The weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1891-1894, 1892-08-13
The House Committee Does Not Ac.
cept the Report Prepared BY
Chairman Oates.
The Report Will Now BE Postponed
Until the Next Session of
Congress.
Mr.. Oates. However. Tell the People
What His Conclusions
Are.
Oates Report.

WASHINGTON, Aug. G. Mr.. Oates
chairman of the subcommittee of the
house which investigated the labor
troubles at Homestead and the connec-
ton of the Pinkerton detectives there
with. submitted a report to the commit
tee. which was not agreed to. No mem
Der questioned its correctness or it's state.
ments of facts or conclusion of law, but
the republican members of the commit
tee would not assent to what he said
upon the tariff and a majority of the
democrats on the committee thought it
impolitic to make any report until the
entire investigation was completed, which
could not be done before the second SEES
sion of congress. Therefore a POSTPONE
ment of the report was made until next
winter. Theireport prepared byMr.Oates
having been rejected by the committee
he today gave it to the public as his in
dividual opinion of the matters ~investi-
gated.
He described the works and the ne
gotiations between the amalgamated as
BiSNCbiIS tiC outDlCdh, lIc
contentious on both sides and finally the
account of the disastrous ending of the
attempt to land the PinkertOns. The
report says the Pinkertons who sur
rendered were brutally and outrageously
treated, principally by women and boys.
and MIR. Oates is loath to believe that
any OF these women are native Ameri-
cans. He says the indignities to which
they were subjected was a disgrace to
civilization. Mr.. Oates thinks the men
were well paid but ought to be from the
nature of their work. He thinks that
the company should have some
of the benefits of the profits
resulting from the use of
improved machinery. He condemns tn
Mckinley law for its failure to benefit
American workmen and says the prom
ises made to operatives have been dis
appearing. Had Mr.. Frick stated the
bottom facts to the committee they
would have agreed that the proposition
to reduce wages was justifiable but they
took issue with him in the conclusion
that the tariff did not cause a drain in
prices.
Mr.. Oates finds further that the con-
duct OF the company towards its en-
Ploys was kline in many respects but the
officers did not exercise patience, in
diligence and sollcitude and Mr.. Prick,
according to the report, seems to have
been too stern. brusque and somewhat
autocratic. Mr., Oates is persuaded
that if Mr.. Frick had appealed to
the reason of the employees and
shown them the state of the company's
affairs a reduction might have beer
made and no trouble have followed.
Mr.. Oates finds that the Pennsylvania
law contains nothing to prevent employ
ing PinkertOn men as watchmen at
Homestead; but says that under the cir
cumstances it should not have been
done.
Mr.. Oates condemns as unlawful the
acts of the workmen in turning away the
sheriff. and as insulting in hanging in
efiigy Prick and Potter. He says it was
the purpose Of the amalgamated asso-
citation to prevent the employment of
%non-union men and he declares that no
organization has the right to enforce its
rights by a strong -handed defiance
OF the law. The men had no legal
right to resist the coming Of the
PinkertOns and are answerable to
Pennsylvania courts. In conclusion Mr.. |
Oates fluids that congress has no power
over the questions involved. The en-
actment of a satisfactory arbitration law
is well nigh impossible. AS to whether
congress has the power to regulate or
suppress Pinkerton men Mr.. Oates says
he has no conclusion to express until the
completion of the investigation next SEES
sion |