Evening star., 1939-01-08
Madden Says Burke
Confused Public With
False Statements
N. l. R. B. Head Lays
'Perversion of Bourd
Policies to Senator

oGdVculclltS Ill l1lS NdtlOIldl fCdQlO
Forum speech December 26 in which
he assailed the Labor Board.
In a detailed rebuttal, Chairman
Madden charged the Senator with
"misstatements of facts, mishandline
Of statistics and perversions of board
policies" in the latter's address to
the Nation through the forum, ar
ranged by The Star and broadcast
by the National Broadcasting Co.
A letter addressed to Senator
Burke, and released to the press by
Mr.. Madden, said:
Your statements, so often un-
founded in fact, do not indicate that
your true interest is fairly to dis
cuss the problem in a genuine at
tempt to call to our attention mis-
takes we have made.
Burke's Praise Of Nazis Cited.
Rather, we believe that as re-
CARDS the board, whatever your per-
sonal motives may be, you have con-
fused the public with false state
ments. AS your remarks made on
your return from Europe indicate,
we may be in complete disagree
ment even on what constitutes a
true democratic government"
Mr.. Madden wrote the Senator
that he had read story in a New
York newspaper quoting Mr.. Burke,
on his return from Europe. as hav-
ing praised without stint" the &C
complishments of the Nazi regime,
pointing out that trade unions
have been abolished that German
annexation of the Sudeten area was
justified, and that Chancellor Hitler
was even greater man than Bis
marck.
The chairman accused Senator
Burke of having failed to substan-
tiate previous charges made against
the board.
"On August 81, 1887" Mr.. Madden
continued, you delivered a radio
address where you stated that the
board had taken Sides that it had
run amok, and rendered a disserv-
Ice to the cause of labor
Never Justified Attacks.
ION August 26, 1887, 1 wrote you
C letter asking what evidence you
had to justify this attack. After a
letter from you asking a question
and after my reply, our correspond
ence ceased. YOU did not answer
and your evidence was not COM
municated to us.
subsequently, you repeated the
same charges and you sponsored a
resolution asking for an investiga-
ton of the National Labor Rela-
tons Board. At the opening of the
l.earing on January q, 1898, you
charged that ours was a thorough
~ incompetent agency and you
charged us with 'willful maladmin-
i.stration.' At the subcommittee
hearings you offered to produce wit
nesses; none were produced. Final
", the subcommittee of the Com
mittee of the Judiciary adjourned
and no further investigation was
had. You had failed to make out
a prima facie case against the
board"
Mr.. Madden wrote that you sent
out. under your franking privileges,
hundreds of thousands of pamph-
lets containing your criticism of the
act and the board"
The Senator, the letter continued
asked for support in his campaign
and helpful suggestions. The
board. it was said. notified Senator
Burke it was ready to discuss any
suggestions" he had received, and
he replied he would avail himself
Of that opportunity when he could
reduce the matter to concrete
form"
Mr.. Madden declared the board
heard nothing further from the Sem
ator.
ANY public individual and any
public body is legitimate target
for criticism" Mr.. Madden wrote.
when, however, the criticism,
aimed not only at the basic prin-
ciples of the Wagner Act, but at
the honesty and integrity of those
who administer it, is founded upon
distorted facts and bolstered by
reckless statements, the public body
may legitimately defend itself"
Mr.. Madden took up the Senator's
criticisms in detail. He cited fig
ures to show industrial discord had
decreased rather than increased
as charged by the Senator-since
the act went into effect. The chair
man pointed to the decline last
year in the number of strikes in
which union organization was the
main issue.
TT is strikes of this nature, of
course" he wrote, that the act is
designed to avert"
Senate Report Contradicts Burke.
With regard to the Senator's con-
tention that the days of employer
domination are already thing of
the past" Mr.. Madden quoted a
report in 1887 of the Senate Com
mittee on Education and Labor to
the effect that industrial espionage
was found to be common, almost
universal practice in American in
dustry. Industrial munitioning was
1lhCWlSC 1Oullu W UC widespread.
Employer resistance to organization
has taken many forms. These
vary from company unions-through
blacklistings and espionage down
to display of force"
Chairman Madden denied the
bead was operating "at enormous
cost to the Government and at stag
gering expense to the individual"
The boards three years of opera
ton cost the individual about cent
year, he said, while directly avert
ing 593 threatened strikes involving
156,047 workers." at huge saving In
wages and industrial profits.
Says Board Upheld Its Rules.
Mr.. Madden denied, as charged by
the Senator, that the board would
certify any union as a collective bar
gaining agent when the majority Of
employees had voted against union
representation.
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