The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1888-02-20

denounced The joint committee was in session
all day. and the members admit that the action
| OF Lewis net approved Tomorrow Will be
busy day all along the strike line Meetings
will be held in all sections, and the maicontents
Will make desperate efforts to baik the action
OF Master Workman Lewis.
President Corbin sent to-day to this city q
personal donati OF $50, 00c to be distributed
among the miners for the relief of their families.
The miners of the Mount Carmel district have
repudiated the action OF Master Workman
Lewis, and resolved not to return to work until
notified to do SO By the joint demand committee.
The Reading Investigation.
PHILADELPHIA. Feb. 1S-The congressional
INVESTIGATION committee resumed its inquiry into
the Reading railroad strike this morning. the
first witness being General Superintendent Swell
gard. of the Reading Railroad Company. who was
recalled to enable him TO put in evidence the
of the railroad company, and the voucher show
that Lee, OF the leaders of the
labor organization. had been in the pay
of the company while he was at Pottsvil lie
at the outbreak of the trouble. Mr.. Sweigard
read the clause of the agreement which guaran-
teed to the men an investigation. The men had
claimed that they had been guaranteed fair
trial Def ore discharge for any cause. The clause
of the agreement which was read was that every
man should receive fair trial in case of aav
accident that might have occurred thoughr
carelessness. The Lee voucher was for special
services rendered during October. at Pottsvile,
and the pay was at the rate of So so day.
Upon the conclusion or this witness S testimony
John Norris. ono of the editors of the Philadel
phia Record. who had been the statistician of
the Pacific railroad investigating committee,
was called. The witness quoted figures to show
that coal could be bought at Port Richmond for
So cen is less ton if wanted for shipment to
Boston or. New York than was
i the trs coal
Mr.. Morris said that last year th Reading
Railroad Company had earned Is per cent.
the cost OF it's road, and was one of the most
profitable roads in the country. Its losses came
from the necessity of paying interest on it's
enormous debt. which was the result Of the pol
ley of combining the business OF a carrier with
that Of a 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 had
paid out drawbacks. It had been investigated
by the Legislature, and constitutional amend
ment adopted to stop it's 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 an agreement
to prevent competition He believed from what
he had heard, that the Reading had agreed to
increase this allotment to 100000 tons during
the 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 mp
usual, and no good to the people had resulted.
Mr. Norris entered into very close detail and
ing railroad aud the Reading Coal and Iron Com
paDy 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 its losses IN addition. The witness said
that he had thorourhly Investigated the state
ment made by Mr.. Corbin, that the Reading
Coal and Iron Company had mined 81, 200
of coal from 1876 to 1883 at a loss of over
$l2, 900, 900, having pad $57. 600 900 to the min
ers 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
period had been, shown by the company's
own books, $50. 624. 900. and thus the company
had really received $29 000. 900 more than it had
paid out.
FL. 1. Bennett. one of the leading knights of
Labor was then put the stand, and testified
reply to questions to the right OF labor to
dictate terms to capital. the witness 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 neglecting to send the
kilograms Of the committee TO the lead
ers throughout the mining regions, after
arbitration had been agreed to, ordering the
men back to work and said that on account of
this act of bad faith the miners not in
formed of shs order and did not return to work.
For this reason the strike was ordered on again.
The witness then proceeded to give his version
of the interview between Lee and Sweigard.
sHs was not present himself but when he came
1oaS Leo told sim that Sweigard had attempted
to bride 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.