Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1888-02-13
THE NATIONS SCAPITAL.
Chairman Lee Before the Read
ing Railroad Investigation
Committee.
The xcAdoo Henhaden Fisheries Bill
viii Probably be Adversely
Reported.
An Army OF Women Soon to Invade
Washington in Pursuit OF wo-
mans Suffrage.

crate the birthday of Abraham Lincoln. w.
w. Davenhowe presided. After the singing
Of musical selection by a quartette, Rev.
DIR. Newman opened the exercises with read
ing from the scriptures and prayer. The
address upon the life of Lincoln was deliver
ed by Senator Cullom. He expressed the
opinion that the people of all nations were
more familiar with the life, character, and
career of Lincoln than of auyother man in
American history save Washington. 1t was
the speakers good fortune to know
Lincoln well. While a boy upon the
farm he frequently heard his father tell his
neighbors and friends, what good man Lin
coin was. The first time he ever attended
court, Lincoln and Col. f. d. Baker, who
gave his life for his country at Balls Bluff,
were engaged in law suit, two intellectual
giants contending for supremacy. Referring
to Lincoln's early life, the Senator said that
the privations through which he passed and
the life which he led while calculated to
cultivate some nobler virtues, resulted in
| the formation of reckless habits.
Lincoln, however, while absorbing the best
| in his pioneer life avoided the bad His ex-
periene during youth and early manhood, de-
veloped in him, courage, great powers of
endurance, spirit of liberality, strong sym
pathy for the poor and oppressed, but none
of those habits of life, which are so common
in new country and which work the ruin of
men. Lincoln never used intoxicating liq-
uors. The Senator said Lincoln told him
when he first received the nomination he had
never kept any Intoxicating liquors in the
house or used any except for medicinal pur-
poses. The life of Lincoln belonged to the
world. Wherever men were struggling to
be free, wherever the rights of men had been
ha,,.
| fell with violence upon the oppressed, he
would hear the heart throb to the memory of
Lincoln. Speeches were made by Frederick
Douglass, Simon Wolf and Captain O'Far-
rail-.
The investigation into the Reading strike
was resumed Saturday morning in the room
of the committee on military affairs by the
special committee appointed by the Speaker
for that purpose. For the purpose of stop
ping the Reading Company from setting up
any claim that it was not engaged i'll inter-
state commerce and was therefore not within
the jurisdiction of the committee Represen-
tatve Anderson read and had spread upon
the record suit in which the Reading Com
pany by its own plea, admitted that it was
engaged in interstate commerce.
John H. Lee, an employe of the Reading
Railroad Company up to the time of the
i;., ha..a IS thn En;oh,s of Iabor for tba
paa,;n1, s,,s,or, was tbe frs, w;,ness a,a,n-
mod In answer tn ouestions mt bv Repre
.,;a prLor NJ on sa;i bo aiJ nat
,,ons;Iar ,ha, ,horo u,s any s,r;ta ON tbo
paad;na road II w,s a loctout ON tho mart
ns ,ha 1onor.l suner;ntenJant Five crews
no sa;d raf,,s.J to n,ave oars .t port rich
,,,,>,,d ana Carara, Snner;r,.nJen, Swaigert
d;snhargad ,hem w;tbopt giv;no them a bear-
;ng There was an ayree,nent that no men
sho,ld hs discharyed except after a fair
haar;ng when tho suner;ntendent refused
tn re;nsta,e the men nendiug a hearing. n
,,oneraI going ont followed
NJ Iee ,ban gava a history of the strike
and ;,s causes from his standpoin,. and of
the effor,s ~ tho strikers 10 reconcile their
d;,faropces with tho Reading comnanv all of
which has bpen published many times
| On cross-examinatiou as to witness con-
,sc,;o, With ,he str;t. in the Jeb;ob reoion
M Loo stated that be was then on leave ot
abs.nco from tho Read;ng comnanv and
,hat NJ Sws;ger, suner;ptepdent Of tho
Reading had offered IN nav him for the per;
od nf b;s Ieave of absence but witness had
d.olipsd saving be was drawing - 20 per
Jay from tho l.bo,;ng man and would M,
tata nav from the railroad What Sweigert
wanted him 10 do WAS nat stated but the sr.
ner;n,srden, said that he made the offer he
rarsa r;tress haJ done a great deal for the
cnmna,v
Tn renlv tn a further ouestion witness said
VIM + Iewis of Columbus Ohio. in charge
of District 1876, miners organization. could
y;va nos;t;ve evidence that there has existed
For same time a combination between the
noverful railroad corporations having head.
nn,r,ers in New York. to break mn the or
/
Hugh NcGarvey of the I.ehigh region tes-
,;ena That h. had been a minor nearly all his
ufa h,, Co.. ,,ro or ,hrae vears mast had
haan on,aged in other business He was
fan,;I;ar With tho Iabigh mining busipess so
far II concerned the workmen hut was not
Familiar with the operators' brabch of the
hus;pess About \ 600 persons or one-half
of ali those engaged in the miuing business
in tho J.ehivb region were practically en-
nIoved hv tbrse concerns The strike in
Tho, ras,;op hogan in Senteuber The trou.
bIe was simplv n continuation of the Difficult
ties existing since 1871. The immediate
capse of the strike was. as the workmen
claimed. the basis system of wages was too
low The men wanted an advance of l6 per
cent bp, the opera,ors took no notice of the
demand.
He traced the various mining scales from
shortly after the war down to the present
time In 1869. on basis of 81 l-2 cents
when coal sold at SIS at tide water. miners
eonld average s75 month. In order to
keen up wages the miners's union in 1870 en-
| forced 3o-Siavs' stoppage despite the oper-
a,ors' protest. They were refused work at
tho end of the 80 ,,avs. and afterwards were
told that they would uot be taken back ex-
cept at a 10 per cent. reduction After
strikc they were forced to accept the reduc-
ton.
In answer to Mr.. Stone, who asked what
was the immediate cause of the strike in the
I.ebiph region. witness replied that the basis
of nrices was too low The rates paid we're
AZ IL cents per ton for big wien, while the