The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1902-12-20


Created Stir In Strike Hearing BY
Accusing Coal Companies Of Bring
Ing Illiterate Foreigners Here.
Scranton. Pa. Dec. II. - Notwith-
standing the fact that the mine work
ers announced Monday that they had
closed their case with the exception
OF calling one more witness. the en-
tire two sessions of the strike commits
sion yesterday were consumed in hear
ing three witnesses for the men. They
were John c. Haddock. an independent
operator; Rev. DR.. Peter Roberts, who
is assisting the miners. and President
Samuel Gompers, of the American Fed
Grafton of Labor.
Regarding the prices of coal Mr.
Haddock said the middlemen in New
York are paying S11 and S12 ton.
DO they pay the operators that
price?" Judge Gray asked.
Possibly" was the reply.
Mr. Haddock believed in the com
bination of capital and Of the labOrers.
He looked upon the organization of
labor as a necessity. and said he had
no objection to dealing with labor I'M
ions If properly conducted. He believed
the mine workers. because of the good
market for coal, were justified in ask
ing for an increase in wages. The
witness said he favored before the
strike making a concession to the men
under certain conditions. He had no
objection to the eight hours for the
miners, and favored nine hours for
other classes of mine workers. He
also thought a reduction in the hours
OF hremen and engineers, who work
IL hours a day, would not be objec-
tionable.
The miners made another attempt
yesterday to have the commission ad-
nit as evidence a large mass of testi-
mony tending to show that the an
thracite coal carrying roads charge ex-
tortionate and discriminating freight
rates and that monopoly exists in
the anthracite mining industry which
keeps the wages of men at an unnatur-
ally low level. The commission again
decided that the evidence must be
limited to the scope of the commission.
and that If il did take up the claims
made in the evidence proposed to be
submitted. the iustifableness OF the
mine workers demands would still re-
main.
Sampei Gompors. president of the
American Federation of Labor. occu-
pied the witness stand throughout the
afternoon session. He began his tes-
timony by giving the story OF the Fed
Grafton of Labor. and followed this
with n brief sketch OF the progress
and influence of organized labor. which
he said has been very great.
Chairman Gray. who is taking N cs-
pecial interest in boycotts, asked Mr..
Gompers what he thought of such
methods. The witness said he would
boycott any person that is unfair to
his workmen. but would not boycott a
man who chooses to do business with
the person that is boycotted.
The question of the recognition of
unions was then taken up. and Mr..
Gompers said that employers made a
mistake when they refused to recog-
nize organized labor. The employer,
he said. has no moral right to refuse
20 confer with a committee of his en-
ployes.
In reply to Bishop Spalding. Mr..
Gompers said he would not favor incor-
porating a union.
Mr.. Gompers was then cross-exam-
ined by James Torrey, counsel for the
Delaware and Hudson Company. Mr..
Torrey asked the witness II he did not
believe that members of the Mine
Workers of America should be 81
nf t.
write before they are admitted to
membership in the union.
To this the witness replied: Yes.
10 years from now. and when the COM
panies stop bringing illiterate foreign
ers to this country. They are brought
here by the companies, and the labor
unions must protect them and see that
they get their rights"
Mr.. Torrey asked him II he could
prove that coal companies were guilty
of such thing. and the witness re-
piled that he felt certain it was true.
because he had seen copies OF circulars
which have been sent around in south
ern Europe asking people to come into
Pennsylvania, as there was plenty Of
money to be earned in the mines.
Mr.. Torrey asked him II steamship
companies were not the authors of
these circulars. to which Mr.. Com
pers replied that he had seen 10, 20
and 80 men huddled together in huts
In the anthracite coal fields, and he
noted that 1t wasn't long after their ar
rival here that they were given en-
ployment in the mines.
He offered to give to the commission
the name Of man who could give the
facts to the commission. He did not
care to make his name public.