Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1888-02-02
TO BE INVESTIGATED.
REApING STRIKE WILL BE LOOKED AFTER
BY A HOUSE COMMITTEE
Interesting Proceedings in Congress Warm Dis
cuSsion Over the Strike RsSOlutiOn-Ar.
RaynOr's Rsmarks-Work in Senate
other Washington News.

WASHINGTON, February lin the
House to-day Mr.. Burns, OF Missouri, from
the Committee on Appropriations, report
ed the Urgent Deficiency bill, and it was
referred to the Committee of the Whole.
Mr.. DOekery, OF Missouri, introduced
bill for the reorganization of the inspection
force of the POstofiee Department. Re-
ferred.
The House then took up the report of
the Committee on Commerce relative TO
the proposed investigation of the Reading
Railroad strike.
Mr.. Clardy, of Missouri, Chairman of
the Committee ON Commerce, said that
after the careful examination of the matter
the majority of the committee had been
satisfied that the original resolution offer
ed by MI. Anderson, of Kansas, for Con
gressiOnal inquiry ought not to be adopt.
I'd. He briefly sketched the origin of
the railroad strike and the
subsequent strike by the employees OF the
Philadelphia and Reading Coal aud Iron
company, whose stock he said was held
mainly by the stockholders of the Read
ing Company. There had been no testi-
mony before the committee showing that
Interstate traffic had been interfered with
on the Reading road week or and hour
Mr.. Raynor, Of Maryland, did not be-
lieve in halfway measures on this subject.
When monopoly is combined to drive the
ranks of labor to starvation point, labor
had an equal right by every natural law
OF Justice, to combine and strike for living
wages. He said this not in the spirit of
demagoguism, for he had neither the arts
or aspirations Of demagoguism, but because
he believed it to he living truth. APP
plause He WAS the mortal foe of viO-
lence in all its forms, but he was the friend
Of labor and its sovereign power should
be assisted in every peaceful way to assert
and vindiCate its rights. The Reading
road had broken aud violated q solemn
compact n had made with its employees,
and now it commanded them to surrender
under threat Of prOclaiming to the Ameri-
canpeOple that this great tributary ofcom-
merce should be closed, and that not ton
of traffic should be freighted over its road.
Should this be done? He for one said
never Congress had the pOwer-beyond
that which belonged to the Iuter-
State Commerce Commission-to bring
this great monopoly to bay.
The Reading company had Incorporated u
legal fiction known as the Philadelphia
and Reading Coal and Iron Company,
oficered by the same officers, controlled
by the same sgents as the Reading Rail
road Company, and under the mask of this
legal fiction the railroad company was now
violating the constitutional provision of
this State that chartered it,
Mr.. RaynOr, continuing, quoted from
the argument made by Mr. GOwan, coun-
sci tor the Reading railroad, before the Su-
preme Court, in the case OF the State Of
Pennsylvania against the Reading
railroad, in which he took
the ground that the State had no right to
tax its freight, and that Congress alone
could regulate its commerce. Now, said
Mr.. RaynOr, when Congress was seeking
to investigate its traffic, the company said
that Congress had not that power, because
ii was State corporation.
After some further discussion, a resolu
tion to the effect that special committee
of five should be appointed to investigate
the Reading strike and the causes leading
to it, and the alleged relationship Of the
Reading Railway Company to the Reading
Coal Company was passed.