Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1902-12-12
GIVEN A REBUKE.
strike Commissioners Cali Down N
Lawyer who Refers to President
as "Tcddy Roosevelt"

scranton, Pa, Dec. 9.-Ahere was a
furry at the afternoon session of the
coal strike inquiry because Lawyer
Ira ii. Burns, of Scranton, for the
independent companies, referred to
the president of the United States as
Teddy Roosevelt" The remark
brought out an emphatic objection
from Brig. Gen. Wilson, and the gen
eral was sustained by Chairman
Gray. Mr.. Burns cross-examined
John ID. Hughes, Scranton manager
for Armour & Co., who had presented
a large mass of figures, all of which
showed that the prices of meats of
all kinds have increased % 1-5 per
cent. over the prices of 1900. The
lawyer asked Mr.. Hughes: "Don't
you know that the rise in prices of
meats was due to the meat trust?"
Witness-I don't know of any such
institution.
Mr.. Burnside you agree with
what Teddy" Roosevelt says about
the trusts?
Witness-I believe in some of it.
Before the witness could finish his
answer, Gen. Wilson jumped up and
with rising Indignation said: "Mr.
Chairman, object to any person be-
fore this board referring to the pres
ident of the United States in that
manner"
This caused furry, but Mr.. Burns
calmly replied He sometimes calls
himself that"
Chairman Gray, however, smoothed
matters out by saying: 81 think the
objection is well TAKEN" to which Mr..
Burns replied: "Well, we will call
him the president of the United
States.'
This ended the little furry. and Mr.
Burns soon after finished his cross
examination of the witness.
Almost the entire time of the days
sessions of the commission was taken
up by the mine workers in present.
ing their side of the controversy with
G. b. Markle & Co., in the Hazleton
regions. The miners placed witnesses
on the stand who gave testimony to
show that the company refused to
employ them because they belonged
to the union. had evicted them from
their house for the same cause, that
the docking system was intolerable,
that the question of the men getting
the ten per cent. in wages granted
as result of the 1900 strike is much
in doubt, because the men do not
know how the company is figuring it
out, the price in powder which enters
into the computation of the increase
and that the size of tie mine cars
has increased, but the wages have
not. Two Hungarian women, one of
them the mother of the boy who tes-
titled on Saturday, were placed on
the stand, and told how the Markle
company deducted house rent from
the last wages of their husbands who
were killed in the mines, and how
the company attempted to get them
to sign a paper which would absolve
the Markles from damages for the
death of the men. The women also
confirmed the story told by the
breaker boy that the children had 20
work without pay until the debI
owed by the dead fathers was paid
off.
The commissioners were very
much surprised to learn that the ten
per cent. increase, granted in 1900
was not straight out raise in
wages, but instead 2h per cent. in
crease. and reduction in powder of
7R per cent, making the net increase
in earnings ten per cent, which the
miners claim is not being paid by the
Markle company. through some way
of figuring they do not understand.
The question came in for considera-
BILE discussion, and no one in the
courtroom could give the commission
satisfactory explanation.