The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1888-02-02
HOUSE.

Waite, president of the Woman's Ma
tional Relief Association, praying that
pensions be granted to those engaged in
the Life Saving Service. Referred
REPORTS FROM COMMITTEES.
Mr.. Burnes, of Missouri, from the
Committee on Appropriations, reported
the urgent deficiency bill and it was re-
ferred to the committee of the whole.
In consideration during the morning
hour the joint resolution was passed Tor
the printing of 1900 copies of the spe-
ciai report OF the chief of the Bureau of
Statistics, on wool and manufacturers
of wool.
THE READING STRIKE RESOLUTION.
The morning hour having expired, the
House proceeded, in accordance with
the previous order, to the consideration
of the report of the Committee on Com
merce relative to the proposed investiga-
tion of the Reading strike. Mr.. Clardy,
chairman of the Committee on Com
merce, said that after careful examina
ton of the matter the majority of the
committee had been satisfied that the
original resolution, offered by Mr.. An
derson, of Kansas, for Congressional in
quiry ought not to be adopted. He
briefly sketched the origin of the rail
road 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
stockholders of the Reading Company.
There had been no testimony before the
committee showing that the Interstate
traffic had been interfered with on the
Reading Road week or an hour, with
the exception of a brief interruption at
of the men to obey the lawful orders of
the superintendent. On the contrary,
ne thought, it appeared affirmatively
that there had been no sort of interfer-
ence with or interruption of Interstate
commerce. 1t had been stated that the
Reading Company, in making allotments
of cars to mining companies discrimi-
mated in favor of some companies and
against others. This was matter which
was entirely within the jurisdiction of
the Interstate Commerce Commission.
Any person who was aegrieved could Sc
cure an audience by knocking at the
door of that commission. 1t was also
stated that the Reading Company and
Philadelphia Coal and Iron Company
were practically one and the same in
violation of the constitution of Pennsyl-
vania. If this were true the remedy
was to be found in the State courts of
Pennsylvania.
Mr.. RAYNER ON THE SUBJECT.
Mr.. Rayner, of Maryland, did not be
lieve in halfway measures on this sub
ject. When monopolies combined to
drive the ranks of labor to the starva-
ton point that labor had an equal right,
by every natural law of justice, to COM
bine and strike for living wages. He
said this not in the spirit of demagog
ism, for he had neither the arts nor the
aspirations of demagogue, but because
he believed it to be living truth. APP
plausel. He was the mortal foe of
violence in all its forms, but he was the
friend of labor and of its power by every
peaceful means to assert and yindicate
its rights. The Reading Road had
broken and violated the solemn compact
it had made with Its employees and now
the threat of proclaiming to the Ameri-
can people that this great tributary of
| commerce should be closed and that not
ton of traffic should be freighted over
its road Should this be done? He, for
one, said never. Congress had the
| power to bring this great monopoly to
| bay.
Rayner said that this reference to the
Interstate Commerce Commission
amounts to nothing. You might as well
refer it to the Chinese embassy as to the
! Public Printer. You will get it back
| just as soon. Loud laughter and ap-
| plausel. What is the use of knocking
at the door of the Interstate Commerce
| Commission. 1t never takes up case
of its own motion. You do not direct it
TO do anything. You merely request it.
BY the time it investigates the question
the men will have all starved to DEATH
Let us track the subject TO the fountain
head and let us discover (as l believe we
wilD that this is a conspiracy of capital
and not of labor, and let us apply the
most heroic remedy legislation can de-
wise to break up these internal systems,
which, under the name of trusts are
shadowing the prosperous homes and
business centers of the country. | know
it is a hard fight | know that monopoly
INSCRIPTIONS as to the methods it EN-
ploys, is an enemy terrible to encounter
But, in my humble experience, I have
never yet seen the day in the halls OF
legislation when our honor, which ha:
no price, our manhood, which knows nc
fear, could not drive it like a skulking
coward from the field of battle. Zap
plause.
MR.. DAVIS OF MASSACHUSETTS.
Mr.. Davis, of Massachusetts, com
mented on the fact that the petition O
81. 900 miners was presented on the same
day that the report of the Committee OF
Commerce was presented. While he dlt
not charge that it had been suggested b.
, any member, it was a reasonable infer
, ence that it had been produced rathe
? by parliamentary than by bushes
; methods. He advocated the report 0
: the majority of the committee, believing
: that Congress was too political a bod.
e properly to investigate purely busines
5 matter, and because he did not believ
r that an investigation by Congressiona