The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-02-19
C0RBIN IN A BAD LIGHT
a PHILADELPHIA JOURNALIST M
PEACHES HIS VERACITY.

Made $29,OOO,OOO Instead OF Hav-
ing Lost $12,Ooo,OOO rs Claimed by
the Presdent-One of the Knights
on tho Stand.
PHILADELPHIA, Feb. 1S.-The Congress
sional investigating committee resumed its
inquiry into the Reading railroad strike
this morning, the first witness beng Gcneral
Superintendent Sweigard, of the Reading
Railroad Company, who was recalled TO
enable him to put in evidence the text Of
the agreement made with the employees Of
the railroad company and the voucher,
showing that MI. Lee, one Of the leaders Of
the labor organization, had been in
the pay of the company while he was at
Pottsville at the outbreak of the trouble.
Supt. Sweigard read the clause of the
agreement which guaranteed to tho men an
investigation. The men had claimed that
they had been guaranteed fair trial before
discharge for any cause. The. clause of the
agreement which was read was that every
man should receive a fair trial, in case of
any accident that might have occurred
through carelessness. The Lee voucher was
for special services rendered during October
at PottsvIlle, and the pay was at the rate Of
81 80 per day.
THE RECORDS PHILANTHROPY.
John Norris, one of the editors of the
Philadelphia Record, was called. He said
that he had been investigating the coal
trade and the management of the Reading
Coal and Iron Company for many years,
and as a consequence the Record had gone
into the coal business for the benefit OF the
people Of Philadelphia, and had succeeded
in reducing the retail price of coal in the
rit ffsaV 20 t,, 10
was done by the Record without
profit for itself Since the strike prices
had gone up again. The company charged
81 80 ton from the mines now, and did the
same service twenty-five years ago for
VI 221S. The witness quoted figures to show
that coal could be bought at Port Richmond
for 95c. less per ton If wanted for shipment
to Boston or New York than was demanded
if the very same coal was intended for the
Philadelphia trade. Mr.. Norris said that
last year the Reading Railroad Com
pany had earned 10 per cent. ON the cost of
the road, and that it was one of the most
profitable roads in the country.
HOW IT LOST MONEY.
Its losses came from the necessity of pay
ing interest on it's enormous debt, which
was the result Of the policy of combining
the business of n carrier with that uf a
miner. The witness said that he had thor
oughly Investigated the statement made by
Mr.. Corbin that the Reading Coal and Iron
Company had mined 81, 900, 900 tons Of coal
from 1875 to 1881, at a loss of over $12 ,000,-
600, having paid $57 900, ,000 TO it's miners
and received but $44, 100000 for
their output. The witness quoted fig
ures by years from 1876 to
1888, and said that the proceeds for that pc
riod had really been as shown by the com
pany's own books, $50, ,624, 600, and thus the
company had really received $40, 600, 900
more than it had paid out. Mr. Norris pro-
ceeded at length TO give the committee
great deal of statistical data, and at the con-
clusion of his testimony was cordially Y
thanked for the light he had thrown upon
the subject.
A KNIGHT ON THE STAND.
H. l. Bennett, one of the leaders of the
Knights of Labor, was then put on the
stand and testified to facts in connection
with the strike and the interview with
Supt. Sweigard He said that the clause
quoted by Supt. Sweigard from the agree
ment offered in evidence to-day was the
one under which they claimed that they
were entitled to an arbitration before the
discharge of the crews who refused TO move
Taylor & Sons cars. In reply TO questions
as to the right Of labor to dictate terms to
capital, the witness said that resembling
providence in creating property labor has
the right to control end manage it,
Mr.. Bennett went on TO review the
strikers version of the progress Of events
from Dec. % until the men went on strike.
He said that over 800 police officers wore
put in the yards at Port Richmond OH Dec
%, and it was on account of their objection
to such surveillance that the strike at Port
Richmond took place.
A SPONTANEOUS GOING OUT.
1t was not really an ordered strike, but a
spontaneous going out Of the men. At the
same time the men had received iuforInn-
ton of the strike at Elizabethport on ac-
count of the companys insisting upon their
loading of Eckley COxe's boats. Mr.. Coxe's
miners were on a strike On Dec "a all the
freight handlers went out in sympathy with
the Elizabethport strikers. Mr. Bennett
said Supt Sweigard was asked by the com
mittee from the men to submit tho question
at issue TO arbitration, and Mr. Bennett
gave a narrative of the interview between
the committee and that official. Mr. Ben
nett gave his version Of the interview be-
tween Mr.. Lee and Sup. Sweigard lie
was not present himself, but when he came
out Mr. Leo told him that Supt. S Sweigard
had attempted to bribe him, and failing to
do this had discharged him. The witness
was then asked whether the Knights Of
Labor claimed the right to dictate to the
railroad company or its customers what
class Of men they should employ, or what
wages they should pay.
OBJECT OF THE MEN.
The witness said: NO but we claim the
right to compel tho company and others 10
pay union wages if we can, and TO do all
lawful acts to compel them to do so." The
Union men, in this urpOse, dld nob consider
either the rights Of the public or the rights
of the company, or of consignees, but only
the rights of the men in the organization,
upon the theory that i'll their body "the
concern Of ono is the concern OF all The
basis of all strikes, he said, in response to
questions from Judge Chipman, was,
as he had said that tho men
who created the products of
labor, laboring men, had right TO, in a
very large measure if not entirely control
it. The witness said that the strikers were
supported by voluntary contributions, |
which had been received by the committee !
Of which he was chairman, 10 tho amount |
of $4,000, and this amount had !
relieved about 600 or 7OO persons,
all that had applied for help Con |
siderable cross-eXaminatiOn followed |
as 20 Mr.. Lees action in being in the pay Of
the railroad company when he was at Potts
vile in October. The witness said that he
did not know what business. II avy, Mr. |
Lee had with the men at Pottsyille at that
time
The examination Of the witness was con
cluded by Mr. Anderson, who put num-
Der of questions 10 allow bis own and the
etyifuaa.i pBfrfpu Ia fsy gI record that ulUF