The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1888-01-23
BUSINESS MEN AROUSED.
Indignation Meetings Protesting
Against the Strike in Pennsylvania.
President corbIn Answers the De-
monstratIon with Statement,
JustifyIng the Course of the Reading
Company to Their Employees.

long statement in regard to the strike of the
railroad hands and miners. He speaks of the
refusal of certain employees at Port Rich
mond, in December, to handle freight which
arrived for the Philadelphia Grain Elevator
Company, the only reason given being that
the elevator company did not employ
Knights. The railroad hands were dis
charged, and five other crews, who declined
to touch the obnoxious freight, also lost
their places. Then the leaders Of the
Knights ordered all the railroad employees
to strike, and remain out till the discharged
men were reinstated. The company refused
to take back. the original delinquents, and
proceeded to fill up ali the places of the
stikers. The statement recites that the men
who struck never complained Of overwork,
unfair wages or unkind treatment, and the
company never inquired whether their en-
ployes were union or non- union men, faith
full service alone being the condition Of en-
ployment. In the place of the $500 or more
men who voluntarily quit work, other COM
petent men had been employed, and they
will be retained as long as they perform
their duties faithfully. "The trouble on the
"and will never be opened up again."
Ofthe miners difficulty President Corbin
says the coal and iron company has lived up
to its agreement to advance the wages of the
miners eight per cent for four months, be-
ginning September /, 1887, the advance paid
amounting to S241, ,SO6. The agreement pro-
vided that after January /, 1888, the company
should return to a $3.50 basis or, If all the
coal mining companies had meanwhile set
tied upon some advance, the Reading Com
pany should adopt that basis. The miners
broke their part of the agreement by stop,
ping work January /. II am Informed,
saws Mr.. Corbin, "that they did this first be-
cause we would not reinstate the men dis
charged on the railroad and second, because
we would not continue the eight per cent
advance. On no basis of wages would they
have been willing to return to work unless
we first reinstated the railroad men or arbl-
trated that question. As have stated, that
question is ended. No matter in connection
with that strike will ever be submitted to
arbitration. As to the question OF wages to
miners, we have always paid and are always
willing to pay, as high wages as any large
company in competition with this one The
Reading company cannot afford to paw more
Tor the mining of coal than its competitors.
We regret exceedingly that this action on the
part of the employees OF our road, as well as
the action of the miners, promises to bring
such disastrous results to those portions OF
Reading collieries, but there is no alterna-
tive for the company that l can see except to
insist upon its first right to manage its own
property, and the second right to employ
labor in mining coal so 1t will have at least
an equal chance with its neighb0r in every
competitive market. The $3.50 basis estab-
lished by this company in 1875 is liberal for
the miners. They receive as much as the
miners in other localities. In the Wyoming
district the miners are paid certain agreed
90 fhA VaHfA Of annl
while our miners share in the increased
price beyond the $3.50 basis. Every miner
of our coal knows, under that basis, with
the prices that prevailed during January,
that those in the Schuylkill Valley would
have received wages very considerably In
excess of the wages paid elsewhere. Even at
a lower price for coal than obtained during
this month, wages would still have been in
excess Of those paid in other localities. For
twelve years, commencing January j, 1876,
and ending January 1, 1886, the company has
mined 81, 100000 tons of coal and paid for 1t
to the miners $57, 10000, while the company
received as the net proceeds only $44, $40, 900,
making the actual loss in mining S12, 900.
During all these years, the stockholders OF
the railroad which transported the coal, who
have upwards Of $40,000,000 ia stock, have
not received a cent in dividends, and have
just been called upon, with a portion of the
junior securities, to pay IN assessments OF
So, 100000 fresh money to make good the
losses of the companies. In view of these
results, it is not time now, according to my
judgment, to undertake the payment of
more money for this class of labor than is
paid by other competitive companies"
Indignant Citizens.
PHILADELPHIA, Jan. 21.-That the bust
ness as well as the labor people of Phlladel-
phia are aroused to high point of indigna-
ton over the Reading strike is stating the
matter very mildly. In many quarters it is
openly asserted that President Corbin and
such officials of the Reading road as are
for the continuation Of the
strike, and its consequent paralysis of the
interests of this country,
cannot be too severely condemned. The min
ers and railroad men in this city are closely
affiliated. They are working together with
the utmost confidence in each others firm
ness.
But small number of the great army of
&C. 900 or more men involved in the strike are
located in this city. The 200 strikers here,
principally railroad men, are firm, in spite OF
reported defectons But while the miners
are bestirring themselves to prolong the
strike until such time as they shall be sue
cessful, and the Reading officials are de-
termined not to surrender, the citizens of
Philadelphia are making every effort to
bring about a settlement of the trouble.
Very few people, except those directly inter
ested in some of the large corporations, can
be found to condemn the position of the
miners and railroaders, who, they assert,
have never been paid adequate wages for
their arduous labor. Indignation meetings
of citizens are to be called throughout the
section of the State directly affected by the
strike.
Tonight the second in series of public
indignation meetings was held in Industrial
Art Hall, where $500 met to extend encour-
agement to the strikers. Mr.. Joseph Cahill
presided. In brief speech he introduced
Frederick Herwig. In opening his speech,
Mr.. Herwig made reference to the financial
and legislative transactions of the Philadel-
phia d Reading Railroad under President
GOwen's management. A lucid statement
was made of the law bearing upon the legal
existence of this company. Fraud and double
dealing of the basest kind were attributed TO
the company to gain its present vast legal
powers. The speaker then alluded to the
constant increase which bad taken place In
the cost Of coal to the consumer since the
had gained power in the anthra-
cite coal regions. The reason why the cost
of coal had been raised and the company had
failed was not of an Increase in the cost OF
mining and transportation, but OF the fraud
ulent business methods used by Pres
ident Gowan, which swelled beyond all
warrant tie interest bearing debt of the cor
poration. $50 unscrupulous were many OF
these transactions" said the speaker, that
| can prove that perjury was committed by
Reading officials"
Mr.. Hughes stated that while the property
of this corporation was worth $78,000,000, it
had fleeced the people of this country in the
past 15 wears to the extent of $3.50, 600
The attempt of the people to bring this
company into the court to answer for its
trickery and open-handed fleeing of the
public. was highly commended by the
speaker. who claimed that this should have
been done years ago. The fact Of the tran
sactions of the company being brought up
in Congress was, in itself, good omen, but
when an attorney of the corporation was put
by the speaker of the House upon the COM
mittee, It was time to protest against the
men sent by the people to represent them In
Congress. The company wss accused of be-
ing in a conspiracy not only 70 delraud the
public in general, but ESPECIALLY TO reduce
the wages of the thousands OF men In its
employ.
PorrsvILLE, Pa, Jan. 21.-The joint COM
mittee of the Miners Amalgamated Assoei-
alton and Knights of Labor met in this city
today. the session continuing throughout the
entire day. OF course, the meeting was Sc
cret, but it was understood that its delibera-
tions were in relation to the vexed question