Report of the Committee Appointed to Investigate the Railroad Riots in July, 1877: Read in the Senate and House of Representatives May 23, 1878Pennsylvania. General Assembly. Committee Appointed to Investigate the Railroad Riots in July, 1877
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Report of the Committee Appointed to Investigate the Railroad Riots in July, 1877: Read in the Senate and House of Representatives May 23, 1878
Pennsylvania. General Assembly. Committee Appointed to Investigate the Railroad Riots in July, 1877
Your committee arrived at Pittsburgh at half-past eleven, P.M.,
February 5th, and on the 6th instant met at the orphans' court-room in
said city, the authorities having kindly tendered the use of the same
to the committee for the purposes of the investigation, and discussed
the manner in which the testimony should be taken, and what class of
witnesses should be subpoenaed, whereupon it was decided that the
chairman should conduct the examination of the witnesses generally on
behalf of the committee, and that all citizens who knew any facts of
importance should be subpoenaed to testify and to furnish to the
committee the names of those known to possess valuable information. The
taking of testimony was commenced on February 7th, and proceeded with
as promptly as possible. After a =week's continuous work it became
evident to the committee that they could not accomplish the work
required of them and report within the time named in the above
resolution. They therefore returned to the capital and presented to
your honorable body a preliminary report setting forth what they had
done, and what was still necessary to be done to complete the work
required of them, when the following resolution was adopted by the
Senate and House of Representatives:
_Resolved, (if the Senate concur)_, That the joint committee of the
Senate and House of Representatives, appointed to investigate the late
railroad riots, etc., be and are hereby authorized to pursue their
investigations according to the plan indicated in their preliminary
report, and that to this end an extension of time over and above the
limitation of twenty days of the resolution under which they are acting
be given and granted under this direction, that the committee make a
full and thorough inquiry, and report as soon as practicable. The
committee afterwards took testimony at Harrisburg, at Philadelphia, at
Scranton, and at Reading, and have made as thorough an investigation of
the matter submitted to them as they reasonably could. As the result of
the testimony taken, your committee is of the opinion that the
following state of facts has been proved, viz:
The Pennsylvania Railroad Company, some time after the panic in 1873,
reduced the wages of its employés ten per cent., and on account of the
general decline in business made another reduction of ten per cent.,
which took effect on the 1st day of June, A.D. 1877; these reductions
to apply to all employés, from the president of the company down to
those whose wages by the month or otherwise amounted to one dollar per
day or less.
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