Springfield daily republic. [volume] (Springfield, O. [Ohio]) 1887-1888, 1888-01-31
WORKINCMEN'S MEETING
THE STURDY MINERS MARshAliNG
lRFORcES.
The Legislature Enables Railroad Cor.
porations to Fastsa their Grip with
Ensia.inG Power on the Laborins Mos.
-Intereresting Procspding..


! BALTIMORE January GA large and en-
thusiastiC meeting Of workingmen WAS held
at the Front street thester this afternoon,
in aid Of the Philadelphia and Reading
railroad and coal strikers jerome MUIR
ply, of Baltimore, presided. Messrs. John
/ L. Lee, of Philadelphia. Chairman of the
Executive Committee of the Reading rail
road employees, John II. Davis. OF Mount
Carmel, Pa, Chairman ri tn. Joint Com
mittee, representing the raiiroaders and
miners, and Hugh McGarvey, of Beaver
Meadow, Pa, uf the Joint ,ommittee, adj
dressed tbs as>s mhlagc The sum Of si61.-
! II was contributed to the relief fund, and
the various local assemblies will
take the matter up and endcavor to
raise large fund in aid OF the
strikers in Pennsylvania The first speaker
WAS Mr.. McGarvey. He explained the
situation in the Lehigh region. and very
graphically portrayed the condition of the
people who exc out an existence by delv-
J ing all day in the bowels Of the earth. and
compared II with the opulencc Of their
employers and oppreSsors." He told also.
. how by the manipulation Of the Legisla-
ture the coal and railroad corporations
were enabled Ia faStsn their grip with
4 enslaving power. upon the throats of the
! people, through whose labor they were
being enriched The strike was a battle,
; that should decide whether autocracy aud
oppression or freedom and justice should
reign in the coal regions of Pennsylvania.
and whether or not there was place Tor
organized labor in this country that boasted
ri liberty.
f Mr. John II Davis explained the con-
: track between the Reading and the minrrs,
/ and stated the reasons why the contract
was not executed for longer period than
( four months, and comhatted the construc-
! ton which President tOrbin placed upon
I il. He said that when the contract was
( being negotiated last September. the miners
I insisted that il be for six months. The
company asserted that its property
would be out of the receivers hands be-
! fore January |. and that contract
entered into with the receivers would
not hold good after that date.
Hence they requested that the contract he
limited 10 January |, which was agreed to
BY the miners, The contract as executed
did not bind the miners 10 return TO the
old wages OF the 80 basis after January l.
Ii reads thus; The 7. n X. e. & l. Co.
are 10 raise the present schedule of basis
prices for wages and contracts per cent.
from September /, lS>1 for four months. or
until January !, issS. and this agreement
is TO terminate January l. ls,S.'
surely said Mr.. Davis, there is moth
ing in that which makes il obligatory upon
u~ 10 return to the old wages The con.
tract simply expired January lst, and the
miners had the right 10 deman that a new
contract be made, and that the wages in ex-
cess of the $50 basis should continue At
per cent" Mr.. Davis claimed that Presi-
dent Corbin, in his first statement. made
base and glariug attempt to deceive the
public a. 10 the provisions of the contract
iii quoting il. lacking the words: And
this agreement is to terminate January lst,
lssS
Mr. John Lee followed with a vigorous
speech. He said the strike on the Reading
railroad and in the coal fields was premedi-
tated by the company. The ruinous policy
of Franklin Il. Gowan was the cause OF
throwing the road into the hands of re-
ceivers. and 10 restore it 10 the company.
Mr.. Corhin. upon becoming President, in
sugUratcd an extreme economy. Mr.. Nc
Leod was appointed General Manager and
he began the cleaning out process instantly.
In the machine shops where a. force of TO
men was employed il was reduced TO IS,
and these had 10 do the work formerly done
by 60. The train hands suffered likewise
Crews of five were reduced to three
and twenty ears added 10 their trains
Men who had grown grey in the service
were thrown aside In make place for new
blood. This condition OF affairs awoke the
men to the necessity for organization.
They set To work and created the powerful
organization as il exists to-day on the
Reading system. Mr.. Lee went: on 10 show
that the Reading Company WAS directly re-
sponsble for the strike and that i, was Q
plot 10 pnho-sc and dismantle the X OF l..
The Reading. he said sent out enniSsaries TO
find out where the active men in the rail
road organization. and when they were
discovered, cut their heads off But
organized labor grew apace, and in
lev months were strong enough
TO take care OF themselves.
Speaking Of the earlier part of the Iehigh
strike. Mr.. Lee said that at convention at
Shamokin he WAS selected TO obtain aid for
the Lehigh strikers and open an office at
Pottsvilie for that purpose. He reported
oil duty ami told Superintendent Sweigard
of the position to which he had been as
signed. Sweigasd said, "Iou have leave Of
absence. Your services in Potisville fight
ing the Lehigh operators will be of more
benefit to Us than 35 machinists in the
shops" A month later Lee returned To
work, but Sweigard said to him. go back
10 Pottsvifle. The Reading has made more
money in the past two months than ever
before. The LehiGh operators have laid
plans TO crush organized labor there, and
the longer the strike continues the more
money the Reading will make out
Of it Shortly after this the joint
committe waited upon President Corbin
in the presence Of Manager Mcleod and
the General solicitor 10 induce him 10 use
his influence in bringing about q settle
tlement Of the difficulties in Lehigh. Cor
bin claimed that the Knight. of Lebor were
interfering with the company's business in
refusing 10 handle the "scab" coal Of Par
dee X Cox. Parspthcticaliy, Mr.. Lee ex-
planned that the convention at Shamokin
had resolved not to handle on the Reading
rairad any ''scab'' coal mined in Lehigh
The General Solicitor then quoted law on
the subject. We werc peaceable and law
abiding citizens" continued Mr. Lee and
when We discovered that We were doing
something even bordering on a violation of
the law We ordered the coal removed"
A few days after this corbn sent for Bcr-
nard J. Sharkey, one ri the Readings X. Of
l.. lights and informed him that he wa,
negotiating with Mr.. Maxwell, OF the Jer-
sew Central. and Mr.. Harris, of the Lehigh,
and was trying 10 secure a settlement for
the Lehigh miners at per cent. over the
S2.5e basis. All thu, time. said Mr. Lee,
Corbin was playing 4 double game.
While negotiating with our Executive
Board. he wa> C"unIvirg with the Lehigh
operators to inauguratc q strike on January
LIST. and break up the T.. uf l.. There was
a convention oi Lchigh and Reading nonop-
olists in New York on Dee. - and the result
OF the deliberations was that Corbin should !
force the fight on the Reading. He began
by forcing the employees 81 Port Richmond |
and Elizabethport 10 handle scab material. |
and they refusing were discharged. II am
willing TO admit, said the speaker. that |
there was mistake made in refusing to |,
handle il. but | am not willing TO admit |
that he tCorbin) did not violate article Is, |
OF the agreement Rade = year ago. which |
provided that every "mp!oye should have
an impartial hearing before being dis |
charged. and refusing 10 negotiate with |
this committee.
He said that when the cammittee went |
to the Office Of Superintendent Sweigard. |
the ist;er refused ~ speak to them. The
rnilroad officials waited upon the director |
Of the public safety Stokely, and told him |
there was great danger at Port Richmond, |
Snd got 2uc policemen TO guard the yards, |
aNd this too, before the strike had ever be- |
g't. After the five crews had been dis |
chtged at Port Richmond, the executive