Democratic Sentinel, Volume 18, Number 34, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 7 September 1894 — EGAN ON THE STAND. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

EGAN ON THE STAND.

ACTIVE FIGHTER OF THE RAILWAY UNION TESTIFIES. Thought Debs* Letter to the Managers a Piece of Cheek—Says the Charge that the Companies Hire 1 Men to Burn Cars la Vile Rot. Railroad Men Testify. John M. Fgan, who was the manager of the fight against the American Bailway Union, testified before the

Strike Commission that it was his duty to receive reports of c mditionof things on the different lines .and the nature and amount of violence committed; to hire new men, takecharge of the new men irom the tat and to assign them to duty and to report to the authorities points where protection was

needed. Mr. Egan said that he made a requisition ontbe United States Ma - shal for men and sent a great many men to him with the request that they be sworn in as deputies. Referring to the visit of Mavor Hopkins and Aid. McGillen to his office' with a proposition from the officials of the American Railway tu declare the rtrike off if the roads would take the men back, Mr. Egan said he told the Mayor that the assoc ation would not receive any such document and that he was sorry to tee him aciing as a messenger boy lor the American Railway "Union. He thought the document wat a piece of cheek. Asked if he regarded it as an insulti g document, answered that it spoke for itself. “You do nut answer my question. Mr. Egan,” persisted Commissioner Worthington. “I am asking you was the document of an offensive or insulting character.” “Well, so far as the roads were concerned the strike was settled. The document dictated the terms of an adjustment ot a matter which so far as we weie concerned was already settled.” “Had tho troops been withdrawn?” asked the Commissioner. “No.”

“Were you running the trains at that time?” “Only Irregularly.” “Then why did you refuse to confer with the officers of the American Hallway Union?” “Well. I had no authority to confer with them; and as I looked at it such authority could only be given by the association.” “You had full authority to hire men and to employ force in quelling the strike, but no authority to seek y peaceable methods ot settling it, Is t -at It?” “Well, we retarded the A. R. U. as whipped and did not propose to compromise at that late dat ” “Did the Managers’ Association ever use any means other than force to settle a great strike which was causing both themselves and tho country hundreds of thousands of dollars every day?” Mr. Egan admitted that they had not “Was It n >t a fact that the Managers’ Association was determined to crush out the American Union, and was It not for that they steadily refuse:! to ioceive any communication from them?*” Mr. Egan finally admitted that was about the true suite of the case. “One of the witnesses here stated that there was evidence that you used money to hire men to burn cars. What do you •ay to that?” asked Kernan. Egan repliedi “Mell, considering the source. It is the vilest rot. I never heard of such a thing till I saw It In tho papers, and consider it on a parity with many other statements made by Debs and Howard. ”

Asked to state his views on the methods to be employed to prevent strikes, Mr. Egan said that he favorea government license ot all railway > mployes except common laborers; that each class be provided with distinctive uniforms and be required to pass an examination as to their competency In their llnei; that all should bo able to read and write the English language. and that none but citizens of tiie United States should be licensed. That a schedule of wages should be made and that both parties should be under severe penalties for violation of existing agreements. Manager St. John brought with him a pile of documents, among them a set of books showing the schedule of wages paid

the employes of each railway belonging to the Managers’ Association. He began his testimony with a report made to h 1 ni by an agent of the Rock Island Railroad on June 30 of a meeting held at Blue Island, at which Vice President Howard made an inflammatory speech, saying that he “would like to hang Pullman,” and “toshow St. John thatthe American Railway Union

had strength and stamina to lie up the Rock Mund so tight that a fly couldn’t get over It,” and that he “hoped if any sneaking detectives were found among us there would be moral courave enough to use the round end of a coupling pin. ” This report was made by one of the “sneaking detectives” nntch It was alleged Howard wanted a coupling pin used on. Superintendent Dunlap, of the Rock Island, testified briefly retarding the alleged blacklist, which he declared bad no existence.

JOHN M. EGAN.

GEO. W. HOWARD.