St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-08-24
PULLMAN CONTRACTS
Manager st. John Tells the
Strike Commission That
Roads Are
NOT BOUND TO HAUL CARS.
He Admits His Road Has
Practically Blaeklisted
Men.
NOT BOUND TO HAUL CARS
THE MANAGERS COMBINE
Not Made for the Purpose of
Cutting Wages--Remedies
for Strikes.

CHICAGO, Aug. 22.-General Man.
ager E. st. John, of the Rock Island
railroad, was called before the strike
commission today. Mr.. st. John had
prepared histsry of the strike as it
affected his road and read to the COM
troubles. When he had finished he was
asked if his company blacklisted men.
mot in the sense that the word is
generally understood" said the wit
ness. when a man is discharged from
one Of our divisions we send state
ment to our other divisions that he may
not be re-employed, but no such state
ment is sent to other roads unless it is
requested"
Can you show US copy Of your con-
tract with the Pullman company?'
asked Commissioner Herman.
81 can show you the contract if you
! will regard it as private matter. do
not wish to see it published in the
newspapers.
This proposition was refused. and MI.
st. John was asked il the contract COM
PEELED his company to haul Pullmans
on all passenger trains.
NO" was the answer; ''we can haul
Pullmans on any trains we choose and
Need Not Haul Them
unless we WISH"
Then you were not compelled to haul
Pullmans during the striker"
mo, we we're not"
Mr.. st. John was asked as to the num-
Der of strikers who had been taken back
by his company.
Most of our men," he said, "quit
work through fear, but of the 500 actual
strikers only seventy.four have been
taken back" The witness said that
their relations to labor unions were
regulated by the number of men on
their lines belonging to the unions.
when union has so per cent or
more of our men," he said, 1--WE, as a
general thing. treat with its representa-
tives. We had no dealings with the A.
R. u, as it had less than 500 of our en-
ployes."
Ibid your road cut wages last spring
Or this summer" asked Commissioner
Wright.
mo. sir. We cut our force, but did
not cut wages"
"Has your road advanced wages with
in the last ten years?"
Eyes. We have frequently made indi-
yldual advances. but no general ad-
vance that remember Of"
"How much did the strike cost the
Rock Island road?' Mr.. Herman asked.
~ cannot give exact figures without
reference to data. but should say that
the strike cost our road between $500, 900
and 100000"
Mr.. st. John emphatically denied the
statement that the United States mar.
shals used during the riots were con-
trolled by the railroads.
'We asked for protection and fur
nished many of our employees who were
sworn in as deputy marshals. But
after being sworn in we had nothing
more to do with them. They were
commanded and controlled, suppose,
by the United States marshals."
Strikers Were Rioters.
The witness said that many OF the
rioters who overturned and burned cars
were strikers. He knew this to be a
fact, he said, because many of them
were recognized by the Rock Island
employees who witnessed the lawless.
ness. The commissioners questioned
Mr.. st. John very closely regarding the
control OF the United States deputy
marshals, as the statement had been
made by Chief Deputy Donnelly tina
the railroad companies took charge of
the forces during the riots.
In the afternoon Mr.. st. John gave a
history of the formation of the genaral
managers association, which he denied
had its inception from any desire to
reduce the wages of the men. He said
further: 1.-THE schedule of wages we
have compiled seems to have been mis-.
understood. 1t is tabdlation of rail-
road wages all over the country. It was
impossible to have anything like equality
of wages for the same class of service
without some such tabulation. 1t had
nothing to do with an intended reduc-
tiOn Of wages, and was not followed by
reductions. Two or three Southern lines
found they were paying wages consider
ably in excess of wages paid by their
competitors, and naturally reduced
them to an equality.
81 do not say that there will not be
reduction Of wages and revision OF the
schedule tax. The Rock Island so far
has made its economies in the reduction
of force and the shortening of working
hours. fear very much, however, that
unless change comes in the situation
something will have to be done. speak
of the company's financial affairs with
the greatest reluctance in public, but its
Earnings Have Suffered
a decrease of 100000 in three months,
and some method will have to be de-
vised OF changing that result. Some of
the companies have had their earnings
decrease at the rate of $500, GOO month";"
Mr.. st. John, i'll answer to question,
said the story that Gen.Miles had called
at association headquarters is positively
absurd: questioned as the best
remedy for strikes, he said he had
no suggestions to make, although he
had given the matter much thought.
That way would eventually be found,
he firmly believed, but he could not
form All idea now as to what that way
will be. Mr.. Herman asked the witness
if he did not believe system of gov
eminent license applied to railroad em-
ployes would be a good thing. Mr.. st.
John Sgid he thought the plan had
merit If it could be kept out of politics,
The government might establish the
system OH some OF the subsidized roads
and try it.
Mr.. st. John will be on the stand
again tomorrow morning.