Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1888-02-13
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AND STILL THEY QUIBBLE.
PRESIDENT coRBlNs REPLY TO THE
EXECUTIVE BOARD.

He Says no DifhcuIty EXISTS Between
tho Company and It's Employees, and
that there Is Nothing to Investigate
Keim's Position.
PHILADELPHIA, Feb. 11.-The Record
says: The request which the general
executive board of the knights of Labor
sent to President Corbin, asking for a
conference to settle, IL possible, the
troubles between the Reading company
and the employees, has met with a fiat re-
fusal. Although Secretary Hays letter
bears date OF Feb. Z, it was not sent to
President Corbin until two days later.
The letters are:
"Philadelphia, Feb. 2, 1887. = Mr..
Austin Corbin, President, Philadelphia.
Dear Sir: VIII you kindly say whether
or not you will meet a committee of the
general executive board of the K. OF T..
for he purpose of investigating, and, if
possible, settling the trouble existing be-
tween the Philadelphia u Reading Rail-
road company and the Philadelphia s.
Reading Coal 81 Iron company and their
employees. / remain sir, very respect
fully, JOHN w. HAYS,
stSec. General Executive Board.n
To this the following was returned:
"~Philadelphia, Feb. 9.-Mr. John w.
Hayes. Dear Sir: Your favor of the 7th
inst. was not handed to me until BALI
past 10 this morning. In reply / beg to
say know of no trouble existing be-
tween the Philadelphia & Reading COM
pany and It's employees, and consequently
there is nothing that can be made the
subject Of investigation and discussion.
You speak also of the troubles between
the Philadelphia g. Reading Coal and
Iron company, and its employees. In re-
lation to such matters you should prop
erly address Mr.. Keim, the president Of
that company, but to save you the
trouble of writing another letter / nave
handed him your communication to me,
with a request that he respond to 1T.
Il am very respectfully yours,
''AusTIN CoRBN.n
The letter sent by President Keim to
Secretary Hays, was as follows.
philadelphia, Feb. 9.-Mr. John w.
Hayes, Philadelphia, Pa. Dear Sir: The
president OF the Philadelphia & Reading
Railroad company has handed me your
letter to him Of the 7th inst, with the
request that I reply to that portion of it
relating to the troubles existing between
the Philadelphia 81 Reading Coal and
Iron company and the miners. I assume
that you are familiar with tho contract
made between this company and its
m.-c-se last Septemk ~ In violation of
it's t.fEis nearly all OF the employees OF
the company left our service on the first
day OF January last, and a large number
have not returned. There are at present
working for the company, at the mines,
about three thousand mon, and there
would be q much larger number at work
II the men were left to exercise their own
1ld and were net deferred by
threats OF personal violences. We are
willing to discuss the question Of wages
with any person representing the men
actually in the service of the
As we have stated heretofore, If the men
had continued at work under that con-
trsct aftar the first day of January, and
had any time thereafter desired q confsr-
ence in relation to matter OF wages, the
Officers OF the company would have met
them or their representatives on the sub
ject. When the miners return to work.
IL q conference on the question of wages
should be desired on their part, we shall
be ready to confer with them, with the
understanding that. no basis different
from the one already in existence will be
established that will require this COM
pany to pay moTe for labor for the same
class OF work than is paid by its Compel
itors. Yours truly,
"GEoReE d. KEIM, P%residant.n
No official notice of the replies will be
taken by the board until it reconvenes on
Monday next, when a final reply will
probably be drafted that will clearly cut
line the boards position.