The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1894-08-22

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ization for five years If they refused
to abide by these conditions they were
not given position. He said Su
perintendent Middleton was not car
builder, but mechanic, and that II q
more experienced man had been in
charge the men would have made more
money and business would have been
better with the company. When asked
1t the men in the different departments
OF the car building works were willing
to testify before the commission and
why more of them were not present,
Mr. Heathcote answered: Some OF
them have not got money enough to
come down town. Some Of them have
not got ten cents to their names"
Chairman Heathcote's views as to
preventing strikes were first, the gov
ernment ownership of railroads, and
second, arbitration when 1t could be
justly applied.
Miss Jennie Curtis, president of the
women's union at Pullman, was the
next witness She testified that the
women by working just as hard as they
could were able to make only ninety
cents day at the most and some Of
them only forty cents.
CHICAGO, Aug. 49, = There was a
dearth of witnesses at the third session
of,the national labor commission yes
terday morning.
Leroy M. Goodwin, q director of the
A. R. u, was the first to testify. Mr..
Goodwin thought in a cooperative
commonwealth" lay the solution of all
the troubles of labor. He meant by
this, he said, government by the
people only. He claimed that the gov
ernment as now conducted was one for
the corporations only.
He was succeeded by Prof. L. w. Be
mis-, professor of social economy In the
University of Chicago AS a deep stu
dent Of the labor question Prof Bemis
was listened to with the closest atten-
tion. He did not believe in compulsory
arbitration. He cited the Massachusetts
law, which provides for state court Of
three men which shall arbitrate labor
differences, One of these shall be from
the ranks of organized labor, one from
the employers and third to be chosen
by these two, or in the event nobody
can be agreed upon, the governor shall
appoint the third. Prof Bemis stated
that this board had been very success
full in settling labor difficulties. The
only times when the board had failed
were cases where one side or the other
had refused to arbitrate. In this event
the board had right to make an in
quiry, publish the result broadcast and
lay the blame where it belongs. The
board does not have the right, as Prof
Bemis thought it should have, Of in
quiring into the employers profits.
81 think such board should have
the right to examine witnesses" said
Prof. Bemis, "and to make separate
report on each case, publishing fully
who is in the wrong.
4 think the time is coming when the
experiment of government ownership
will be tried. But in view Of the fact
that this time is not likely to be in the
near future, suppose the commission
wants to know plan which will be
more quickly available. favor Mr..
Days suggestion made Thursday, that
competent men be licensed. II they
violated an agreement, their license
could be forfeited. Employers could
be reached by being forced by the laws
to forfeit their charters If they broke
the agreement"
CHICAGO, Aug. 20.-Thomas w. Heath
cote, chairman of the Pullman strike
committee, resumed the stand at the
opening of Saturdays sitting of the
national labor commission. He told Of
the peremptory discharge of several
members of the strike committee Only
three lost their places To forty-six
members nothing was done. 1t cost
the Pullman employees, Mr.. Heathcote
said, $4,000 to join the American Rail
way union. Each Of the 1000 employees
paid 81 each for membership card.
Miss May Wood, an ex-employe of
Pullman, next took the stand. She tes-
titled as to the cut in wages among the
girls. Miss Wood received 81 a day and
paid $17.71 month for rent. Although
she had paid up her rent, she declared
she received notice Of eviction and
was refused any satisfaction on the
point by the Pullman company.
+. P. Mcdonald, locomotive engi-
neer, formerly in the employ Of the
Chicago & Great Western railway, told
how he had been discharged because Of
his connection with the strike. He said
it was the policy of the Chicago &
Great Western, as we'll as other roads,
to dismiss from its service all men who
served on committees asking an adjust
ment Of grievances.
He instanced the case Of thirteen men
who were blacklisted but afterward re-
instated. As chairman Of the board Of
mediation for several roads, Mr.. No
Donald told much OF the inner history
of the methods Of employment and dis
charge Of men by railroads. He was
opposed to strikes rs q rule, but be-
lieved that II there never had been a
strike by railroad men they would not
be getting more than half As much
wages rs they are now receiving,
Strikes, he said, were not generally
won, but they entailed heavy loss on
the railroads and this insured certain
concessions from the roads in order
that q repetition of those losses might
be avoided. He said many railroad ON
ployes were afraid to testify before the
commission because they feared being
blacklisted by the General Managers'
association he himself, he asserted,
had been unable to fnd work on any
railroad on account Of being blacll-
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