The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1897-05-01
LAST NIGHTS SESSION
The Legislative Committee Hears Presi-
dent Fahey's Views.

The Legislative Committee Hears Presi-
dent Fahey's Views.
PorrsvurE. May The Legislative In /
vestigadng committee completed its work .
here lasl evening and heard the testimony
| principally Of merchants, miners aud
managers of company stores in and about
/ Mincrville. They were w. +. jenkins,
manager Of Howell Courtney & COS store
/ Winfield W Scott, Of the Lyue store Com
| pauy Mr.. Kline, Michael Albert, Fred.
Hoelman, Daniel Godfrey, John Naiuwar-
ing and Eugene Homn, all miners and en-
ployed about the colleries at Miuersville.
Their testimony was unmportant, and con-
sisted mainly of the amount of wages they
received Most of them testified that they
barely earned enough to keep body and soul
together. The managers of the company
stores said their prices were no higher than
ut other stores, and that there was 40 COM
Z pulsion ON the part Of miners to deal there
No discharges were made because of refusal
to do so
Fruk Reutz, one of the Commissioners Of
Schuylkill county, attributed the desttutiou
to the limited work He was asked what in
his opinion would remedy the evil aud re
piled that he believed it could be reached by
reducing the tolls or by placing them on an
equality with those afforded hituminous
shippers. Cheaper tolls would cheaper
prices aud so permit of more extensive con
sumption
The most interesting witness was John
Fahey, president of the Anthracite District
No. I, q. NJ. w. A. lie explained that the
movement for investigation had originated
with he and three others, John McBride, cX-
President of the u. NJ W. of A., and the
American Federation of Labor; Patrick Nc
Brydc, ex-Nutounl Secretary of the Miners
Organization, aud Joseph Bishop, Secretary
of the Ohio Board Of Arbitration, in January
of this year. The intention was that the
investigation should be applied to the Pitts
burg mining district, only The idea of
confumg il to That district was to place the
rcspon ibj,ity for the conditions existing
= therein. The operators were fighting each
other, thereby pauliziug their own business
and reducing the already poor condition of
the miners to that of want and suffering
One of the chief purposes of the invcstga-
j tiOn was TO place the responsibility where il
% belonged. This being done it was expected
. that the miners and operators could get to-
E gether aud create conditions that would be
beneficial to all, such conditions as had cx-
sted previous Co this warfare
r The present Investigation, Mr.. Fahy con-
VI sidered, would be barren of any permanent
beneficial result to the miners in the an
n thracItc region from the narrow scope upon
e which the lines were laid down. 1t per
D mitted the investigators to lay bare the result
d but afforded them no chance to delvo into
.r the causes. In his opinion, one piece of
good legislation which could be enacted
would be Of more lasting benefit TO the
miners than the entire investigation law
D. that would wipe out the company store evil,
y for instance. lie had great respect for the
Reading Company because it had no com.
y pauy stores and paid sumi-munthly If TIA,
y Reading Company could afford to do this why
T. could not the others? The resolution giving
the committee power in the present inquisi
tiUn was too weak.
Being informed that the committee, undo
g the resolution, had no power to inquire int,
'i the causes leading up to the conditions, Mr.
ID Fuhey said it was necessary to first find the
causes before you can apply the remedy.
p Then you believe that the Pennsylvania
Legislature is not able to enact resolution
of sufficient strength to make the proper in
quiry 2" said Mr.. Campbell.
Il did not say that, SIR responded Mr.
Fahey, "but do say that the Pennsylvania
Legislature did not enact such a resolution.
Then why did the miners not draft sucl
"a resolution?n was asked.
THE miners themselves" responded Mr.
l. Fahly, are as much responsible FOR theil
~ condition as any one else from the fact thai
they did not try to help themselves. They
e work when there is work to do, and lie idle
v when their masters wont use the tern
= masters, it; uu-American-when their EN-
s. poyer, say they shall lie idle. They grumblC
q at their condition, but make no effort t,
improve it. When man will not help him
self he does not deserve the help of hi:
neighbors. I am opposed to strikes, having
had experience in many of them. If the
miners while working, would only think and
organize, they could better their condition
D through meeting their employers on the
f convention floor, there settling all differences
by battle of intelligence and fairness, in
{ stead Of striking, much that is now desired
n could be obtained During my time in th
region, over two years and half spent il
u trying to better their condition, the miner
have assisted me in the work by paying IN
less than $40. / called for a public subscrip
tion to raise a legislative fund with which E
employ attorneys to draw up such measure
as would be beneficial to miners, but it wa
r not responded TO- was unable to bear tn
u expense myself and this is the reason VIII,
re legislation of the character desired was no
introduced
o This concluded the investigation here
8 This morning the committee, under the es
pecial guidance of Hon. S. A. Losch, visite,
the Br1ok,ide coliery and returned here a
noon They left for their respective home
gI,,,rtl,y q, .,efaryF1Vds