Evening star., 1954-08-12
Moore Counsel Says
Il Took Il Years 10
Get Bribery Action

Counsel for Archie B. Moore,
ousted painters union business
agent. issued a statement today
saying Mr.. Moore, and his as
sociates have attempted for
more than two and one-hah
years to expose the wholesale
bribery and corruption among
certain painters union officials"
In the Washington area.
Warren Woods, counsel for
Mr.. Moore and painters as
sociated with him, said he had
been asked as counsel to submit
the statement.
Mr.. Woods traced the history
Of Mr.. Moore's differences with
the union. Mr.. Moore was the
chief accuser last week, when
the House Anti-Racketeering
subcommittee held hearings on
allegations Of bribery and ex-
tortion involving officials Of
District Council No. 81, Brother
hood OF Painters, Decorators and
Paperhangers of America, AFL.
A Federal grand jury opened its
investigation this week.
Recalls Cleanup Effort.
The attorney described the ef-
forts he said were made before
the House subcommittee took up
the question to get legislators
and prosecutors interested.
He said he was retained by
Mr.. Moore and his group in
June, 1852, after the General Ex-
ecutive Board of the interna-
tional union denied Mr.. Moore's
appeal from the decision of the
local union trial board finding
MIR. Moore guilty of libeling and
slandering the union leadership.
Mr.. Woods said he negotiated
with the general counsel for the
international union "in an effort
to clean up the local situation
without publicity"
I'VE reached signed written
agreement which would have per-
mitted a secret ballot election
for local union and district coun-
Gil officers under fair rules"
he went on. when some Of our
number were elected delegates
to the district council, the
agreement was promptly repudi-
ated and the delegates were re-
fused seats on the council"
At that point, he said, Mr..
Moore and his group filed suit
in District Court alleging bribes
and illegal union actions. The
suit is still pending.
Bribes Were Reported.
I'm the meantime" Mr.. Woods
continued, I'VE reported the ex-
istence of the bribes to several
Congressman and to the House
Committee on Labor. We also re-
ported the same facts to the FBI
and to the Internal Revenue
Service. Finally. in the early part
Of 1858. we made formal writ
ten complaint to the Department
of Justice"
He said the group was advised
by Justice Department attorneys
and by an assistant United
States attorney here that "in
their opinion the evidence did
not justify indictments but that
investigations was continuing"
He said a letter he wrote
United States Attorney Leo
Rover in December, 1853. "giv-
ing him additional investigating
leads and information" was not
acknowledged
The anti-racketeering subcom-
mittee he said, assigned an in
vestIgator in April and "for the
first lime in two and one-half
years, a Governmental agency
began to take seriously the facts
which Mr. Moore and his asso-
ciates presented"
"We welcome the present
grand jury probe into charges
of bribe-taking in the painters
union in the Washington, D. C.
area" Mr.. Woods concluded.
"Our only regret Is that the
probe was not started two and
one-half years ago when the
facts were first exposed by Archie
Moore The issue is not one Of
union politics; 1t is one Of
whether crime shall be punished
and dishonest union leaders