The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1938-05-26

relations act were sound in every
respect, the personnel that is adj
ministering it would destroy what
ever chance it had of succeeding.
Only One Side Heard
So, when the court ruling told the
legislative courts to be fair with
those accused or charged, the Ia
Dor relations board smelled num-
Der Of legal proceedings against It.
It's members recognized that there
were cases it had decided" that
would not stand the test in the
spotlight Of federal court for the
reason that the respondents had not
been allowed to tell their side Of
the story. There were cases, for ex-
ample, where the board had heard
its own investigators testimony. the
testimony of several CLIO. organi-
GERS whose job had been to stir up
trouble and where the respondents
had been informed that the board
had mo interest" in what they had
to say. There were other cases
where board investigators had gone
into factories and had used methods
taught the world by Dictator Sta
Inns OGPU. Naturally, the board
tried to get out from under.
The boards lawyers recognizing
the dangerous ground upon which
their cases in federal court were
standing, sought to withdraw their
request for court enforcement. But
Mr.. Henry Ford, one Of those whom
the board and the C.I.O.-Lewis Ia
Dor group sought to punish, felt that
the case should be tried In court,
and he is insisting through his law
yers that the proceedings continue.
The Ford lawyers happen to be the
lawyers who fought the late and
unlamented MIRA In the famous
Schechter case, and won (which
ended MIRA. They are going after
the labor relations board and when
they get through, it is possible we
will know how much power that
board has.
Along with the Ford case, the
board has other troubles. The great
Inland Seed company of Chicago,
and the Douglass Aircraft corpora
ton have decided they did not get
a square deal from the New Deal
board. They have asked federal
courts to review their cases and de-
eide whether the orders issued by
the board were liz accordance with
the facts, and they have asked also
for ruling as to whether they had
been denied legal rights.
This Board on the Spot
It is made to appear, therefore,
that the board may have to undo q
lot Of things it has done. It may
have to admit, also, that in some
cases there has actually been malic-
iousness on the part Of some Of its
investigators. Consider the Ford
case, for example. II the board
withdraws its original order. it viii
be saying in effect that the facts
upon which it based that order were
not the facts at all. That viii be
somewhat embarrassing, 1t seems to
me. It will be more embarrassing,
however, II 1t comes forth with q
new order which Is based upon q
different set Of facts. Either the
first set of facts or the second set
Of facts obviously IS wrong-not
facts at all in one Of the two in
stances.
There are other instances Of 9TH
er boards and commissions which
have been exercising all too much
authority for the good of the coun-
try, according to the way we see
things. Few of them have been so
blatant about it, however, as the
Department of Agriculture and the
labor relations board. Some of the
agencies, notably the interstate
commerce commission, has never
been accused Of unfairness, as far as
I know. It may have made mis-
takes, or legal questions may have
been tested in court, but that
agency holds the respect of railway
executives, shippers and labor alike.