Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1888-02-17
THE GREAT STRIKE.
The CONGRESSIONAL INVESTIGATION
IL PHILADELPHIA.
General-Nanager Whiting on tho Stand
Consumers Rot considerei-Large-
salaried officers

as the irit witness a. Is. Whiting. gen
eral manager OF the Reading Coal and
Iron Company. His testimony covered
much OF the same ground traVersed by
President Corbin Yesterday
The witness did not object 20 labor
organizations and in answer to qucs-
tons from Mr.. Anderson, admitted that
organized capital had the advantage OF
the labor winch IL employed. and that
sach labor was within It's proper rights
IN organizing 70 strengthen itself. he
defined a strike as "a refusal OF ncn to
work, and lockout az ga refusal to
let men work." tie said that on the
Reading system, until nov. there had
been no strike since the adoption OF
the sliding scale Of wages, which had
been discussed, and he had never known
Of lockout IN the mining region.
The committee wanted to know if the
coal company did. when the supply was
large and prices lcw. in various ways de-
pryc Che miners OF an opportunity TO
work, and he admitted that in some cases
which he referred 20 and explained that
it amounted 10 that. He did not think
that the railroad company had ever re-
fused 10 shin the coal of individual ope-
..''9i7 " %" "'io pay M Dtv men ''Ni','
VII '''l '-o oo1I anu ~ iiou ''''' .'.if.
o. ~ ,i'''', '' 80 ~ ',I''
o o' u .' 80 W. '''0 ''''"'''' ''''''''' "''
o
.T ~ 'l'
"Bccause we desire and expect ourold
'''' q. ~ ~ , ,'ni. o....' FL" 4.-,,sso
al III r.4o. We
"Wbot forco do vo,, rol,ur,,, 70 hr;no
4,osc' mon L,.l- y g,
o5rlI 49,. t,I;. u,l...:4;.-r
tr1o~oon ort.4 - 49,. el.rro
ion "
[V,hre,e. oTts oolv ,.....;., flat
oo,nnoI. o,,. 81 ~, - D, ,-''rl q,
WIN ocl,l vLotL.r a.. ouo,c.,,
systa'n was o5vortoaeors g. Tho co,o,,nv
y';tnoss soiJ "Yrso ami utnn frrtber
,r.ssod ~ lno.,y ,,},y - was hrol..p nm
he said that he did not know
80 I+o,. ON, cors,,,,,r- s., that o'lot
u.nf9"
mo v,i,,.ss. uOL ,rol;1 NOT o,,.
ei5or tbe consp,,l. n w,s WIS
..I,ont a. o,,,I,;n If o1,.,,,i,,,o - mn. -
Cheirman Tilmsn Gutorrupfirol
"N'oU Won dil uot consider r,n cou-
s,mer5 0fcour.o moi. but w4 do and We
rronoso If We can tn p,es fine ,v that
will nrotect the consumer whom won
doo't consider n ia the consumer
whom we rcrresont and W. rrono,. IN
zee ~ tbat "
U,tross admitted flat ol1 t,.o mines I'm
tLa ScI,nvlLil r.oiou evce,t tine Road
;,,,, nine are o,,a,, s,a ,,,v,r,, Tine = r,.,
.oa2t ad,,,,ca rLion t,e H.sdi,, ,.-
fnl's Int thcv ,yoro olIo f. do tlns onlv
bccausr tbe Eeod,no mines are rot IN
onerstion II fine READING men went tn
,,,.rl, tbo ,,r... of cooi which had ad-
- 81 60, T., pL3,l.T,1;. I'll
.3r~,, and ;r.i,,,dnal ooli;o,1ls ,roulJ h.
-, 'rl'l,'., ,,,,,.s OLE,
"a Nal 1od o,onor5l ,pon,oor ~ the
,.,;iroaj oor,rs1y and Gcnrgo DaR
f,o;,,, olso u,,nt cvor much ~ t.o Same
ne.' ,'o C,, ",'i Inv Cornin and Wbiting
irbo;r to.t,oonv dovolonod the fact tbat
+l r1 are aoo1 many wcll-naid oficioi+
connected With both conpinics but no
defails were oiveo tbc witnesses remoiu-
in a1o Tg'V vbs , orD.tdns coprcrnipo
tbeso salarics were asked. uhs failure
to Get at sncb information MS was sonpht
vlttrsJ Ch,irran T1lmon and he uro-
ns1Io5 - nronounl lono amos.
t,'n :, Eoim IN substance fms
H. u,ntod - know how IL wos tbat
~. p@.I;,,, Cool ond Tr,,, Co,,,spy
,'!o $50 ,'I' I;st &c fo4 and veii,,,,I
" a. ,-,',,;n,( rom 40 0oo nm Ind
IN IN. 80, ~, 49, 1I+ If ein 0Go dno ~.
49," on1 t,s ,.iIrood co,nnapv with
i ;,'' 'IILt ~ or.r eIo0 0n0 0gO and i+s fat
a ~, unu.no;d officers with oLliostions
go cav, 'n"ot inter.st coniun Jro and inst
~ ''l,' Ill., Tan3s of a. rscoi,o, can oflord
~ oIlnv 10 mines IN stand idle and sub.
NIT To- loss of half of IFS income and
NOVA vb;lo fine nubl,c il coupelled t1
nav, nav, e. IN IN e. 30 per ton for coal. when
il sbould be - less 10y the witnesses own
. q SvG,,,' "
Wi,rfss was silent. and Mr. Tillman
".V,Lora 10 Won oxnect to Get your
r,orov 60 NV vopr interest ON your
LonJ.2
Where do Won eynoct 10 oct vour
money! - keen Won ont of banlrupt.v
aoain?
20 :. T. seo,s 70 ma that Won are robbipc
A. .taoLhol5ors ~ yonr comnanv. and .
. .''I t,o nnhlic f. nav fat salaries TO
q go, ~ o9icrrs who snnear NOT 10 know
" ST. ,,;n, o' ahont tbe comraTes thew are
snGnosed 70 serve at all. The miners
, ,,,@ for thcir copl bnt the officers are
hid Inc salaries 10 know nothing, or
rcrv little. so far as this committee eau
fnj ont Now would like the witness
~ answer how such a state Of things can /
o 1v There j, said TO be honor among
thievcs How far this applied to the .
case Of these officers / don't know"
70 This avalanche Of intcrrogatories I
Mr. Keim made 10 reply until after a .
pause.
Judge Baker said: "Pcrhapa the queS-
tion is not explicit enough
ooh. YES, 70 said the witness. at is .
vary rynlicjt, and | understand It but /
went no further. lie was then asked /
chow the ompary expected with the loss /
of half its business TO pay its bonded IN /
tnreer ard keen out of the hands Of a re- /