Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1886-05-10
GOV. JOHN c. BROWN.
The Great Strike Set Forth IN Al
It's Bearings on the Texas
4 Pacific.
run Report Of HIS Testimony Taken
Dy the Grain Congressional
Sab Committee.
- 'uea OF WHEAT Should be Done 10 pro.
vent Trouble netween Employer
epd Employed,

! Inc following Is a verbatim report t,
me testimony u Receiver brown he,or
toe congressional committee Fr,ds,
May Z, 1856. sworn and examined 4,
Mr. Grain, '''u =
question. What position 40 van MAJ.
on tno Texas 4 Pacihcy Answer a.,
one o. the receivers appointed nv IN,
oLi,ed states circuit court.
" when were yop appoiuted2 A. Tn,
10Th OF December last
" VINO ~ Che other recelyer. A
GOV, Lionel A. Sheldon.
u Been la tho entire ch.ryo q, a..
company ever slncoy a. Yes, az. ~
a. have before me letier vvt,h y,
coinpanying documents, the letter helnv
signed py you, IN which You give a atetc'
mont OF tho property Of the railroad cnm.
pahy, and then general statement IN me
shape OF an ritldavlt, or rather answors
70 questions rrppoundud by the sn.,njai
commissioner. appointed by The nircnIt
lndge to investigate these labor troubles
A. Yes, sir F'V"'''S.
u. wish you would examine a and
sec II IL IL authenlic2 A, Yes sir Theses
are the papers fled with the committee.
probably my name Ia not signed 10 ,he
deposition Il - An impression COW,
O. Well, your testimony viii snn,l,
Grain. eni PIT
Y, The comldlttee have determined N
put these Ia evidence as a part al voSr
testimony TO save time. IL Seems ~ ha
iull and extensive statement OF the
entire matter '"V
The document Va then read In evidence
The witness Is then examined Nv M
Cultivate. " i"r'
.. | will ask YOU this oues,,on
Would not the conference. n gsa,.oa
nSso opened The way to some compro.
, ,l,ae ny Whlch The men would have no.
tulnuu 70 work. and all 6ubse-
a. ! lhink not ! may be in error, but
MINK tney could not, The strike was
.on uuys old, snd The strikers had been
replaced with new laborere, our bridge
i9rce ana some OF the iron men, their
places had been supplied, and we had tho
assistance OF the United Slatos marshal.
ulu not MINK then only what think
now, mat no good would have rosilted
i,u,n any hs conference as suggested
ny ,W' NYleliy. X had thought 40,
Wan IN we Sa GLAD q avail myself Of
Q ~ was UPON your lulgiuuut, NJ,
upon your ieelingY a. Not the slightest
feeling. have never written letter or
telegram during the strike that was dicta.
ted by the slightest passion. SO far from
having any feeling against the strikers,
| thought then, and think now they were
moved 10 strike by lew people who
commanded them, and on the LIST Of
March, the day the strike was ordered,
Martin Irons, Gov. sheldon and talked |
over fully about this matter, and was
that | represented his sonti-
ments, az well as my own, In directing |
The general superintendent to obey the
order that ell men who were in our en-
ploy on the lst Of March would be ro-om-
ployed II they returned by 10 o'clock on
the ith Of March without regard TO what |
any mad had been.
q. Without regard TO whether they be- |
lOnged TO labor orgnnization2 A. Yes, |
sir, and he published the order, and the
have been uniform from tho |
beginning OF the strike untll to-day II
Is framed against no man who desired To |
return to his labor and his wages because
he was member Of any organization, but
that they should be put upon the same
footing. In great many Individual in
stances / have decided about taking
back men who were known TO be knights
Of Labor,
q. AS 20 that conference. Did you
object TO the conference because the
men were Knights OF Labor A.
would not object 10 It because
hey were Knights OF Labor, II they had
been In our employ. | did object 10 hay-
ING any conference In the nature OF AN ar
With people not connected with
tbs property under whose authority am
acting, and bearing no relations what
ever TO the road. II Mr.. Powderly had
come 70 my Office and asked for con-
Persation with me, would have talked
With him all day II he desired, but do
not propose 10 go into formal con-
terence with an organization OF
which | know nothlngj an organ
cation that was secrets that proposed |
10 give no Information Of what occurred |
within the lodge, and proposed TO control
our labor without regard 10 the law or
the consent OF the laborers themselves
do not believe | would be sustained by
The court In that.
q, am requested TO ask you thls
questions whether you did not refuse |
That conference simply because II Was the
representative Of the knights OF LaborS
A. did not solely on that accounts that
was one OF the reasons, but II there had
been no other am frank 10 say would
have refused on tsat account. mean
conference In the nature OF an arbitra-
lion. would have conferred with Mr.. |
Powderly, or Mr. Irons, or Mr.. somebody
else, II they called. | did confer With
the committee here, and various other
persons. ! never refused 70 see anybody,
but conference IN the nature Of an afbl-
tratlon, II II had been no other reason
thsa ,hat,I certainly should have declined
10 20 into a conference tor that reason.
Q. Ii that because you objected 70
labor organizations generality A, NJ,
sir; have no objections 10 labor organ
lzatIons.
Q. DO you recognize that labor has as
much right and that II Is a. wise for II 10
say who shall act for II as It's agents as II
Is for the railroad 70 say who shall act as
its agentsf a. Well, In some respects
yes, out not in oil. The relations Of the