The Ottawa free trader., 1888-01-21

involving tens of thousands of workers in no
way connected with the original movement.
The dispute has two phases: The Philadelphia
and Reading Railroad company, its line run.
ming up the Schuylkill from the former city
to the latter, and sending branches through
all that section of the anthracite coal belt, is
a very prosperous corporation, Of which Mr..
Austin Corbin is president. Its gross earn
ings in 1887 were $2l, ,762 929, an increase over
1886 of 81, ,9l0, PA, the clear profit over all
expenses being reported at $2,203, ,056. But
connected with it-indeed part Of the same
corporation--is the Reading Coal and Iron
company, which had gross earnings last year
Of Sl9, Az, ,s07, and a clear profit, as reported
son change" Of $654,2l0. But in 1886 it is
claimed there was a clear loss Of 81, l3l, ,737.
1t is obvious that the managers would seek
readjustment of the relations Of the two;
but it is needless to detail the movements, ex-
cept to state that the usual course was
adopted-to reduce wages.
In the summer of 1887 the average earn
ings of miner in the Schuylkill valley were
S3 per day. The company then agreed to
give an s per cent. advance, and in addition
per cent for each advance Of 3 cents per
ton in the price of coal at Schuylkill Haven
over the $3.50 standard. AS coal has lately
been 81 Sc or more at that point, the miner
who earned 81 day in August would now
be earning, say, S240 per day if the rate was
maintained. But the company claims the ex-
piration Cf that agreement, and so there is
margin Of thirty or forty cents day for the
average miner between the conflicting claims.
The company asserts that it contracted
specifically with the men for the limited
time and stood the loss, and that the men now
violate the agreement and refuse to take their
share of the reduction. OF course, the miners
understood the agreement differently and so
10000 men quit work at the instance of John
r. Lee, chairman of the Reading employees,
the railroad being also involved. Mr.. Cor
bin was able to Supply the place of the strik-
ers on the railroad ficiently to keep up
semblance Of traffic; but he made no serious
attempt to do so in the mines. The coal ship
ments rapidly declined, and one by one the
manufactures in all that region began clos
ing for want Of fuel; each stoppage cut off an
increasing number of closely related indus
tries, and so at least &C, 900 workers soon be-
came idle and stagnation set in through all
the region
All the usual phenomena of strikes have
been noted; the men who took the strikers
places on the trains were boycotted and they
were turned out Of hotels and boarding
houses; the Knights Of Labor began at once
organizing all the connected industries to re-
sist any undue pressure on the miners; the
usual brood Of Pinkerton's men and detec-
tives were put on at once; the usual expires
sions Of hatred and defiance and the usual
contributions from workingmen elsewhere
were also soon the order Of the day Cor
bins attitude has been that there is nothing
to compromise-only an agreement to carry
out. The business men Of Reading and many
in Philadelphia early in the fight appealed
to him to arbitrate, and suggested Mr..
George w. Childs, Of The Philadelphia
Ledger, as referee but Mr.. Corbin refused.
1t seems but yesterday that politicians
'pointed with pride" to the fact that there