The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1888-02-16
Mr.. CORBIN ON THE STRIKE
The President of Reading Testifes Be-
fore the Congressional Committee.
His Company Is Ready to Arbitrate when the
Men Return, ut Will Cease Mining Coal
Rather than Discharge Non-Unionists

committee appointed to investigate the Reading
strike met in this city this morning and exam
ined Austin Corbin. He said the capitalization
stock of the Reading system was $40 000, 0OQ
He was president of the Reading railroad, but
not OF the Reading Coal and Iron Company.
Mr. Corbin admitted that the Eeadine road was
engaged in Interstate coEamsrce and that the
Reading Railroad Company owned all the stock
Of the Reading Coal and Iron Company. He
gave the history of the present strike. He
said and explained at length the reasons for
the statement, that the whole trouble arose
from the refusal of the Knights OF
Labor to handle freight sent to the
Reading system from mines where there was a
strike in progress fthe Lehigh region1, and in
which strike their organization was engaged, CT
to move goods which from firms which
employed t'scab" or non-union labor. Mr.. Cor
bin explained that the company was bound as .
common carrier to accept and move all freight
offered to it for transportation, and could not
keep men IN its employ who refused to move
such freight. In speaking Of the strike and the
men who refused to come back when they were
given opportunity on Tuesday, Dec. q, after
the Knights had ordered them out, Mr.. Corbi n
said: ..In this way there were about 2, 600 men
laid off the rolls, and none of them shall co mo
back while am president of the road.
Mr.. Corbin read long statement showing the
nature of coal-mining operations, to prove that
coal was really q manufactured product, and the
expenses attending its production were very
much increased because of the of valuable
machinery, the waste and other incidents of the
work OF preparing it for shipment. He quoted
figures to show that the Reading Coal and Iron
Company has only received, since 1881. on an
average. % cents a ton net on its coal. and said
that no owner of coal land would lease his
property at royalty of % cents per ton. Mr..
Corbin said the capital stock of the Reading
and Ipnx, fs1lI nny6
was S.. DOC, 600, and that it had mortgage of
$50 900 900 more. which given for pur-
chase money and improvements In answer TO
the question. WAS there not an agreement with
the men that no one should be discharged unless
the matter was submitted to arbitration,
or before their cause could be heardr Mr.. Cor
bin said that he believed there was some sort of
agreement 10 this effect. but it was never in
tended to cover such case as the refusal of the
men to handle goods which the company was
bound TO take as a common carrier, merely be-
cause the maker of the goods was Questionable
to the Knights of Labor. AS well might it be
said that such agreement would prevent tho
immediate discharge of an employe who should
burn up an engine or purposely wreck a train.
The agreement referred to such matters as could
in reason be subjects of arbitration. Mr.. Cor
bins attention was called 30 the statement that
Superintendent Sweigert had agreed to take the
men back and submit the question to arbitra-
ton He said that he did not believe it, There
never was any intention to arbitrate this mat
ter on his part. He had been thwarted and an
noyed by these men for months, ard under the
S3nSiQoreQ
the matter in his own hands.
Mr.. Corbin then proceeded with the question
OF the strike of the miners, which followed, and
which, he claimed, caused by the sympathy
of the latter with the railroad employees. The
miners. he said, had no reason nor any DISPOSE
tion to complain, and would not have gone on
strike but for the pressure of the Knights of La
Dor upon them from PhilaGelph He explained
the contract under which miners wages are paid
by the Reading Coal and Iron Company, upon
sliding scale the basis of which is coal at So so,
n m
Der contract was made with the miners that
for four months there should be advance of
per cent upon this rate if the strike in the LIE.
high region continued SO long but, if that strike
ended in the meantime, the old rates would be
resumed. On Jan !. 1885, this agreement
to terminate. and work was TO go on under the.
old sliding scale basis.
Mr.. Corbin denied, in answer to questions
that there had been any private agreement with
tract, to the effect that if the Lehigh strike
went on the per cent. advance would be paid.
The company had refused to pay this advance
after Jan. 1, and the miners had refused to
work. In concluding this part of his statement,
Mr. Corbin said:
I'VE are and have been willing to take up the
question of readjustment OF wages If the men
will return to work, but we will not treat with
them while they out. We will make a basis
as high as any other company: but We cannot mot
another thing: We can fill the places
of the striking miners in ten days
IT the new men IT.. can s,.. De pro- s;s
men with clubs and pistols are violently keep
ing not only other men out, but boys, who de-
sire to earn living, away from the mines and
the breakers. We have been compelled to pro-
tect the 3. 600 men at work by police and
const1bles under CO unity officers. the expense
of which we will be compelled to pay. We don't
care whether the men belong to labor organiza-
tions not. We will not seek to find them ont,
but we will put to work all miners who apply at
our colieries and ask no questions; but it there
is more coal mined from the Schuykill re-
gion till compelled to mine it by dis
charging men who have come to us in our trials
and stood by us. make for the strikers,
no more will ever be mined while have inhu-
ence enough to prevent 1t
The witness pronounced the stories of COM
bination of the coal companies all over the coal
country to keep up prices pure romance. There
was absolutely no agreement or concert OF ac-
tion. There board to furnish sta
tistics Of the output each year and estimates
for the next year. That was absolutely all.
10 another branch of the inquiry. Mr. Corbin
was asked: How about the claim that the rail-
of the consumer and of the miners and labor
ersav He replied: 1.-THE best answer can make
to that is that the Reading Railroad Company.
with paid,up capital Of $40. GOO 'ooo' has been
..There might be other channels of loss than
the coal-mnine businessW
~ have not found any other yet"
s.Why do You keep on mining coal il you have
lost $12 600 900 since 1872"
az hardly know, myself but think NE can |
ultimately make money out of our coal lands |
your company to be in the mining bnsinessp
Yes, sir, and wish that somebody would |
buy out the coal lands. We would be better off. |
but who will it bel We have got them, and |
must do the best we can with them"
After some further questions and replies as to |
the indebtedness of the two companies, the In |
duence of the price of btuminous coal that
of anthracite, ETC., the hearing was adjourned |
till tomorrow.
Miners Apply for Work.
PoTTsvILLE, Feb 15.-The mission of Chair
ma Davis and other members of the joint COM
mittee TO the western end of the county appears
to have been sgnaly barren of practical results.
They held a meeting at Tower City last night
and another at fremont this afternoon. These
are the points where the most serious breaks in
the strike line have occurred, many Of the
strikers having gone toswork at tho Brookside