Morning journal and courier., 1888-02-18
THE READING STRIKE OFF.

on account Of severe cold.
 THE READING STRIKE OFF. An Agreement That the Men Will Go to Work and the Dispute Re Submit ted to Arbitration.
 PHILADELPHIA, Feb. 17.-The following letters have been exchanged between MT. Corbin and MT. Lewis, national master work man of the Miners District assembly:
 PHILADELPHIA, Feb. 16. Austin Corbin, Esq, president Philadelphia and Reading Railroad Co.,:
 SIR-Being desirous to bring the strike in the mining region of the Reading Coal and and Iron company to close in order to get the working people in and about those mines to work and speaking for those workingmen propose to order a resumption of work at once upon your assurance that can promise the men that after they have gone to work and the mining operations are in regular progress the subject of wages will be con- sidered in conference between the company and it's employees or their representa- and upon further assurance that no one shall be discriminated against by reason of his connection with the strike. Yours, etc,
 w. T. LEWIS.
 PHILADELPHIA, Feb. F. Mr. W. T. Lewis:
 My Dear Sir-I am in receipt of your favor of this date. I have consulted with MT. Keim, the president of the Coal and Iron company, in relation to it's contents and am authorized by him to say that it is substan tially in accord with our position and such action would be satisfactory to us. No one will be discriminated against because of his connection with the strike, so that it is not understood as protecting such men as have made or attempted to make personal assaults upon the men remaining at work, and pro- vided further that in any conference over A-z 1I higher rate of wages for mining than those paid by the other coal producing companies in competition with us, namely the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western, the Delaware and Hudson, the Lehigh Valley, the Lehigh Coal and Navigation company and the Lehigh and Wilkesbarre company, but with the under standing that we are willing to adopt basis that shall give our miners as much as is paid by either of those companies. It is under stood that the wages to be paid on returning to work will be on the old $2. 50 basis and will remain under that basis until 8 change shall be mutually agreed upon.
 Yours truly,
 AUSTIN CoRB1N It is learned upon unquesti0nable authority tween Master Workman Lewis and President Corbin this afternoon which provides that the Schuylkil1 miners shall return to work by Monday. The only condition named is that MT. Lewis shall submit it to the joint executive board of the Miners and Laborers' Amalgamated association and the Knights of Labor for approval before it shall become operative.
 Terrible Suffering Among the Miners. SHENANDOAH, Pa, Feb. 17.-The destitu- tion among the families of the miners that is being developed is terrible. One family named Fogel was found to-day to have actu- ally been without food for two days and the children were so weak from fasting that when relief came it had to be sparingly giv- en to avoid killing them. There were nine in the family. Another family of six named Burns was in the the same state and one named Johnson was almost bad. They are but instances that have many parallels among the laborint employees. The relief committee of the strikers has not the means to aid them and it seems impossible that un- der such circumstances they can long remain idle. Seven hundred dollars is all the mon- ey given out here yet, but one thousand dol lars more is looked for this week. It has been established that most of the contribu- tions intended for the miners has been ab- sorbed by the railroads who have been living in clover while their allies starve.
 The aEen Ordered Back to Work. PoTTsvILLE, Feb. 1.-The following was signed at 11:30 tonight and at once given out to the representatives of the press: To the employees of the Philadelphia and Reading Yon are ad hereby nofed to resume work Monday rn.rnng February, 20, per letter of Austin Cor bin Esd of the J7th, which is accepted the basis of settlement The above does not include any company but the Philadelphia and Reading Coal and Iron Company, as they are the only ones to agree to these terms of settlement Hence we would urge upon the miners of the Lehigh region including the Panther Creek yalleythe necessity of maintaining hrm stand until those companies are willing to submit the questions involved to conference with the assurance that no victimizing will take place after starting the mines Workingmen everywhere, we appeal you to redoube your efforts in behalf of our Lehigh brothers. Send aid for that region to D. M. Evans, Freeland, Pa., or John Meighan, Free land, Pa.
 (Signed)
 W. T. LEWIS,
 Master Wokman, D. A. 135.
 JOHN H. DAVIS,
 Chairman Joint Executive Committee.
 RICHARD THOMPSON,
 M. w., D. A. No 12
 ISAAC RENNE,
 NJ. w., D. A. No. A.