situation resulting from the ac- ton of the Labor Board in the alleged dispute between western railways ami employees in engine service may be sum marized as follows:
 The action of the Labor Boord is l law1ess abuse of public authority. It denies to the employees of the railroads two undoubtful constitutional rights, first the right of liberty of contract, and second, the right not to be de prived of liberty or property without due process of law,
 "The representatives of the employees will continue their efforts to assert and to protect in every possible way these constitutional rights.
 "The employees are confronted with another effort of organized employing power in combination with official power to utilize the forms of legal pro- ceedings as the means to deny legal and constitutional rights. Again we find that the organized workers are required to make a fight for the protection of fundamental constitutional rights against the combined attack of those organized employees and public officials who are most vociferous ill publicly proclaining their devotion to the Con- stitution.
 Regarding Mir Hooper's defense ot his own impartiality, an answer may be made by quoting one typical sentence from his many attacks upon the rail- way employees and their leaders.
 "1t is quite remarkable to see the employees of an industry waging war upon that industry with the unquestio1l- ed purpose of destroying it.
 ''Will any reasoning person believe that Mir. Hooper can give fair consider ation to the evidence or arguments of employees, who he falsely accuses of having the unquestioned purpose of de- stroying the industry i'll which they earn a living? When MT. Hooper sug- i gests that two organizations alone ques 4:o l. .c la ,111 r6 ing the fact that more than year ago practically all of the organizations ot railway employees filed formal pro test with the President against his bi- ased and prejudicial activities. He as serts that nobody has attacked the rec ord of his actual work on the board l Not only have the railroad employees frequently attacked his record, but It has been vigorously criticised in dis sentng opinions of the board itsel?
 "To sum up the present situation
 q! The employees asked for confer enGes with the individual railroads which are required by the transpor:a- ton act The railroads replied that they had placed this matter in the hands ot the conference committee of managers, 1 The conference committee had prevl- ously made it clear to the employees that this committee was not empowered 10 decide the disputes, but merely to esta5- fish general principles upon the basis of which individual agreements would le later negotiated.
 "2 The conference committee of managers having itself ended int ne gOtation induced the Labor Board to take jurisdiction on its own motion and thereby to provide the railroads with an excuse for refusing to comply with the law which requires conference between each railroad and its enploySs