St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-02-16
The Reading Magnate Exam
ined by the Congressional
Committee.
A Very Belligerent Attitude
Assumed by the Doughty
President.
q No Coal Will Fe Mined Unless
on the Terms of the
Company.
He Says it Is Bad Policy for
the Company to Be in the
Business.

srcsSiOnal committee appointed to in
Ne>tigate the Reading strike met in this
city this morning and examined Austin
Corbin. Mr.. Corbin said that the capt.
taiization stock of the system was S40,-
GU0,0O0. He was president of the Read
ing railroad, but not OF the Reading
Coal and Iron company. Mr.. Corbin adj
mitted that the Reading road was en-
gagged in Interstate commerce and that
tie Reading Railroad company owned
all the stock of the Reading Coal and
Iron company. He gave the history of
the present strike, and explained at
length reasons for the statement that
the whole trouble arose from the refusal
al the Knights of Labor to handle
freight sent to the Reading system from
mines where there was strike in prog
reSS 1.-THE Lehigh regiOn), and in which
strike their organization was engaged,
or 10 move goods which came from firms
which employed ''Scab" or nOn-union
labor. Mr.. COrbin explained that the
company was bound rs common car
rier To accept and move all freight of
fered to il for transportation and could
not keep men i'll its employ who refused
10 move such freight. In speaking of
the strikers who refused TO come back
when they were given aa opportunity
ON Tuesday. Dec. -. after the knights
had ordered them out, Mr.. Corbin said:
''In this way there were about 2,6OOm men
laid off the rolls and
NONE SHALL COME BACK
while am president of the road Mr..
Corhin read long statement showing
the nature of coal mining operations to
prove that coal was really a manufac-
tured product, and thu expenses attend
ing its production were very much i'll
creased because of the use of valuable
machinery, the waste and other incl
dents of the work of preparing it for
shipment. He quoted figures to show
that the Reading Coal and Iron COM
pany has only received since 1881, on an
average. % cents ton for its coal, and
said that the capital stock OF the Read
ing Coal and Iron company, which was
full paid, was SS,000,000. and that it had
mortgage debt of $4,000, 900, or more,
which was given for purchase money
and improvements. In answer to the
question, was there not an agreement
with the men that no one should be dis
charged unless the matter was sub
United TO arbitration, or their case could
be heard, Mr.. COrbin said be believed
that there was some sort of agreement
to this effect, but it was never intended
10 cover such case as the refusal of the
men to handle goods, which the COM
pany was bound to take az 4 common
carrier. merely because the maker of
the goods was
OBJECTIONABLE TO THE KNIGHTS.
As well might it be said that such an
agreement would prevent the immediate
discharge of an emplOye who should
burn an engine or purpoSely wreck
train. The agreement referred to such
matters as could in reason be the sub
ject of arbitration. His attention was
called to the statement that Supt. Swell
gard had agreed to take the men back
and submit the question to arbitration.
He said that he did not believe it, There
never was any intention to arbitrate this
matter on his part. He had been
thwarted and Annoyed by these men for
months. and under the circumstances
had considered it his duty to take
the matter in his own hands. He
then proceeded with the ques-
ton of the strike of the miners
which followed and which, he claimed,
was caused by the sympathy of the lat
ter with the railroad employees. The
miners. he said, had no reason or any
disposition to complain, and would not
have gone on the strike but for the
pressure of the Knights of Labor upon
them from Philadelphia. He explained
the cOntractunder which miners wages
are paid by the Reading Coal & Iron
company upon sliding scale, the basis
of which is coal ct $3.50 at Schylkill
Haven. He said that i'll September
contract was made with the miners that
for four months there should be an adj
vance of 8 per cent upon this rate, if
the strike in the Lehigh region CON
tinued so long, but if that strike ended
in the meantime the old rates would be
resumed. On January 1, 1888, this
agreement was to terminate and work
was to go on under the old sliding scale
basis. He denied, in answer to Ques-
tons that there had been any
PRIVATE AGREEMENT
with the miners which was not in their
written contract, to the effect that if
the Lehigh strike went on the s per cent
advance would be paid. The company
had refused to pay this advance after
Jan. l, and the miners had refused to
work. In concluding this part of his
statement Mr.. COrbin said: I'VE are
and have been willing to take up the
question of readjustment of wages if
the men Will return to work, but we will
not treat with them while they are out.
We will make basis as high as anv
other company, but we cannot make it
higher and compete with them. And
another thing, we can fill the places of
the striking miners in ten days If the
new men can be protected. Up in the
mining districts big men with clubs and
pistols are keeping, not only
other men, but boys who desire TO
earn living and keep from stary-
wing. away from the mines and the
breakers. We have been compelled to
protect the 5000 men now at work bv
police and constableS under county of
ticers, the expenses of which we will be
compelled to pay. We do not care
whether the men belong to labor organ
lzatiOns or not. WewilI not seek to find
them out, but we will put to work all
miners who apply at our collierieS and
ask no questions, but if there is no more
coal mined from the Schuylkill region
until we are compelled to mine it by dis
charging men who have come to us in
our trouble and stood by us, to make
way for the strikers,
NONE WILL EVER BE MINED
while / have influence enough to nra-
vent it," The witness pronounced the
stories of a combination of the coal COM
panieS all over the coal country to keen
up prices pure romance. There was
absolutely no agreement or concert of
oW0a. AiSAS Woo q uodtu W IuTnlSl
statistics of the output each year and
estimates for the next year. That was
absolutely all. In another branch of
the inquiry Mr.. Corbin was asked:
''How about the claim that the rail-
road company has made money at the
expense of the consumer and of the
miners and laborers?"
He replied: ''The best answer can
make to that is that the Reading Rail-
road company, with paid-up capital of
S40,000,00O, has been twice bankrupt