The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1888-01-23
CORBIN AND THE STRIKERS
The President of the Reading Tells the
Corporations Side Of the Story.
The Railroad End Of the Strike Is Finished,
and Will Not Be Reopened-The Company's
Enormous Losses on Its Coal Business.

companies has made a long statement in regard
10 the recent troubles between the companies
and their employees. He says:
SIN December certain carloads of merchan-
disc arrived at Port Richmond, consigned to the
Philadelphia Grain Elevator Company The
employees of this company at Port Richmond in
charge of the switch engines refused to transfer
these cars to the elevator company. and gave as
Knights of Labor They were Immediately mott
fed that with such question this company had
nothing to DO; that we were com
and deliver freight to any person
or company that offered it to and paid for
Transportation. Notwithstanding this they still
refused TO make the transfer. and order was
issued by the general manager of this company
for their discharge from the service of the COM
pany Because of that action. the leaders of
the knights of Labor ordered all the employees
of the Philadelphia & Reading Railroad Company
on strike. They left the services of the COM
pany with notice to it that they would not re-
turn unless the men discharged were reinstated
10 this the management answered that the men
discharged for disobedience of orders would never
be relnstated, and this company proceeded to
hii the places left vacant The men who left the
service OF the company had never made any COM
plant that they were worked unreasonable
number of hours, that their wages not fair
wages for the work performed, that in any
single instance they had been treated other
wise than kindly by the management. Not
wlthstandinG this, and that under the terms of
their employment with the company they were
bound to render honest and faithful service,
complying with all reasonable orders it might
make in the regular transaction of its business,
they violated every obligation of this Character
and by their own act cancelled any obligation
there might have been on the part of the COM
pany to retain them in it's service. Over $500
men voluntarily left our service. Competent
men presented themselves for service with the
company. They were employed, and will be
retained SO long they perform their duties
faithfully. We have never made any objection
to labor ORGANIZATIONS So long as men perform
the duties they owe to this company properly
hall Sta md hx.fh ,o41, ~,
or non-union men. The trouble the railroad
is ended. and Will never be opened up again"
AS to the miners difficulty. he recounts the
contract made between them through q commit
tee and the superintendent of the coal and iron
company. An advance Of wages was granted for
four months. and the contract was made and re-
duced to writing. at the request of the miners
themselves. By this agreement the company
paid. in addition to the basis wages, the sum of
$242 600. Notwithstanding the terms of the
agreement the miners refused to continue at
work in the mines after the first day of Janu-
airy. they had promised to do They did this
would not a reinsta.e 'St the msn who
were discharged on the railroad: and, Sec
ood. because we would not continue
the per cent advance which we had, under this
agreement, paid for four months; and we are
Informed they would on no basis of wages have
been willing to return to work, unless we had
that question. That question is ended, and no
matter in connection with that strike will ever
be submitted to arbitration. AS to the question
of wages to De paid to miners, We have always
paid. and have always. been willing to pay.
high wages for mining coal any of the large
companies which are selling coal in the market
in competition with this one. Mr.. Corbin con-
cludes:
For reasons which every business man can
understand it would be impossible for us to main
tain even a solvent corporation, much less
turn anything to the shareholders, il
compelled TO pay for our product more money
than our neiehbors pay for theirs. We regret
on fha ri 0f he
employees of our road, well as the action of the
miners, promises to bring such disastrous re-
suits, but there IA alternative for this COM
pany that can see except to insist upon: First,
the right TO employ labor IN the mining of its
coal so that it will have at least equal chance
with its reighbors in every competitive market
For the twelve years commencing Jan.
this company has mined $1,000. 900
tons of coal; paid for it to its miners $57 no.
600; and has received, as the net proceeds tor
the coal so mined. only $44, $40, 900. making an
actual loss, in the mining of its COAL of $12, 27O,
600 during that period. In other words we
have distributed throughout the country 81. 70O-
900 tons of COAL the miners have received every
dollar of net money we obtained for it, and
lost in the operation S12, 30, 900 besides; and
during all these twelve years the stock holders
of the railroad company which transported this
COAL who have paid up $40. 600, 900 OF money for
their stock. have not received one osat by way
of dividends and they have just hSen called
upon, with portion of the junior seourities, to
pay in, by way of assessments, ST. 900 of
companies.
The Strike in the Courier-JournaI Office.
LOUISVILLE, Jan 22-The Courier-Journal
this morning has column editorial concerning
the printers strike, which took place week :
from last Thursday. Neither the Courier nor
the Evening Times have missed single edition
since the inauguration Of the strike and boycott
The editorial is headed ''The Contest Ended"
nd The al
is back again to its old standard, triple num-
Der of twenty pages. The inconveniences oc-
casioned by the strike have passed away. OBJ
stacles that may seem insurmountable dis
appear when confronted by SKILL knowledge and
determination. The strike our work.
we neither provoked nor precipitated it; we
neither sought nor desired it; we contem-
plated reduction of wages, nor any dimin-
ution of work. When the old force, misled by a
few foolish agitators, left Office at a
time and in manner that was
meant to u.s. we simply ac-
cepted the issue presented. and instead of
turning over our property to a strike committee
to be operated by them our trustees,
cluded to manage it ourselves. some attempts
have been made by the labor organizations to
intimidate and coerce our advertisers, with what
success our readers judge by glance at the
paper this morning. 1t is plain that the attempt
to control the business of merchants has
failed signally as the attempt to manage the
Courier journal Our advertisers were never
more liberal, and never more numerous, and
doubt not the PUBLIC can appreciate the issue
the strikers have sought to make this
matter"
Killed in a Prize Fight.
New YORK. Jan. 22-Tom White otherwise
known as '.Swipes the Newsboy," and Billy
Dempsey. two feather-weight pugists, fought
Fort Hamilton, L. l., early this morning.
The fight was to finish with skin-tight gloves,
for a purse. 'Swipes" knocked his out IN
eleven and oue-half minutes with blow said by
some of the spectators to have been in the
stomach. Others say it was in the neck. Demp-
ssy never rallied, and soon afterwards died The
coroner was notified. Il is claimed that death
was caused by heart disease and overexertion.
s.Swipes" has surrendered himself to the po-
lice of Brooklyn and has been locked UP. 1t is
probabls that the others concerned in the fight
will be arrested
Arrested While Assisting at Funeral.
New YORK Jan. 22.-Post Commander Whalen
and Quartermastsr Downing, of g. A. r. Post