Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1886-05-09
The Grain Congressional Sub Commit
tee Holds a Short Session
and Adiaurns.
Freedom OF tho Island city Voted to the
Distinguished Gaests-- Marshall
10 DO visited Next


TO BIO visited Next
Special 70 the Gazette.
GALVESTON, Tx, May s-Tbe COT
grogsionai subcommittee 10 inyestigat
the labor troubles held night sesslo
aud examined number Of witnesses o
the committee, Messrs. Grain, Parke
/ and Bucnanan we're present, Mr.. Oath
waite having left The party at For
/ Worth. a good deal II interest is cen
| tered on th0 session Of the commltte,
Ia this city ia anticipation OF
! thorough Investigation into the Mallorl
/ boycott, It's causes and effects but Chair
man Grain announced that the committe,
/ on consultation mad decided that 1t had n,
! power 10 investigate the NallOry b0ycot
troubles, as the resolution creating tn
committee embraced only such laboI
troubles as existed between the "rail
roads and their employees In Texai
I and the other states mentioned
The decision WAS a disappointment
TO the representatives Of the knights o
Labor present, and confined the exami
nation exclusively to the recent strike OF
the Gould system. lnasmuch as thai
strike did not extend 10 Galveston the
testimony was " AN embarrassing charac
ter, showing only the disastrous effect
Of the strike on the wholesale and Other
trade Interest of the city. The principal
witness testified In substance as follows
Jeremiah Sawyer, agent for the NAL
lory line, believed the strike on the Gould
lines took off 80 per cent OF the business
0i Galveston during lts continuance. The
Mallory line had lost 81 to 80 per cent.
julius Runge, leading Wholesale gro.
GER testified 10 the disastrous effect OF
the strike, relating instances of serious
delay and damage to several hundred
bales OF cotton en- route to Mexico via
the Gould lines.
George SeeligsOu, Wholesale grocer
swore that the sales Of his house dimin.
Ished 30 per cent, during the strike. lie
did not believe this loss would ever be
got back.
Leon Blum, head OF the largest whole.
sale dfy goods house In Texas, testified
that he believed Galveston had lost
VI 100000 by the strike, His firm had
lost In the sale OF goods nearly 500, 900.
Their pggrt gate sales reached
$B,00o,000 per annum, and except
for the strike would have reached that
amount this year, but they had lost 30
per cent. Many country merchants
wrote him that they were afraid to buy
goods o: his house for fear they would be
boyeotted by the knights OF Labor. This,
however, was the outgrowth OF the Nal.
Tory troubles.
William q. Halsoy, mllliner store
Keeper ut Harrisburg, related how the
Knights boyootted his store because
he bought goods Of Galveston merchants.
His trade In April dropped OF one.thlrd,
AT this point the committee In executive
session coucluued 60 exclude any further
testimony touching the troubles between
laoorlng men and the Mallory Steamship
company.
H. u iawley, iobber In groceries and
grains, testified that HIS firm did bust
ness OF Sl,0U0,000 to $4,000, 900 per
annnm. They sold goods largely on
credit. Because OF the labor
ronbles these credits were curtailed
and almost entirely cut off Their busl.
ness sustained aloss OF from 80 TO 40 per
cent lie was not opposed TO the organ.
ization OF labor.
y. l., Finley, uphosterer ON the Gulf
Colorado Santa Fo road, and who for
merly occupied two official posltione IN
tho Knights OF Labor organization, said
" was inc intention OF the Knights TO
strlke on all the Texas roads, but
better Judgment prevailed. The witness
stated that the hrst week In March, In
rort worm, Martin Irons told him the
men should strike. lie told hun OF
grievances which he said bad been pre-.
scented TO the Texas 4 Pacific company.
me witness was opposed to strikes. Re.
plying to question whether he
ma peen expelled from the
knights OF Labor, the Witness
mad read IN an obscure paper that he WAS
expelled, but he never received any No.
tlce ot expulsion. II some law were ON
acted to enforce the constitution az the
knights OF Labor that would he all that
was necessary to settle labor troubles
x. W, Farrell, u carpenter and A Kni,yht
OF Labor related the form of Tho man
date which was issued by the exeon
tive committee Of District rs Ia the
freight clerk In the Texas d paeinc
olllce at Fort Worth ordering him M
strike for the purpose OF sustn1niny the
strikers who were out by order ~ ,he
executive committee Of District loI Thn
witness denied having been expelled tro,o
the order. fs'''N' ''o'l'
WI, bnrk, editor OF the Labor Advo.
cate and county treasurer testified n
tne demoralizlng effect OF the strlkc
on the Gould system, lie said thc
labor OF the South was In haitian
condition than In the North. There was
not such surplus Of labor In the Snnth
The absence OF employment for lahnr In
the South during several months az IN
year was tho most serious drayhscL
lie believed the only remedy was ma IN
s,Vuueton OF manufactures IN Texas.
lie ATTRIBUTED much trouble 10 the
Mant OF confidence between employ.
ois ana their men, lie Thought
morkhen We're not outspoken enough
Aoous tnelr grievances. In reply 10 a
question AS TO who was benefited by the
seizure OF engines and the destruction OF
property by the strikers, the witness
.hought about the only party bens llted
Vas the sheriff.
Inc committee adjourned az late hour
lnd VIII leave for Marshall Sunday even
RI
Az a special meeting OF the city council
layor Fulton read the following message
In view OF the fact tnst some Of our rep.
esentative citizens have induced the con-
gohslonal subcommittee, OF which
ur honorod representative, w. III. Grain,
chairman, TO visit Galveston,
lould suggest TO your honorable body
lat 80 tender TO them during their
ojourn here the inequalities Of the
lty.n
The council spplauded this courteous
leEestion Of his honor, and unanimously
cited The freedom OF the Island city 10
ie distinguished representatives.