New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-09-03
MIR. WEBB A WITNESS:
HE TALKS TO THE BOARD OF ARBITRATION

AFTER EXPLAINING WHY MEN wERD DIG,
CHARGED BY THE CENTRAL HE DECLINES
TO ANSWER A oUEsrIoN-MR POW:
DERBY AND OTHER KNIGHTS
TESTIFY INTERESTING
CORRESPONDENCE.
The New-Yorl< State Board of Arbitration yes
terday began to take testimony in regard to the
recent strike of employees Of the New-York Cen
tral and Hudson River Railroad The Board sat
in Part I Of the Superior Court. William Purcell
the chairman, presided. The other members ars
Gilbert Robertson and F. F. Donovan. Few
men besides those interested attended the hearing,
and the same cluster Of little knights hedged In
the big knights, PowVerIy, Devlin, Holland,
Wright and Hays, during both the forenoon and
afternoon sessions The Knights of Labor had
for their champion that picturesque Southern
warrior in lost cause" General Roger A.
Pryor. Hamilton Harris was associated with F.
I.ooms, the general counsel OF the New-York Gen.
trail, for the railroad company. The situation Of
the various parties concerned in this investga-
tion, as elucdatcd BY yesterdays proceedings, Ia
almost Gilbertian. The Board of Ar
bitration seeks by inquiry to discover
the causes Of the controversy between the rail-
road and its former employees, in order to report
on them to the Legislature. II. Walter Webb,
the third vice-p president OF the company was
the first witness the stand. and he said on his
oath that there is no controversy between the
railroad ard its employees and that there has not
been any. And yet he had TO submit to a cross
examination by General Pryor, conduved on the
assumption that controversy has arisen, and Is
now raging.
The Board took this view also, and the rulings
Of the chairman on points and objections raised
were favorable to the Knights that one would
have thought that Mr.. Webb and the mana cement
Of the company he represented were on trial for
grcvous offences committed against the Knights
| Of Labor.
Terence V. Powdcrly the general master work.
man Of the Knights; Edward j. Lee, who has
| been conspicuous on tho side of the KNIGHTS in
the alleged controversy, and many other wit
| nesscs for the Knights examined An enor.
nous amount of evidence WIS taken, which il
| outlined below.
RAPPING FOR ORDER.
When Commissioner Donovan arrived. half an
hour late, the chairman raped for order, and
| said:
"All attempts to settle the strike by mediation
or arbitration having failed. the Board has
deemed il just in pursuance of law to make an
inquiry into the causes OF The controversy apd ia
here for that purpose
Mr. Loomis said that IT. Walter Webb, third
vicc-prcsident of the Ncw-York Central and EIud-
son River Railroad Company, was in attendance
and ready to give his testimony, although he had
| not been subpOenaed.
| We'll, we'll hear Mr.. Webb said the chair.
| man.
| Mr.. Webb took the witness chair and he was
| sworn according to the following form: You
| solemny swear that the evidence you shall give
in this matter of difference between the New
| York Central and Hudson River Railroad Com
pany and certain Of its employees, who and since
the sth of August have been STRIKE shall be the
truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth"
Mr. WEBB on THE STAND.
| "Mr. Webb, said Mr.. Loons. will you please
| give to the Board such knowledge and information
AS you have and consistently can give to the
causes Of the controversy said to have arisen
| from differences said TO have existed between GER
tain persons in the employment of the railroad
company and the railroad company the pers ms
mentioned being those who, on the sth Of August
and thereafter, went Oh strike, as the resolution
| SAYS?
Mr. Webb said:
! The company has no controversy with any OF ito
cnployc>. nor ha> II had any. But on the evening
lany voluntarily left the service. since that time
their plnr', have been filed and to day the company
aging Its business and operating IL, >ats-
toIrN rhc given for the >,cacd strike On
August We're that between lnly IL and August tho
management ii III" road Discharged enty eight
of H. -."o enp"y,~; and 1t MAS claimed that these
, Labor or-anization known a, the Knights Labor
hi, allegation untrue These dis
seventeen Of them b.longd that labor organization
The We're all discharged fr good and sufficient
,.l,r the company and management claiming the right
-
therefor. and at the SINE time conceting to tho
stating their rason> for doin; So OF these seventy.
ciSht men VIII" were discharged. only few. think
tho cinccr> 10 ascertain why they were discharged.
I'mt on the morning Of August Gentleman who
my Office and stated that lie was the representative ot
him an interview in order that he might discuss
the proprrly Of ws thee us aI",harr., ,n
NJ. Webb The gentleman was Mr.. Holland. dc.
% "r :" to have ave Ssd to see m ,na and % have
gestcd that should arhitratc the rea~pn> why these
S"it f t" an i"vsStea"n as to the cas"s why they
h,. been discharged in order TO satisfy them some
%F S"i Ilf %iI Of n SSs" pr"p",i,l'"s % ms declined fh%.
think. cover, the history Of the socaed strike far
THE CROSS-EX ANIMATION.
Mr.. Loomis did not supplement- this statement
OF Mr.. Webb by any questions. and General Pryor
entered into Il croSs-eXamination which was long
and tedious but which not particularly
fruitful to him. General Pryor first got into
the record OF evidence the fact to which the
Knights attach peculiar and sinister significance,
that Chalhncey VI. Dcpew, the president Of tho
road. abroad when this controversy" arose.
Mr. Webb said that the seventy eight discharged
iEcn were dismissed on the reports of his sub
ordinates and Of the secret service officers of the
company. General Pryor wanted to get the names
of Mr. Wcbb's informauts. Mr.. Webb said that
the bulk of the reports came in from the secret
service, and he refused to dvugc the names Of
the members of that service. The Iharl sustained
him in this attitude. Mr. Webb added that
his subordinatcs had sometimes made reports on
the men in writing. hut that these were noe
preserved. Men were discharged for lack Of enc
ploymcnt or for unsatisfactory service to the
COMPANY General Pryor asked Mr. Webb to