Evening star., 1947-03-12
House Member
Reveals Threat
Over McNear
Keurns Soys Phone
Call Warned Him
On Labor Stand

lican. of Pennsylvania today told
the House Labor Committee he
had received a telephone threat
last night In connection with the
murder of George P. McNear, jr,
Peoria (Ill.) railroad president,
and that a mysterious" voice
warned that II had better change,
my views about labor"
The committee, after hearing one
member say that violence has
reached right up to this committee
and must be smashed" resolved to
have Attorney General Clark in
vestigate the Kearns threat as well
as the McNear shooting which oc-
CURED Monday night on a street In
Peoria.
The committee had met to con-
tinue hearings on legislation to
restrict union activities.
Mr.. Kearns told the committee
that the mysterious" voice on the
telephone said that che had seen
me having dinner with McNear "ss
and that I had better change my
views about labor"
Was Joined by McNear.
Mr.. Kearns said he was having
dinner with his wife at the Ward
man Park Hotel two weeks ago when
Mr.. McNear, head of the Toledo,
Peoria b Western Railroad, joined
them. He said they talked for two
hours about railroading.
Committee Chairman Hartley de-
scribed Mr.. Kearns' story as a
Startling disclosure" adding that
lit reveals the serious situation in
this country regarding law and
order" He declared the McNear
killing was directly connected with
his appearance before this COM
mittee."
Mr.. Hartley said the whole affair
was being placed before Attorney
General Clark so that "he will get
Hoover tFBI Chief j. Edgar Hoo
vero to clear this matter up" He
said 1t was "the duty of Congress"
to assure a full investigation and
that SO far he had been unable to
talk directly with Mr.. Clark.
The chairman said Mr.. McNear
had told him he expected to be
subject to further intimidation" but
the railroad man thought he could
take care of himself"
Apparently he could not Mr..
Hartley declared.
McNear Statement Received,
Mr.. McNear testified before the
committee two weeks ago, and was
bitterly critical of labor as he had
been in the past. Yesterday, less
than IL hours after his death, the
committee inserted into its record Of
labor legislation hearings an addi-
tional statement by the railroad
head answering charges of rail union
heads.
Meanwhile, the Justice Depart
ment reported it was actively
studying" the shotgun Staying of the
Mr.. McNear to determine whether
the FBI should enter the case.
Mr.. McNear had been at odds with
railroad labor almost from the time
he first took over the T. P. e. w.
nearly 20 years ago. The road was
involved in frequent strikes, marked
by. violence and death.
While the Justice Department
stated merely that "every phase
of the case was being studied, it
was pointed out that Federal
Court injunction is in force re-
straining any one from acts which
would prevent operation of trains
on the line. Since some service
has been resumed on the 239-mile
freight line, despite a 17-month
strike, the Staying was considered
a possible basis for FBI interven-
ton.
Comment From Committee.
After Mr. Kearns' disclosure of
the threat" numerous members Of
the Labor Committee commented
on it.
II think the inference is obvious"
asserted Representative MacKinnon,
Republican, of Minnesota, that
some persons opposed to some Of the
measures before this committee are
seeking to intilnidate a member of
the committee. This is also tied up
with the gentleman who was slain.
He was sitting in that chair there
(witness chair two weeks ago."
He said the Kearns story indi-
Gated that "either the committee is
being shadowed or that Mr.. McNear
was being shadowed" and that some
group, mot necessarily labor
group" that was an enemy of Mr..
McNear was responsible for the
threat. This, Mr.. MacKinnon ar
gued, made it ''multistate" affair
and within jurisdiction of the FBI.
Several Representatives referred