The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1894-08-29

CHICAGO Aug Ex-Governor Alleged
tonight issued the following proclamation:
ITO the People of the State of Illinois
and Especially Those of the City Of
Chicago:
There is great distress growing out Of
the want of food in and around the town
of Pullman. More than thousand fami-
lies, or in the neighborhood Of 5000 peo-
pie. are utterly destitute-nearly four
ifths Of them are women and children.
The men have endeavored to get work,
but were unable to do so. AS a
rule the men are a superior class of Ia
boring people-industrlous capable and
steady. and some of them have worked
for the Pullman company for more than
ten years. Those who have been given
work can get food. but are still in such
an impoverished condition that they can
not help neighbors if they would.
THE relief society is unable to get
more supplies. On last Saturday it gave
to each family two pounds of oat meal
and two pounds of corn meal, and hav-
ing nothing left, it suspended operations,
leaving the people In an absolutely help
less condition.
I'VE cannot now stop to inquire the
cause Of this distress. The good people
OF this state cannot allow women and
children by the hundred to perish of
hunger. I therefore call upon all hui
name and charitably disposed citizens to
contribute what they can toward giving
relief to these people"
The governor has also called on the
commissioners of Cook county TO do all
in their power i'm the matter.
The correspondence between Governor
Altgeld and Mr.. Pullman began last Sun
day when, in response to number of
appeals made to him by Pullman strikers
for assistance, Governor Altgeld sent a
lengthy telegram to Mr. Pullman, calling
his attention to the situation as set forth
in the appeal and saying of the strikers:
1T is claimed they struck because,
after years of toll their Ioaves were so
reduced that their children went hungry.
Admitting that they were wrong and
foolish, they had yet served you long
and well and you must feel some interest
in them. They do not stand on the same
footing with you, that much must be
overlooked. The state Of Illinois has not
the least desire to NEEDLE in the affairs
Of your company but it cannot allow a
" "
perish Of hunger. The local overseer of
the poor has been appealed to. but there
is a limit 10 what he can do. | cannot
help them very much at present. so un-
less relief comes from some other source
| shall either have TO call an extra ses-
sion of the legislature to make special
appropria tionSs, or else issue appeal 10
the humane people of the state TO give
bread to your recent employees. 1t seems
to me that You would prefer to relieve
the situation yourself. especially as il has
just cost the state upward of $4,000 To
protect your property, and as both the
state and the public have suffered enor-
nous loss and expense on account of
disturbances that grew out of the trou-
bic between your company and its work
men,"
Letter to Mr.. Pullman.
After making a personal visit to Pull
man. Governor Altgeld today addressed a
letter to Mr.. Pullman saying:
Il examined the conditions at Pullman
yesterday, visiting even kitchens and
back rooms of many of the people
learn from your manager that last spring
there were $3.50 people on the payroll
Yesterday there were 1920 at work, but
over six hundred of these are new men.
so that only about sixteen hundred of the
old employees have been taken back, thus
leaving over one thousand of the old en-
A few hundred have left. The remainder
have applied for work. but were told that
they were not needed. These are utterly
destitute The relief committee has ex-
hausted its resources. 1t seems to me
your company cannot afford TO have me
appeal to the charity and humanity of
the state to save the lives of your old
employees. Four-fifths of those people are
women and children. No matter what
caused this distress. It must be met
IF you will allow me, L will make this
suggestion: If you had shut down your
works last fall, when you say business
was poorer, you would not have expected
to get any rent from your tenants; now,
while a dollar is a large sum to each of
these people, all the rent now due is a
comparatively small matter to you If
you will cancel the rest to Oct l you
would be as we'll off as if you had shut
down. This would enable those who are
at work to meet their most pressing
wants Then, if you cannot give work
to all, work some half time so that all
can at least get something to eat for
their families. This will give immediate