Los Angeles herald., 1892-07-14
THE HOMESTEAD INQUIRY.
The Congressional Commit
tee at Work.
Manager Frick Severely Cross
Examined.
He Details the Arrangements With
the PinkertOns.
Sheriff McCleary, President weihe and
Hugh O'DsnneIl on the Witness
stand-Interesting Facts
ELECTED.

BY the Associated Press.1
PIrrsBURG, Pa, July 13.-The con-
gressional committee continued the
Homestead investigation this morning
with further examination of Frick, of
the Carnegie company. He detailed the
arrangements with the Pinkertons to
furnish guards for the Homestead prop
erty, and said the arJus were consigned
to the Union Supply company, who de-
livered them to Captain Rodgers OF the
Pinkertons. Frick was not sure, but
supposed he had something to do with
furnishing the arms. He could not be
brought to answer more definitely. He
believed the Pinkertons were advised
that arms would be needed, but arms
were not stipulated in the employment
of the guards. Frick said the wages
paid at Homestead were larger than
those paid at any other place.
Chairman Boatner, of the committee,
declared that the scale of wages paid,
as explained by Frick, was the highest
wages he ever heard of.
Captain Rodgers was then called, and
told OF the trip to Homestead, accom-
panied by deputy sheriff, who went in
an official capacity. He then detailed
the story Of the fight at Homestead, and
said the strikers fired first.
Sheriff McCleary testified that the
Z Carnegie company notified him a week
before the men went out that there
there would be trouble; that they were
arranging for 300 men to go to Home
stead and wanted them deputized.
Sheriff McCleary detailed at length
his efforts to secure posse. He was
notified the night the Pinkertons went
up, and ne tried to persuade them not
to send them, as he feared trouble. The
sheriff said he had not authorized
Colonel Gray to deputize Pinkertons.
He did not go to Homestead on the day
OF the trouble, because it was uselesH.
Deputy Sheriff Olusey then took the
stand and told how the deputies had
been driven cut by the strikers.
President Weihe was the FIRST witness
on the side of labor. He reviewed tue
sliding scale aud the failure to reach an
agreement with the company. Reduc-
tions, he said, were proposed in most OF
the departments. The men objected be-
cause they did not think the reductions
necessary. The reductions would aver
age 18 per cent. As near as he could
estimate, the cost of ton of steel at
Homestead was $1.55.
In reply to Judge Taylor as to why
the men thought they had right to
take possession of the mill, Weihe said:
"There may be some who think so, but
they are not so taught in the associa-
tion."
Judge Taylor expressed astonishment
and said there seemed to be some queer
ideas of rights OF property among the
workingmen.
Weihe said they had not offered to
arbitrate the question until after the
trouble. He could not say whether or
not the association was willing to arbi-
trate. He was personally in favor of
the law of arbitration, but if compulsory
all parties should made to exhibit their
books.
Hugh O'Donnell was the next witness.
He said when the strike ordered the
lodges to hold joint meeting and ap-
pointed an advisory committee to have
the men placed around the fence to keep
out irresponsible people, the men were
instructed to use only moral suasion.
They were not instructed to keep
anyone out of the mill. Witness repeat
ed the story of the battle and the efforts
to prevent the firing by the crowd on
shore. His wages were $144 per month,
under the old scale.
Replying to question as to why the
laboring men hate the Pinkertone, he
said the chief objection to them was
that they feared they would bring nom
union men,