Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1894-08-22
NEWSMEN TESTIFY.
Reporters Tell What They Saw
of the Strike.
TURBULENT sTRIKERswERE SCARCE

u
Very Bad Name-The Liar Very Prev
ports Hard to Obtain n-Editor Carroll's
Views-Pullman Poverty.
CHICAGO. Aug. s2-Michael J. Carroll.
editor of The Eight Hour Herald, was the
hrst witness before the labor commission.
Being asked what, in his opinion, could
be done to prevent strikes, Carroll replied
that If good times could be maintained
there would be no strikes. Hard times
being present, there should be some recoc-
milton OF the rights of humanity outside
oil the strictly business views of the mat.
ter. When workingmen were ground
down so that they could not live on the
pay they received there were bound to be
strikes. In manufacturing establish
ments the first thing usually done when
business becomes depressed was to redu ce
wages. the reduction being followed by
strikes. Mr.. Carroll thought trades
unions should be legalized and encour-
aged, as by their strength they would
make reference of disputes to arbitration
more frequent. He also favored govern
ment ownership of railroads.
What He Saw of RiotIn-.
Malcolm Mcdowell, reporter for The
record, was next called and testified to
what he saw OF roting during the stri Ike.
he saw mob of about twenty men upset
two cars at Blue Island No one in the
crowd looked like railway man. He
thought they were brickyard employees
The men who righted the cars and cleared
the tracks were not interfered with by the
crowds beyond some chatting remarks.
When Marshal Arnold read the United
States court injunction the crowd jeered
and hooted. Among the crowd to which
Deputy Allen read the injunction at an
other point there We're several intoxicated
men and these made most of the disturb
ance. Many OF the men did not seem to
understand the injunction Several
American Railway Union men mounted a
car and told the crowd the nature of the
injunction and advised them to leave rail.
road property alone. Soon after the crowd
dispersed.
Gives the Marsha!s n Fad Name.
lie also knew OF an engine being thrown
from the track. but did not know who
dld 1t. lie rode on the pilot of the engine
pulling the first train that passed throu gh
Blue Island under military escort. The
train was not attacked, but Mt Fifty first
street crowd of about $50 men had
gathered on the track. The train slowed
up, the soldiers jumped from the cars and
dispersed the crowd. At Thirty-eighth
street. sonfe stones We're thrown from the
back yards. One tone was thrown from
the crowd and struck soldier, who dashed
into the crowd and thrashed the man who
threw the stone and the crowd applauded.
Along the track at different points there
were twenty-eight cars upset on the
tracks. This was done, Mr. Mcdowell
was informed, by a crowd from the stock
yards. In the crowds along the tracks
were many women and children. Much
OF the trouble was caused by the deputy
| United States marshals, who were agores-
sive, insulting, and always seeking to pro-
| woke trouble.
| Roth sides Would Lie.
Reporters could not get correct accounts
of occurrences unless they saw them, as
| both sides would lie.
| Rev. NJ L. Wickham, of the Swedish N.
T. church, just outside of Pullman, said
| that Pullman wages were cut so low that
| the men could not live on what they
received. Rents were one-third higher in
| Pullman than "in kensington and Rose.
land. The reverend gentleman gave two
| reasons why the employees did not move
out of Pullman; one was that they would
lose their jobs If they did; the other was
that 'kensington is less sristocrati,
| looking place. and people VINO have lived
| IN Pullman do not like to go there" Rose.
| land was more moral than Pullman be-
| cause many OF the Pullman tenants had to
take rooInerS TO enable them to pay their
rent. The arrangement of the rooms in
the Pullman houses was such that room
ers had to pass through the family sleeping
room. This was conducive to immortality.