Evening star., 1899-04-11

parative earnings of capital invested in
agriculture present condition Of agricultur-
lists, annual production, cost of production
and transportation. local markets as to
prices and existing federal and state laws
touching agricultural industries.
Numerous questions are asked under each
of these heads to bring out every phase OF
the industry. Each of the four plans of
inquiry is supplemented during the exam
ination by questions from any of the COM
missoners who care to interrogate the wit
ness, and frequently the most important
testimony is secured through such ques-
tioning.
witnesses Examined.
Among the witnesses who have been ex-
amined by the commission are Carroll D.
Wright commissioner of labor; +. A. Nose
ley, secretary of the interstate commerce
commission; Mr. Herman Stump, ex-com-
missioner general of immigration; DR.. W.
T. Harris, commissioner of education; T. V.
Powderly, commissioner general of immi-
grafton; John T. Wilson, grand chief,
America, f. r. Johnson, professor of trans
portation and commerce, University OF
Pennsylvania; NJ. NJ. Garland, late presi-
dent of the Amalgamated Association OF
Iron and Steel Workers of the United
States; Daniel OLeary, chief factory in
spector of New York; James Campbell, fac
tory inspector of Pennsylvania and eX-
president of the Glass Workers Union OF
l.
tory inspector of Massachusetts; X. How
ard ex-president of the Spinners' Union OF
Massachusetts; Col Brigham, assistant sec
retary of agriculture and vice president OF
the National Grange, Patrons of HuS-
bandry; Aaron Jones, president of the Ma
tional Grange; n. ]. Batchelder, president
of the New Hampshire Grange, Patrons of
Hrsbandry; d. A. Hayes, president of the
Natoral Bottle Blowers Association;
Frank Sargent, chief of the Brotherhood of
Locomotive Firemen; Geo. E. Mcneil, au-
thor of a number of works on political
economy, and Theodore c. Search, presi-
dent of the Wool Manufacturers Associa-
tion of the United States.
Methods of Labor Leaders.
The evidence that has been taken by the
commission has demonstrated that labor
organizations are relying on diplomacy
rather than on expensive strikes as the
best means for securing the consideration
which they believe is due them. 1t has
been the common story of labor leaders
who have come before the commission to
say that the strike is being used more and
more cautiously. Many Of these witnesses
show remarkable familiarity with every
phase of the labor question as affecting
the industry in which they are chiefly in
terested, and they show that they are
studying the situation in the labor market
throughout the world and are encouraging
organization among workingmen every
where in order to maintain prices of labor
or to secure better terms than in the past.
The leader of one organization testified to
having successfully co-operated with labor
unions in Europe in order to prevent for
egn workmen from coming to the United
States to take lower wages than are being
paid to members of his union. Any one
who has formed his ideas of the great la
Dor leaders OF the country from cartoons
representing a troublemaking individual,
unreasoning and turbulent, would be sur
| prised to see the gentlemanly and intelli-
gent men who come here as representatives
of great labor organizations in order to tes-
| t!fy before the commission.
OF course, the commission has not pro-
gressed far enough yet to have formulated
| any recommendations. They are author
i lied to make such recommendations to Con-
! gress from time to time, and 1t NAV be
| that when the next Congress meets they
- heard from.