The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1888-02-02
WILL INVESTIGATE
THE READING RAILROAD STRIKE.
ALVEY Debate In the House of RsprssSn.
tativss Over the Proposition to Refer the
Matter to the Interstate Commerce
ComniSSIOn--Tho Final Action.

| w ARLINGTON Os O,t CeU' 4s-4h ~
House to-day, the morning hour having ez
pired, the House proceeded, in accordGnc
with previous order, to the consideration
Of the report Of the Committee on Com
merce relative to the proposed inyesiga
ton Of the Reading strike.
Mr.. ClArdy, OF Missouri, Chairman o
the Committee on CONNIE said that af
ter q careful examination OF the matter
the msjonty Of the committee had beer
satisfied that the original resolution offered
by Mr.. Anderson, OF Kansas, demanding
Congressional investigation, ought not Il
be adopted. He briefly sketched the ori'
gin of the railroad strike and the subse'
quent strike by the employees of the Phila.
delphia & Reading Coal and Iron Com
pany, whose stock, he said, was held
mainly by the stockholders Of the Read
ing Company. There had been no teati-
mony before the committee showing that
interstate traffic had been intertered with
on the Reading road week or an hour,
with the exception Of brief interruption
at Port Richmond, on account Of the re-
Ifugal OF the men to obey the lawful orders
Of the superintendent. On the contrary,
he thought it appeared affirmEtively that
there had been no sort Of intercourse with
or interruption Of Inter State Commerce.
II had been stated that the Reading Com
pany, in making Allotments OF cars TO min
ling companies Disseminated in favor OF
come companies and against others. This
was matter which was entirely within
the jurisdiction OF the Inter State Com
mission. Any person who was aHgrieved
could secure an audience by knocking at
the door OF that commission, It was alSo
stated that the Residing Company and the
Philadelphia Goal and Iron Company
were practically one and the same, and
this was In violation OF the Constitution OF
Pennsylvania. II this were true, the
remedy was TO be found In the State courts
OF Pennsylvania.
Mr.. Raynor, Of Maryland, did not be-
lieve in halfway measures on this subject,
when monopoly is combined to drive the
ranks OF labor TO the starvation point; ;
that labor had an equal right by every
natural law Of justice to combine and
strike for living wages. He said this not
in the spirit Of demsgogism, for he had
neither the arts or aspirations Of demo-
gogism, but because he believed 1t to be q
living truth. (Applause) He was the
mortal foe OF violence in all its forms, but
Ihe was the friend OF labor, and its sover-
eign power should be cxerted in every
peaceful way to assert and vindicate itH
rights. The Reading road had broken
and violated a solemn compact it had
mads with its employees, and now 1t COM
manded them to surrender under threat
OF proclaiming to the American
people that the great tributary
Of Commerce should be closed, and that
lnot 9 ton Of traffic should be fIeighted
over ita road. Should this be done, he,
for one, said never. Congress had the
power, beyond that which belonged to
the Interstate Commerce Commission, to
bring this great monopoly to bay. The
Reading Company had incorporated a
legal fiction known as the PHILADELPHIA &
Reading Coal and Iron Company, othcered
BY the same officers, controlled by the
same agents az the Reading Railroad
Company, and under the mask Of this
legal fiction the railroad company was
now violating the constitutional provision
Of this State that chartered and created 1t.
Mr.. Grosvenor, OF Ohio, inquired why,
II the railroad company was chartered
under the laws OF Pennsylvania and had
deviRted from the business authorized by
its charter proceedings in the nature ol
QUO warranto could no. bo instituted
against it in the State courts.
Mr.. Rsynor (ssrcastically)-The courts
OF Pennsylvania Gre in the habit Of grant.
ing writs Of quo warranto.
!; Mr.. 0'Neil, OF Pennsylvania, declared
vehemently that the first complaint on
QUO warranto sver heard in a State had
been heard in the courts Of Pennsylvania
Mr.. Rsynor, continuing, quoted from
the argument made by Mr.. Gowon, coun-
sci for the Reading Railroad, before the
Supreme Court in the case OF the State oi
Pennsylvania against the Reading Rail-
; road, in which he took the ground thst
the State had no right to tax It's freight,
and that Congress alone could regulats its
commerce. Nov, said Mr.. Raynor, when
Congress was seeking to investigate Its
traffic the company said that Congress
had not that power because 1t was State
corporation.
Mr.. o'Nsill, OF Pennsylvanis-Doss the
gentleman know that any OF these corpor'
atoms arc seeking to prevent this investi
CATION?
Mr.. Raynor-Yes. sir; We have the evi
dence here Of $1,000 starving men, turned
out In the dead OF winter with dependent
families. (Applsuse).
Mr.. 0'Neill-I did not ask as to that;
asked whether you know that the Read
ing Railroad Company and the PhilRdel
phia Coal and Iron Company are seeking
to prevent this investigation. l say, fol
one, they are not
Mr.. Raynor-Then why not allow the
investigatienR Why not adopt the reso
+ Mr. o'Neill-we will adopt it. Zap,
plause).
MIR. Raynor-If you will adopt 1t l an
done. loud and long continued calls o.
"Vote votem
Mr.. Raynor: I wish TO add but I'd
. This reference to the Interstate Com
merce Commission amounts to nothing
You might as well refer II 10 the Chinese
Embassy or 10 the Public Printer; you
will get 1t back Just as soon. loud laugh
| ter and spplause.l What Is the use Of
4 knocking at the door OF the Interstate
\ Commerce Commission2 II never takei
I up case mere motu. You do not direCI
. It to do anything; you. merely request
1t. By the time Il investigates the ques
' tion the men will have all starved L
death. Let rs track the subject to tht
j. fountain head, and let us discover, as
a believe We will, that this Is conspiracy o
4 capital and not OF labor; and let US apply
h tho most heroic remedies legislation car
q devise to break up these internal systeml
Q which. under the name Of trusts, ar
shsdowing the prosperous homes ant
!. business centres OF the country.
d Mr.. Davis, Of Massachusetts,, advocated
. the report Of the majority Of the commit
d tee, believing that Congress was too mucl
Of Q political body 10 properly Investigate
q purely business matter, and because b
did not believe that investigation by
Congressional Committee would be pro
;, ducdvo Of any good results. To strength