Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1894-06-22
CHICAGO LETTER,
An Animated American Flag
which Sang at Great Music Festival
---Locol Effects of the Coal SriSes---
the system of Oppression which Reigns
ut Much-VRunted Pullman.

---LOC0l lueCts OF the coal Strtkes-s-
the system of Oppression which Reigns
ut Much-VRunttd Pullman.
CHICAGO, June Il.
[Fr M our stan Correspondent
1t is long time since have heard from
Brattleboro, except by way Of The Phoenix,
but the other day a recent copy of the
Churchman came to hand, in which was
picture of the boy choir of ST. Michaels
church. puzzled over the picture for
some time, but could not decide whether |
had ever seen the faces before, though it
seemed as if one might perhaps be George
Childs. Cam l correctly But it was of
choir of girls intended to write. a choir
of 1000 voices which constituted the sun
day School May festival chorus held in the
Auditorium last month. The girls were
seated in tiers rising toward the back of
the stage in such a way as to form a living
American flag, stripes of red and white,
formed by the gowns of the singers, alter
mating, and the blue field in the upper left
hand corner was dotted with white stars.
1t was a charming sight, and when a thous-
and handkerchiets iiuttered a greeting to
the audience, the crowded house rang with
applause. A goOdly sum was Melted by
the concert, to be used in the Sunday
school work of the county. The program
included patriotic as well as religious mu-
sic; for it is felt that in a city where our
flag is insulted by being made TO bear the
legend "Under this we starye," too much
| attention cannot be paid to the develop
ment of spirit of patriotism among the
young
The strike among the coal miners of
eastern Illinois and western Indiana has
been a very serious matter. Soft coal is
extensively used in Chicago, and to have
its price doubled would be hardship to
the poor people of the city at any time, and
| just now, when work is scarce and money
hard to get, it has caused much trouble,
especially as up To this week the weather
has been unusually cold. Ii was said yes
| terday that at the county hospital, where
there are hundreds of patients, the supply
of coal was nearly exhausted and it was
not known where more could be procured.
| 1t is doubtful if the miners gain anything
| by the strike, but it is certain they have
| brought suffering to many: and the whole
thing is the inevitable result of the policy
of the mine owners in bringing lot of tur-
| bulent foreigners to this country with the
work for wages upon which Americans
could only starve.
The strike at Pullman has come to me as
a revelation and most unpleasant one. |
| had read illustrated articles in our leading
| periodicals, and had been led to believe
| Pullman sort of industrial Eden. but the
| vision has been rudely dispelled by the
| facts brought to light by the strike. While
| it is entirely probable that in the present
| depressed state of business the Pullman
| corporation finds il necessary to reduce eN-
| penses, il is nevertheless a fact thai the
whole system of living at Pullman j. q
| species of oppression. Take, for example,
the quarters of the brickmakers, where
some go men and their families-mostly
Italians-ek out a miserable existence.
The rent of each little wooden shanty of
four small rooms is : per month, and as
they were built some II years ago at a cost
| of about $50 apiece, each has already been
paid for in rent many times over and all
repairs have to be made at the cost of the
tenant. Yet no one, however thrifty, can
ever hope to own a home or even a foot of
land, in Pullman. The brickmakers earn
from 60 cents to $1.35 per day-only very
rapid workman being able to reach the
larger amount.
IN tne better portions OF the Town, where
green lawns and fountains lend pleasant
aspect to the workingmen's homes, things
are not much better. These houses are
laid out in flats. often three flats of three
small rooms each on every floor. In hall
at the rear of each floor is hydrant, for
the use of which each family pays so cents
month. \ flat of three small rooms
rents for $50 a month. with 80 cents
extra for water; one of four rooms for
$3.50 and the water tax. Even the churches
must be rented from the corporation. and
many of the people find it impossible to
bear their share of this expense and so stay
away from church entirely. And with the
reduction of wages am told there never
| comes a corresponding reduction in rents,
or indeed any reduction whatever. 1t
would seem that this system is utterly an
tagonstic to the American idea of indie
pendence, and one wonders if there is after
all such a great difference between the con-
diton of the peasants of Ireland and the
! Inhabitants of much-lauded Pullman. My
own impression is that the workman's
chance of owning land in Ireland is even
better than it is in Chcago's beautiful
suburb. +. T. G..