The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1888-02-19
The Reading Investigation.

first witness being General Superin ten dent Swell
/ gard 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 show
| that Lee, of the leaders OF tho
| labor organization. had been in the pay
| Of the company while he at Pottsv lille
| at the outbreak of the trouble. Mr.. Sweieard
| read the clause of the agreement which guaran-
| teed to the mon an investigation. The men had
| claimed that they had been guaranteed a fair
trial Def ore discharge fer any cause The clause
| of the agreement which was read was that every
man should receive fair trial in of any
accident that might have occurred thoughr
carelessness. The Lee voucher was for special
services rendered during October, at Pottsville
and the pay was at the rate of So. 80 day.
Upon the conclusion of this witnesses testimony
John Norris. one of the editors of the Philadel.
phia Record who had been the statisti clan of
the Pacific railroad investigating committee
was called. The witness quoted figures to show
that coal could be bought at Port Richmond for
50 ents less a ton if wanted for shipment to
demanded if the very same coal
was intended for the Philadelphia trade
Mr. Morris said that last year tn e Reading
Railroad Company had earned Is per cent
the cost of it's road, and was of the most
profitable roads in the country. Its losses
from the necessity of paying interest on its
enormous debt which was the result of the pol
icy of combining the business of a carrier with
that of miner The witness went into long
staten ents of facts to show that the Reading
Railroad Company failed and refused to do its
duty under the law as common carrier 1t bad
paid ont drawbacks 1t had been Investigated
by the Legislature, and a constitutional amend
ment adopted to stop its discrimination and
abuses of its charter. He said that it had COM
bined with the Pennsylvania railroad and was
now giving that company's line to the coal region
600 600 tons of coal a year under az agreement
to prevent competition. He believed, from what
he had heard, that the Reading had agreed to
increase this allotment to 1000. 900 tons during
tine present year. Although the Pennsylvania
line was built with the promise and expecta-
ton that the competition would decrease
the price of coal, prices had been kept up as
usual. and no good to the people had resulted
Mr. Norris entered into very close derhii AID
quoted voluninous figures to show that tho Read
ing railroad and the Reading Coal and Iron Com
pany was taxing the people to make small
part of the great coal field owned by it pay the
interest on the money extravagantly paid for It,
and all it's losses IN addition. The witness said
that he had thoroughly investigated thestate-
ment made by Mr. Corbin, that the Reading
Coal and Iron Company had mined 81 900 900
tons of coal from 1876 to 1888 at loss of over
$12, 000, 000 having paid $o7. 000 900 to the min
and receiving but $44 800, 900 for their out
put The witness quoted figures by years from
1876 to 1888. and said that the proceeds for that
books, $780, 624 O00 and thus the company
had really received $29, 0O0 600 more than it had
paid out.
III. /. Bennett. one of the leading Knights of
Labor, was then put the stand, and testified
to the facts in connection with the strike. In
reply to questions to the rit ut of labor to
dictate terms to capital. the witn-ss said that,
resem bling Providence in creating property,
labor has right to control and manage it. The
witness charged the company with bad
faith and with neglectine to send the
kilograms Of the committee the lead
srs throughout the mining regions. after
arbitration bad been agreed to, ordering the
men back work. and said that on account of
this act of bad faith the miners not in
formed of the order and did not return to work
For this reason the strike was ordered again.
The witness then proceeded to give his version
of the interview between Lee and Sweigard.
He was not present himself. but when he
out Lee told him that Sweigard had attempted
to bribe him, and, failing to do this, had dis
charged him. AT the conclusion of this wit
ness's testimony the committee adjourned to
meet in Pottsville on Monday.
Union Men Appeal to Political Influence
LOUISVILLE, KY. Feb. 18.-FIve members of
the Democratic executive committee for this, the
Fifth congressional district, met last night for
the pupose of receiving representatives of the
different labor organizations who wished the
committee to attempt a settlement of the
trouble they imagine to be existing between the
Courier Journal and Times and the members of
Typo raphical Union No. TO- Thirty-two dele
gates. representing thirty-two labor unions in
this city, were present One of the labor
speakers said:
1.-THE Courier-Journal is the organ Of the
Democratic party and that orga nization threat
ems our existence and yours. W are here not
partisans in politics, but representatives of
workingmen. asking you of the Democratic COM
v.
settle this trouble The same steps have been
taken in the East with the Republican party
the city and county and State committees of
New York being ask to restore union printers
to their cases on the New York
Tribune. They refused to interfere, and
the Republican party, victorious heretofore.
conclusion. The Republican national executive
committee succeeded in settling the labor
troubles the New York Tribune. Next fall
with everything union in the Republican party
it is easy to see that the same condition should
exist in the Democratic ranks if that party
wishes to have an equal advantage in obtaining
the votes of the workingmen."
At the conclusion of the speeches. the follow
ing resolutions were presented to the committees
Whereas, The Courier-Journal and Times, of this
city the recognized organs of the Democratic par
Whereas, The publishers of these papers have ig-
nored excluded from their employ and refused to
supplanted them with imported rat labor; there
fore
induce the publishers of these papers to recognize
and reemploy honest organized home labor; and If
and publicly declare the said ssrat naners, as NO
longer organs of your party.
Chairman SherIey said that the Couri or Jour-
nal and Times had never been. by resolution of
convention, or otherwise. declared the official
organs of the party. Newspapers were free
and he said they were oil ''out for the stuff"
So far going, in the interests of the party to
the newspaper publishers. he certainly thought
the committee would do that. but the committee
might fail in its purpose. and he wanted to
know, in that event. what would be the position
of the laboring9 men toward the Democratic
party. The answer that If the committee
refused to interfere in the matter, or failed in
its mission, the troubles would be laid before
the State central, committee, and in turn before
the National Democratic committee.
The Interstate Federation of Miners.
Special o the indianapolis journal
BRAZIL, Ind. Feb. i8-From the fact that
Il