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Show CHAIRMAN GRAY OBJEQS TO UNION METHODS PHILADELPHIA, Jan. 22. The sessions ses-sions of the coal strike commission yesterday yes-terday were enlivened by some' Interesting Interest-ing testimony. The feature of the sessions ses-sions was Chairman Gray's rather strong- remarks In Commenting on an ; Incident where District President Fahey j v. of the Miners' union would not grant f ' " "permission during the strike to a con- " tractor to erect a boiler house at a col-' col-' Uery. the work being necessary to pre- ' serve the mine from damage. The presi- den of the commission said he hated tyranny, ty-ranny, no matter whether it was practiced prac-ticed by an operator, a miner or any one else. R. S. Mercur, a district superintendent superintend-ent of the Lehigh Valley collieries in the Mahanoy and Bhamokin- district ' grave some interesting testimony which livened the proceedings considerably. Mr. Mercur told of the trouble in keeping keep-ing the water - from accumulating in the mines during the strike. He said , the company had contracted with a man lo build a boiler house for Packer colliery No. 5. The strikers refused to permit this-to be done; they would not even permit material to be taken from the railroad cars. Finally the contractor con-tractor wrote to District President Fahey, asking permission to erect the " """ i boiler bouse, end the labor leader j replied: "On account of existing conditions, I cannot grant you the permission which, as I understand from your letter, let-ter, you request." The letter further stated that Mr. Fahey was willing to meet him and discuss the matter. Chairman Gray asked the witness if he did not apply to Mr. Fahey and he ' replied that he did not. The president of the committee sarcastically asked the witness, why he did not with due submission, go to see Mr. Fahey and appeal to him to permit the building of the boiler house. He might have softened a bit. added the commissioner. Mr. Darrow protested that the matter should not go any further until Mr. Fahey was present. .The chairman and-Mr. Darrow then had an animated colloquy over the matter, mat-ter, during which Judge Gray said he did not like the word "permission" as used by Mr. Fahey. This wa a free country, .and he was not educated up to using It in the way Mr. Fahey had employed it. He added he hated tyranny, no matter whether It was practiced by an operator, miner or any one else. The .chairman, delivered his remarks with much force, and the incident in-cident created considerable of a stir in the court room. |