Q. As near as you can remember?
A. I ought to have prepared myself, by looking up the price of coal. I
could not remember exactly what would be the price of a car in 1876. If
I could remember that, I could find out about what it would be--the
amount of money.
Q. What was the difference about in wages between 1875 and 1876,
causing this dissatisfaction?
A. There was no difference.
Q. The same wages?
A. The price was the same in 1876 and 1877.
Q. Do you mean the pay for mining?
A. I do not remember of any reduction taking place.
By Senator Yutzy:
Q. Was there any reduction in March, 1877, of ten per cent.?
A. I believe there was ten per cent. in March.
By Mr. Larrabee:
Q. Did that take effect in the mines, or only in the machine shops?
A. There was one reduction that didn't take effect in the mines, but in
the shops and among the mechanics.
By Mr. Engelbert:
Q. Not among the miners?
A. There was one reduction the mechanics had that didn't reach the
miners.
Q. And are the wages of miners fixed by the price of coal at entirely
the same scale?
A. They got so much a car. There is one grand mistake been made in the
assessment of the car. It leaves the impression that the men get so
much a ton instead of so much a car. When a man gets sixty-four cents a
car, it is not sixty-four cents a ton, but sixty-four cents for two
tons of clean coal.
Q. That would be thirty-one cents a ton?
A. Yes; for loading and mining and all the expenses in connection with
it. The price of a car contained the price of mining coal, loading the
coal, and all necessary expenses.
By Mr. Engelbert:
Q. Did not your mine wagons average more than two tons of clean coal?
A. I believe they average it so that a car carries about two and a half
tons. There is half a ton allowed for breakage and culm, so it makes it
about two tons of clean coal.
Q. Is that not a big average of loss?
A. It appears to me that it is, but it appears on the other side that
it don't satisfy the corporation.
Q. About what I am speaking about is ordinary mining?
A. In my estimation, half a ton would be sufficient.
By Mr. Larrabee:
Q. How did this price range in 1877, as compared with 1873, at the time
of the panic?
A. I could give you an estimate of what a miner would make in 1877 and
1876 as well.
By Mr. Lindsey:
Q. Just state whether the wages were any lower in May, June, or July,
of 1877, than they were in the same months of 1876? Make your own
estimates to yourself.
A. I do not want to state anything but what I am positive of, and I
cannot bring to memory with regard to the dates of this reduction.
Q. Had there been any reductions in 1877?
A. Up to that date I cannot remember whether there was a ten per cent.
or not. There may be others that can remember these things.
Q. You cannot state whether there was any reduction in 1877 or not?
A. I am not positive. I am under the impression that there was a
reduction; but I could not state positively--in the early part of 1877.
By Senator Yutzy:
Q. Will you please define the term strike?
A. The only definition I can give you is that it means suspension of
work.
Q. You mean if just one man quits work, he is on a strike, or when
there is a combination of men all quit at once?
A. Oh, no; a man may suspend work himself, but the term strike means a
general suspension of work.
Q. Of all the men--then you call it a strike?
A. Yes; although the proper term is suspension.
Q. You know it is generally termed a strike?
A. So the railroad and everything of that kind call it a strike; but it
is not termed a strike unless there is an arrangement or understanding
that they all quit. A meeting is called, there is a delegation
appointed to inform the officials of the corporations of the demand of
the men, and that committee returns back and reports; and if that is
accepted--sometimes it is decided by ballot--if they agree to suspend
work until their demand is complied with--they go under the term
strike.
Q. What is the object of the men, and what means would be resorted to,
to prevent other men from working?
A. There is no provision to prevent anybody. I never knew of any
proviso to prevent anybody from working.
Q. Then when there is any interference, it is unauthorized by your
organization?
A. Oh, yes.
Q. When men go on a strike, and others will undertake to work in their
stead, and they are interrupted by violence and threats of violence?
A. No organization could be accountable for that, and I wish to state
here that the late strike was not under the auspices of that
organization.
Q. That strike at that time was not under their auspices?
A. The strike was not inaugurated by the organization.
Q. Did the organization approve of it?
A. There was a meeting called. There was a mass meeting, and when that
meeting--that meeting adjourned to meet at a mass meeting and take a
vote of the committee, and in that second mass meeting they decided to
suspend work and join hands.
Q. The second mass meeting was at the silk-works?
A. No, sir.
Q. Where was it?
A. Held in the Round woods.
Q. Where was the first one held?