Morning journal and courier., 1888-02-02

HoUSE-The House proceeded, in ac- cordance with previous order, to the con- sideration of the report of the committee on commerce relative to the proposed investiga- tion of the Reading strike. MT. Cla=dy of
 Missouri, chairman of the committee on com
 merce, said that after 8 careful examination of the matter the ajority of the committee
 had been satisfied that the original resolu-
 ton offered by MT. Anderson, of Kansas, for a congressional inquiry ought not to be adopted. He briefly sketehed the origin of the railroad strike and the subsequent strike by the employees of the Philadelphia and Reading Coal and Iron company, whose stock, he said, was held mainly by the stock holders of the Reading company. There had been no testimony before the committee showing that interstate traffic had been in- terfered with on the Reading road week or an hour with the exception of brief inter ruption at Port Richmond on account of the refusal of the men to obey the lawful orders of the superintendent
 On the contrary he thought it appeared af-
 irmatively that there had been no sort of interference with or Interruption of inter State commerce. It has been stated that the Reading company in making allotments of
 cars to mining companies discriminated in
 favor of some companies and against others.
 This was matter which was within the jur-
 isdiction of the interstate commerce com
 mission. Any person who was aggrieved
 could secure an audience byfknoeking at the
 door of that commission. It was also stated
 that the Reading company and the Philadel-
 phia Coal and Iron company were practically one and the same in violation of the consti-
 tuition of Pennsylvania. If this were true the remedy was to be found in the State courts of Pennsylvania.
 MT. Rayner, of Maryland, did not believe
 in half way measures on this subject. When monopolies combined to drive the ranks of labor to the starvation point the labor had
 rs<. to combine and strike for living wages. He said this not in the spirit of deunagegueism for he had neither the arts nor aspirations of demagogue, but because he believed 1t to be the living truth (applause). He was the mortal foe of violence in all its forms, but he power by every peaceful means to assert and vindicate it's rights. The Reading road had broken and violated a solemn compact it had made with it's employees and now it com handed them to surrender under threat of proclaiming to the American people that this great tributary of commerce. should be closed and that not ton of traffic should be freighted over it's road. Should this be done? He for one said never. Congress had the power beyond that which belonged to the interstate commerce commission to bring this great monopoly to bay. The
 Reading .o! company had incorporated 8 Philadelphia 6 Reading Coal and Iron company, offered by the same officers, con- trolled by the same agents as the Reading Railroad company, and under the mask of this legal fiction the railroad company was now breaking the constitutional provision of the State that chartered and created it. Mir. Grosvenor, of Ohio, inquired why if the railroad company was chartered under the laws of Pennsylvania and had deviated from the business authorized by it's charter proceedings in the nature of quo warranto could not be instituted against it in the State courts.
 MT. Rayner (sarcastically) courts of Pennsylvania are in the habit of granting writs of quo warranto. He quoted from the argument made by Mir. Gowan, counsel for the Reading railroad, before the Supreme court in the case of of the State of Pennsyl- vania against the Reading Railroad company | in which he took the ground that the State had no right to tax it's freight and that Con- ! gress alone could regulate it's commerce. | Now, said MT. Rayner, when Congress was ! seeking to investigate it's traffic the company said that Congress had not that power be- | cause it was a State corporation. MT. O'Neill of Pennsylvania-Does the gen | tleman know that any of these corporations are seeking to prevent this investigation2 MT. Rayner-Yes, sir. We have the evil dence here of eighty-two thousand starving | men turned out in the dead of winter with | their dependent families. (Applause)
 MT. O'Neill--I did not ask as te that I asked whether you knew that the Reading Railroad company and the Philadelphia Coal \ and Iron company are seeking to prevent
 this investigation. I say for one they are | not.
 Mir. Reyner-Then why not allsw the in vestigationa Why not adopt the resolution? Mir. O,Neill-We will adopt it (applause.
 Mir. Rayner If you will adopt it am done ! loud and long continued calls of ssvote, ' | vote.'9
 Mir. Rayner-I wish to add but word This reference to the interstate commerce commission amounts to nothing You might l as well refer it to the Chinese embassy or tc the public printer You will get it back just as soon loud laughter and applause]. What