Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1888-02-12
STRIKE INVESTIGATION.
Iohn L. Lee Tells the Story Of the Strike to
the Eatnnniffae

John L. Lee Tells the Story Of the Strike to
the Committee.
Il WASHINGTON, February 11.-John l..
Lee was the first witness before the strike
investigating committee to day. Mr.. Lee
detailed the events leading up to
and preceding the strike as they
have been published. Mr. LEE said that
when the Lehigh strike was on he was
sent to Mr.. CoRBIN to secure his mediation
Between the operators and the men.
He endeavored to have Mr.. Corbin ex-
ert his influence in behalf Of a settlement
between the Lehigh operators and the men.
Mr.. Corbin told lim he did not see why
there could mo- be settlement; that he
was paying the per cent advance and the
Lehigh could af Jrd to pay it too Mr.. Cor
bin, said he, as business man, wanted to
make money, but he wanted to make it
out Of the public He would like TO pay
the men good wages and the Company
would lose nothing By it, because coal
would advance and the public would
have 10 stand tie expense. General
Manager McLead suggested anoth-
et advance on coal and said he
thought it would be best for the
lea 10 make hay while the san shone but
witness thought that as il was likely the
conditions would continue only one month
the men would be better satisfied to have
the present arrangements continue
On cross ss-examiuation witness said that
Wm. I. Lewis, of Columbus, Ohio, in
charge of District 135, miners organiza-
ticn, could give positive evidence that there
has existed for some time combination
between the powerful railroad corpora.
tions having headq quarters in New York to
break up the organization OF the Knights
of Labor.
At the conclusion of Mr.. Lee s testimony
Hugh McGarvey, of the Leh'gh region,
took the stand and testified that he had
been a miner nearly all his life, hut tor
two or three years past had been engaged
in other business. He was familiar with
the Lehigh mining business so far as it
concerned the workmen, but was not ia
miliar with the operators branch Of the
business.
In order to keep up wages, the miners
Union in 1870 enforced thirty days stop
page, despite the operators protest, They
were refused work at the end Of the thirty
days aud afterwards were told that they
would not he taken back except at 10
per cent. reduction.
After strike, they were forced to accept
the reduction. Witness declared that the
operators alone fixed the price of coal in
al! cases
In answer to Mr.. Stone, who asked what
was the immediate cause Of the strike in
the Lehigh region, witness replied that the
basis OF prices was too low The rates
paid were 424 cents per ton for big vein,
while the contract called for 433 cents.
The advance demanded by the miners waS
16 per cent. Miners would hardly average
$3.50 per annum as their earnings. Per
haps 2j per cent of the miners accumulate
little money.
Mr.. Stone asked il the operators had not
accumulated large fortunes. The witness
replied that some of the wealthiest men in
the State were in the Lehigh region Since
the strike began many of the miners had
found work in other regions, hut aSout 40
per cent we're still idle. lie knew of
none who were actually starving, hut
there were many in want. Since Szptrm-
Der the labor organizations had distributed
S., 900 or $1,000 weekly among these peo-
pie He saw thit miners were valued hy
the assessors of taxes at 800 and labnrfrs
at S75 The companies deducted the
amount Of the taxes from the minor9'
wages, togsthe; with 2 per cent. commis
sion for making the collection, pUd turned
it over to the collector of taxes The tax
amounted to "a much az s. 30 per man.
Chairman Tillman believed that the
witness must he in error-siying that is
four times as high as | have ever heard Of
a negro being taxed in the South, in the
nature of poll tax-for this is poll
tax"
In answer to Mr.. Parker, witness said
that the catholic miners paid their priests
about fifty cents q month apiece through
the company's Office. At the time of the
strike there were about 5000 Hungarians,
Poles and Italians in the region. The
chairman inquired whether the witness
was paid for lecturing for the benefit of
the miners, and he replied in the affirma,
tive.
John II. Dawson, miner from Mt. Car
mel, in the Schuylkill region was the next
witness. He said that the general i'm
preston was that the Philadelphia and
Reading Railroad Company, aud the Coal
and Iron Company were under the same
management. The witness tolG how the
operators had managed to reduce the wages
OF miners by gradually increas
ing the work by widening the breast o'
coal, while lowering the pay for yard.
The operators lived in luxury and had
,hair fast horses. Mr.. Pardee was worth
$47, 900, 600. Thirty-fve years ago he was
worth nothing.